Monday, November 24, 2003
A Brief History of Singapore
Chapter One: Early Singapore
Singapore has come a long way since her conception at the hands of Sir Stamford “Hotels, Town Clubs, Institutions and Junior Colleges” Raffles. I’ve put together a brief summary of the events that have led up to what we have become today. This is a brief history of how a small fishing village, over the course of almost 200 years and through the foresight and efforts of its leaders and pioneers, became a small fishing village with no fish.
Singapore was not found to be referred to in any historical records before the 3rd century AD. This startling revelation has led many historians to believe that the island was originally mistaken by passing ships to be the expectedly huge output of excrement that the Chinese had flushed down their toilets and had made its way through the sewage system out into the South China Sea. This mass had however, due to exceptionally strong seasonal winds during that period of time, floated ALL the way down to the conveniently named Straits of Singapore. Taiwan, Macau and many of the lesser Pacific Islands may have come about this way as well. Japan has been attributed to a diarrhoea epidemic that had raged through China several decades earlier. Singapore was called Puluozhong by the Chinese. This name was taken from the Malay ‘Pulau Ujong,’ which means, ‘Island at the end.’ Figures.
The Javanese Nagarakretagama (famously referred to as ‘that Javanese thing’ by eminent historian W.B. Pompous in his 1786 book ‘Propunciations and Elaborations on the Nature and Means of the 14th Century Javanese People and their Things’) spoke of a settlement called Temasek (meaning ‘Water Town’, in reference to the remarkable fact that the island was actually surrounded by water). The Sejarah Melayu, or Malaysian Annals (something well-loved by the people as well as a particular ex-deputy Prime Minister of theirs), describes the naming of our nation in a colourful, fantastic and vivid account. The Malaysians were very good at making up colourful, fantastic and vivid stories back then and to some extent, they still are. The story goes as follows:
Sang Nila Utama, who ruled Palembang (Another small fishing village. Everywhere was a small fishing village back then.) at the time, was out with some of his men. “Come on guys, let’s go for a spin,” he said to them as they tossed their lines into the sea, “There’s a storm coming and this place stinks.” The Indonesians weren’t renowned for their logic or coherence. Anyway, they packed their belongings and went out into the wild, blue yonder. Within minutes of embarking on their historical voyage, they realised that the ‘Wild, Blue Yonder’, in fact, belonged to Sri Buanana Tri, the town mayor, so they rushed back and swapped it for their own craft. The ship got caught in a storm soon after and Sang Nila Utama and his men lost their bearings. “Come on, men! Think!” was the cry. “Where did you put them?” They suffered for days in hunger and thirst as the ship got tossed about by the unforgiving winds. Thankfully, one of the men spotted an island nearby that they could anchor themselves at to escape the storm. “Land ahoy!” he cried. “Island to the south, Captain!” To which, Sang Nila Utama called back, “What the hell are you talking about?” The man replied, “An island, Captain! I don’t believe it either, it’s not on the map! But it’s there! We’re saved!” Sang Nila Utama shook his head. “No, you imbecile! What the heck is ‘Land ahoy!’?”
Eventually the ship managed to run aground on the shores of the island, despite all the bickering and communication breakdowns. Unbeknownst to them, they had stumbled onto the uninhabited side of Temasek. Sang Nila Utama took his first steps on the island and saw before him a majestic and proud animal that he knew would be the perfect symbol for the fledgling nation he was about to found. “I shall call this island, ‘Buayapura,’” He proclaimed.
Just then, he spotted something in the distance. Running up to it, he realised that it was a small statue of a lion with the tail of a fish (or a fish with the head of a lion, depending on how you held it.) that was placed on a pedestal. Water sprung out of its mouth like life from the womb of a pregnant woman (They used dodgy clichés back then). On the pedestal, the following words were engraved: “Welcome to Singapura, you idiot.” And thus, our island gained what more-or-less became its name, though it there were some changes made over the years. Firstly, and most importantly, the suffix ‘You Idiot’ at the end was dropped because it hurt relations with neighbouring countries. Violent sword-fights broke out at regional summits when our nation’s leaders introduced themselves: “Hi, I’m from Singapura, You Idiot.” “From where?” the other rulers would double-check in disbelief. “Singapura, You Idiot.” So you can see why our nation had a turbulent few years to get through when it started off. Singapura itself means ‘Lion City.’ The British eventually changed that name to ‘Singapore’ during their reign here, which we will get to much later. In 1967, the title ‘Republic of’ was added as a prefix to ‘Singapore’, after a famous parliamentary session that resulted in a landslide 192-3 vote in favour of adding the prefix because it, in the words of the late David Marshall, “sounded cooler.” Back to the story, then:
Just then, a figure emerged from the thick fog of the jungle and walked up to Sang Nila Utama and his men. “Oi!” he cried, “Get lost! You aren’t going to name this place whatever you like just because you’re the king of some half-baked village miles away. This here is Temasek, so take your ship and bugger off like the rest of your kind. Damn colonists.” So Sang Nila Utama caught the next ship back to Palembang and was never seen again (at least, in this essay).
The Sejarah Melayu also recounts the story of a prince from Palembang (an adventurous lot, they are), named Parameswara who decided to come to Singapore and kill the local chieftain, so that he could take over the island and make it into his own little kingdom. The chieftain was dispatched effortlessly. This probably had something to do with him being totally oblivious to the large weapon that Parameswara was wielding at the time. “Oi!” he cried, “Get lost! You aren’t going to name this place whatever you like just because you’re the prince of some half-baked village miles away. This here is Temasek, so take your ship and bug-”
Parameswara’s rule was short-lived as he was seen as a threat to the Majapahit empire (from the Indonesian Archipelago) and the Siamese people (who invented a breed of cat). Those two empires had been fighting over the Malay Peninsula for many years but they eventually lost out to Parameswara, who fled north to Muar to lay the foundations for Malacca. There was a story about a doe or deer in there somewhere too, but we forget. Malacca grew and became a powerful empire under the rule of Parameswara, culminating in a period of sustained development (called the ‘Golden Age of Malacca’) that led to the creation of the famous Malaccan dish, Laksa. Malacca then promptly faded into obscurity.
Chapter Two: The Brits Arriveth
By the 19th century, the British, Dutch, Portuguese, French and Manchester United had managed to put dozens of countries under their often tyrannical rule. There was as much bickering as there was signing of treaties between these empires. For example, the British and French agreed to not have a problem with one another for once, though this treaty did not last for long. It ended when Sir William G. Threshtington and his French diplomatic counterpart Pierre-Luc “Viva la” Gastόn...[to be continued]
Chapter One: Early Singapore
Singapore has come a long way since her conception at the hands of Sir Stamford “Hotels, Town Clubs, Institutions and Junior Colleges” Raffles. I’ve put together a brief summary of the events that have led up to what we have become today. This is a brief history of how a small fishing village, over the course of almost 200 years and through the foresight and efforts of its leaders and pioneers, became a small fishing village with no fish.
Singapore was not found to be referred to in any historical records before the 3rd century AD. This startling revelation has led many historians to believe that the island was originally mistaken by passing ships to be the expectedly huge output of excrement that the Chinese had flushed down their toilets and had made its way through the sewage system out into the South China Sea. This mass had however, due to exceptionally strong seasonal winds during that period of time, floated ALL the way down to the conveniently named Straits of Singapore. Taiwan, Macau and many of the lesser Pacific Islands may have come about this way as well. Japan has been attributed to a diarrhoea epidemic that had raged through China several decades earlier. Singapore was called Puluozhong by the Chinese. This name was taken from the Malay ‘Pulau Ujong,’ which means, ‘Island at the end.’ Figures.
The Javanese Nagarakretagama (famously referred to as ‘that Javanese thing’ by eminent historian W.B. Pompous in his 1786 book ‘Propunciations and Elaborations on the Nature and Means of the 14th Century Javanese People and their Things’) spoke of a settlement called Temasek (meaning ‘Water Town’, in reference to the remarkable fact that the island was actually surrounded by water). The Sejarah Melayu, or Malaysian Annals (something well-loved by the people as well as a particular ex-deputy Prime Minister of theirs), describes the naming of our nation in a colourful, fantastic and vivid account. The Malaysians were very good at making up colourful, fantastic and vivid stories back then and to some extent, they still are. The story goes as follows:
Sang Nila Utama, who ruled Palembang (Another small fishing village. Everywhere was a small fishing village back then.) at the time, was out with some of his men. “Come on guys, let’s go for a spin,” he said to them as they tossed their lines into the sea, “There’s a storm coming and this place stinks.” The Indonesians weren’t renowned for their logic or coherence. Anyway, they packed their belongings and went out into the wild, blue yonder. Within minutes of embarking on their historical voyage, they realised that the ‘Wild, Blue Yonder’, in fact, belonged to Sri Buanana Tri, the town mayor, so they rushed back and swapped it for their own craft. The ship got caught in a storm soon after and Sang Nila Utama and his men lost their bearings. “Come on, men! Think!” was the cry. “Where did you put them?” They suffered for days in hunger and thirst as the ship got tossed about by the unforgiving winds. Thankfully, one of the men spotted an island nearby that they could anchor themselves at to escape the storm. “Land ahoy!” he cried. “Island to the south, Captain!” To which, Sang Nila Utama called back, “What the hell are you talking about?” The man replied, “An island, Captain! I don’t believe it either, it’s not on the map! But it’s there! We’re saved!” Sang Nila Utama shook his head. “No, you imbecile! What the heck is ‘Land ahoy!’?”
Eventually the ship managed to run aground on the shores of the island, despite all the bickering and communication breakdowns. Unbeknownst to them, they had stumbled onto the uninhabited side of Temasek. Sang Nila Utama took his first steps on the island and saw before him a majestic and proud animal that he knew would be the perfect symbol for the fledgling nation he was about to found. “I shall call this island, ‘Buayapura,’” He proclaimed.
Just then, he spotted something in the distance. Running up to it, he realised that it was a small statue of a lion with the tail of a fish (or a fish with the head of a lion, depending on how you held it.) that was placed on a pedestal. Water sprung out of its mouth like life from the womb of a pregnant woman (They used dodgy clichés back then). On the pedestal, the following words were engraved: “Welcome to Singapura, you idiot.” And thus, our island gained what more-or-less became its name, though it there were some changes made over the years. Firstly, and most importantly, the suffix ‘You Idiot’ at the end was dropped because it hurt relations with neighbouring countries. Violent sword-fights broke out at regional summits when our nation’s leaders introduced themselves: “Hi, I’m from Singapura, You Idiot.” “From where?” the other rulers would double-check in disbelief. “Singapura, You Idiot.” So you can see why our nation had a turbulent few years to get through when it started off. Singapura itself means ‘Lion City.’ The British eventually changed that name to ‘Singapore’ during their reign here, which we will get to much later. In 1967, the title ‘Republic of’ was added as a prefix to ‘Singapore’, after a famous parliamentary session that resulted in a landslide 192-3 vote in favour of adding the prefix because it, in the words of the late David Marshall, “sounded cooler.” Back to the story, then:
Just then, a figure emerged from the thick fog of the jungle and walked up to Sang Nila Utama and his men. “Oi!” he cried, “Get lost! You aren’t going to name this place whatever you like just because you’re the king of some half-baked village miles away. This here is Temasek, so take your ship and bugger off like the rest of your kind. Damn colonists.” So Sang Nila Utama caught the next ship back to Palembang and was never seen again (at least, in this essay).
The Sejarah Melayu also recounts the story of a prince from Palembang (an adventurous lot, they are), named Parameswara who decided to come to Singapore and kill the local chieftain, so that he could take over the island and make it into his own little kingdom. The chieftain was dispatched effortlessly. This probably had something to do with him being totally oblivious to the large weapon that Parameswara was wielding at the time. “Oi!” he cried, “Get lost! You aren’t going to name this place whatever you like just because you’re the prince of some half-baked village miles away. This here is Temasek, so take your ship and bug-”
Parameswara’s rule was short-lived as he was seen as a threat to the Majapahit empire (from the Indonesian Archipelago) and the Siamese people (who invented a breed of cat). Those two empires had been fighting over the Malay Peninsula for many years but they eventually lost out to Parameswara, who fled north to Muar to lay the foundations for Malacca. There was a story about a doe or deer in there somewhere too, but we forget. Malacca grew and became a powerful empire under the rule of Parameswara, culminating in a period of sustained development (called the ‘Golden Age of Malacca’) that led to the creation of the famous Malaccan dish, Laksa. Malacca then promptly faded into obscurity.
Chapter Two: The Brits Arriveth
By the 19th century, the British, Dutch, Portuguese, French and Manchester United had managed to put dozens of countries under their often tyrannical rule. There was as much bickering as there was signing of treaties between these empires. For example, the British and French agreed to not have a problem with one another for once, though this treaty did not last for long. It ended when Sir William G. Threshtington and his French diplomatic counterpart Pierre-Luc “Viva la” Gastόn...[to be continued]
Friday, November 21, 2003
christmas.
winter’s children, all decked out in her regalia
of snowflakes, ice cakes and paraphernalia
inundated in white, overwhelmed with laughter
smiling through the night and the morning after
for first light, with bated breath they wait
their appetite for excitement can never be sate
heaven-sent presents await with a parent to say
‘merry christmas, my lovelies! open away!’
snow will fall by the pine tree wall once more
gift wrappings and trappings will scatter the floor
coloured snowfall is quite a show to behold
parents smile when a child holds christmas gold
the clarion call rings out just then:
“drop your toys! out into the snow again!”
and so they fly, leaving the house in their wake
with noise, the boys and girls head to the lake
dragging along their custom-built sleds
with aluminium armour, garments and dragon heads
skipping down the slope the sled goes
where they will end up, not one of the knows
experience tells them that their ride is done
and it ends, their sled upends and runs
they tumble and roll, and stumble in the snow
falling over one another into a heap of cold
and so they lie, laughing till they cry
before they pick one another up for another try
only time stands in their way on this christmas eve
the seconds beckon them to savour every memory
beautiful it is, to see them play without hindrance
after all, ‘tis the way winter looks after her children
--
winter’s children, all decked out in her regalia
of snowflakes, ice cakes and paraphernalia
inundated in white, overwhelmed with laughter
smiling through the night and the morning after
for first light, with bated breath they wait
their appetite for excitement can never be sate
heaven-sent presents await with a parent to say
‘merry christmas, my lovelies! open away!’
snow will fall by the pine tree wall once more
gift wrappings and trappings will scatter the floor
coloured snowfall is quite a show to behold
parents smile when a child holds christmas gold
the clarion call rings out just then:
“drop your toys! out into the snow again!”
and so they fly, leaving the house in their wake
with noise, the boys and girls head to the lake
dragging along their custom-built sleds
with aluminium armour, garments and dragon heads
skipping down the slope the sled goes
where they will end up, not one of the knows
experience tells them that their ride is done
and it ends, their sled upends and runs
they tumble and roll, and stumble in the snow
falling over one another into a heap of cold
and so they lie, laughing till they cry
before they pick one another up for another try
only time stands in their way on this christmas eve
the seconds beckon them to savour every memory
beautiful it is, to see them play without hindrance
after all, ‘tis the way winter looks after her children
--
