QRA International website
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Why is Raffles Honoured and not Sang Nila Utama ?
Stamford Raffles Statue outside Victoria Concert Hall
Outside the Victoria Concert Hall, stands a bronze large than life statue of Sir Stamford Raffles, who was the 'founder of modern day Singapore' as according to the plaque beneath it. I question this word 'founder'. Stamford Raffles came as the British representative of the British East India Company in 1819, and there already were people already inhabiting this small island called Temasek. In fact, the story goes that Sang Nila Utama, the Indonesian prince, first came to Singapore in the 15th century and saw a lion, whereby he called this island Singa (Lion) pura (City).
Furthermore, the Dutch East India Company was already set up in the north, Malacca and this fishing village already had trading and entrepot trade for several hundred years. No doubt, Raffles wrangled the treaty away from the Dutch and developed it further using the deep water harbour as a base for ocean going ships and promoting it as the gateway for trade between the East (China, Vietnam, Indonesia) and West (UK, Spain, Portugal). Raffles' contribution was important, but Sang Nila Utama first 'founded' the island state Singapore.
Perhaps the statue was built in the early 1900s when the British empire was at its peak and needed to build statues glorifying its civil servants like Raffles, but lets have some accuracy in this fact. No Western man 'founded' Singapore.
We must shake off this mindset that West is best. West perhaps WAS BEST. East IS BETTER, NOW.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Live High Train Low and High Adaptations by Scientists Worldwide
Photo Courtesy of Prof Julien Periard (UCRISE Sport and Research Department) Presentation 12 Oct 2024 This Table is as presented by a top...
-
This is the latest 'toy' from Nike, the Sportband. It costs S$ 100 from any Nike shop and you need to wear it on your wrist plu...
-
On 15th May 2011, Krystal Mizoguchi was found dead beside an HDB block in Ang Mo Kio. The cause of death was suicide. She was only 18 ...
-
I drove the E 230 from beginning 2012 till end 2017, a full 5 years. I must say that I am really enamoured by the look and the power of...
No comments:
Post a Comment