Two weeks ago, I took a leisurely stroll around the Kampong Glam neighbourhood of Singapore. In the Malay language, "Kampong" means village or settlement, and "Glam" refers to a certain type of tree found here in large numbers during the early years. This area is located north of the Singapore River, and is roughly bounded by Beach Road, Crawford Street, Kallang Road and Ophir Street, and has a strong Malay community and connection. There is also a strong link between this area and the story of the founding of Singapore.
Fig 1: Sultan Mosque
Within this area, one can find the splendid Sultan Mosque, quaint textile and handicraft shops, cafes and restaurants serving delicious Malay food (among other cuisines), and a variety of colourful architectures, structures and murals.
Near the centre of Kampong Glam is the elegant building and compound of the Malay Heritage Centre, which was formerly the Istana Kampong Glam, built between 1840 and 1843 by Sultan Ali Iskandar Shah, son of Sultan Hussein Shah (who features prominently in the Singapore story, as will be described later in this post).
Fig 2: The Malay Heritage Centre , which was formerly Istana Kampong Glam
The Malay Heritage Centre houses a well-curated museum of Malay history, culture and heritage.
Inside the museum, I saw this useful diagram depicting royal genealogies relevant to Singapore. For the purposes of our story, focus on the lower part of the chart showing the rulers of the Johor-Riau Sultanate (which Singapore then belonged under).
Fig 3: Royal genealogies pertaining to Singapore
The Dispute on Royal Succession
In 1812, when Sultan Mahmud Shah III passed away after a fifty year reign, there was a succession dispute. The Sultan had no sons by his two royal wives but had two sons by his two other wives, who came from prominent Bugis families, but were not of royal blood. Tengku Hussein (also called Tengku Long), being the elder son, stood a better chance of succeeding his father over his younger brother Tengku Abdul Rahman. However, Tengku Hussein was away in Pahang for his wedding when his father died.
The Bugis faction led by Raja Ja'afar, who supported Tengku Abdul Rahman as successor hastily organised a coronation ceremony before Tengku Hussein could return. In exchange for his support, Raja Ja'afar was appointed Regent and had administrative authority. All this also had the support of the Dutch.
The Malays chiefs who supported Tengku Hussein were unhappy but there was little they could do. When Tengku Hussein found that his brother had become the new Sultan, he had no choice but to go and live quietly on one of the Riau islands.
Arrival of Raffles in Singapore
Enter a certain Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles in early 1819. At the time, Raffles had been appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the British colony at Bencoolen (on the island of Sumatra). Raffles was able to speak Malay at a time when few Englishmen could.
Fig 4: The region in 1818
Raffles held the view that the British had to find a way to replace the Dutch as the dominant power in the region, in particular to safeguard the important trade route between China and British India. He was able to convince Lord Hastings, then the Governor-General in India and his superior in the British East India Company, to fund an expedition to establish a new British base in the Straits of Malacca.
Here are some key events which led up to the founding of Singapore:
On 18 January 1819, Stamford Raffles left Penang on board the "Indiana" under the command of Captain James Pearl with the objective to establish a new settlement south of Malacca.
On 27 January 1819, the "Indiana" and "Discover", together with "Investigator" with William Farquhar surveyed the possibility of the Karimun Islands as the British site, but after discussion decided it was not suitable, they pressed on.
On 28 January 1819, the "Indiana" and "Enterprise" anchored at St John's Island and Raffles and some of his men met with locals that evening. Apparently it was then that Raffles spotted the larger island to the north of St John's Island and sent some men to check it out.
On 29 January 1819, Raffles and Farquhar landed by one of the rivers in Singapore and met Temenggong Abdul Rahman. They explained what they wanted to do and asked the Temenggong for permission, but were told that Singapore actually came under the Johor-Riau Sultanate. The Temenggong also told them about the royal succession dispute. Raffles decided to formally recognise Tengku Hussein as the rightful Sultan, on condition that he gave them permission to start a trading post and settlement on the southern part of the island. In return, Tengku Hussein also would receive 5,000 Spanish Dollars a year and the Temenggong 3,000. On 30 January 1819, an informal agreement was written between the Temenggong and the British and the Union Jack was raised for the first time in Singapore.
This informal agreement had to be endorsed later by Tengku Hussein, which happened after Raffles arranged to have him brought back from the Riau island he had been living. The now famous Treaty of 6 February 1819 was signed by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, Tengku Hussein Shah and Temenggong Abdul Rahman.
Fig 5: A diorama depicting the signing of the Treaty of 6 Feb 1819
Fig 6: Last part of the Treaty of 6 Feb 1819 document
Development of Singapore began in earnest. Raffles made William Farquhar the first Resident and Commandant of Singapore, and it was Farquhar who implemented the earliest development plans outlined by Raffles. John Crawfurd became the second Resident in 1823 and continued the work. [Editor's note: This blog will provide more details on the contributions of these men later]
Reactions from the Dutch
The Dutch were furious with what Raffles and the British had done, as they regarded Singapore as part of Riau's territories and therefore under their control. The Dutch felt that the British had no right to occupy any part of Singapore, and considered taking military action to drive the British out of the island.
Back in Europe, England and Holland were allies in checking France. The Singapore incident caused a sharp deterioration in Anglo-Dutch relations. The East India Company called up Raffles and demanded an explanation. In 1819, Raffles met Lord Hastings in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and continued to make his case that a triad of British colonies (Penang, Bencoolen and Singapore) would greatly strengthen Britain's geopolitical position in the region. Although initially interested, Hastings eventually told Raffles not to waste too much time pursuing this. Raffles had no choice but to return to Bencoolen, where he focused his efforts on administering the colony there, as well as spending time with his family, writing and pursuing his own interests in zoology.
It was only on 17 March 1824 - after four years of hard negotiation - that Britain and Holland signed the Anglo-Dutch Agreement in London, leading to the Dutch recognising the British occupation of Singapore, and the British giving up Bencoolen to the Dutch in exchange for Malacca.
Kampong Glam since 1819
Before 1819, Kampong Glam was home to the Malay aristocracy of Singapore. It achieved greater prominence and the population increased sharply after the signing of the Treaty of 1819.
Under the Raffles Plan of 1822, the settlement was divided according to different ethnic groups, and included European Town, Chinatown, Chulia, Arab and Bugis kampongs. Kampong Glam was designated for the Sultan and his household, as well as the Malay and Arab communities. The Sultan Mosque (or Masjid Sultan) drew many Muslim faithful to prayers.
The later part of the 19th century was accompanied by rapid growth of immigrant communities in Kampong Glam - initially from Sumatra and later from other parts of Indonesia and Malaysia.
In the 20th and early 21st century, there has been an expansion of commercial activities and a multi-ethnic community has developed, comprising not only Malays and Arabs but also Chinese, Indians and others.
Fig 7a: Scenes from Kampong Glam (2015)
Fig 7b: Scenes from Kampong Glam (2015)
Fig 7c: Scenes from Kampong Glam (2015)
Fig 7d: Scenes from Kampong Glam (2015)
