Raffles Landing
Site
Background Information
This statue of Sir Stamford Raffles, sculpted by Thomas Woolner, is a national iconic representation located at Empress Place, in front of Victoria Memorial Hall, immortalizing his instrumental role of establishing Singapore as a vital trading post. This statue depicts Raffles in an upright position, arms folded, with an unambiguous demeanour of confidence, demonstrating his figure of authority and glorifying his contributions to Singapore. It is important to note that this statue is actually a copy of the original dark bronze statue, and was placed here in 1969 on the 150th anniversary of Singapore’s founding. This should not be confused with the original dark bronze statue currently located in front of the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall in Empress Place, which was unveiled on Jubilee Day on 27 June 1887.
Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles was a British
Colonial Official with the East India Company. He and William Farquhar, a former
British resident at Amboina, were on the lookout for a strategically situated
way station in the Malay Archipelago which would play in the East the role
Malta was playing in the West. He planned the city, prepared laws, and laid the
foundation of the Singapore Institution, a Malay school.
Reflections
I think that where Raffles is situated in the urban
landscape is strategic and deliberated, and it prominently exhibits people’s
open admiration for his contributions towards Singapore. Many would also
conveniently assume that where the statue is placed would be where Raffles
first stepped foot, since it is located just beside the Singapore River. It is
near many tourist hallmarks and against a backdrop of high-rise urban
buildings. Hence, it feels to me that this structure is installed with elements
of didacticism and it could be to honour the memory of Raffles and educate the young
on the significance of Raffles’ contributions to Singapore.
A bronze shield is also affixed to the base of the granitic
pedestal, with an inscription indicating that Raffles’ “genius and perception
changed the destiny of Singapore from an obscure fishing village to a great
seaport and modern metropolis”. The colour of this inscription directly juxtaposes
the ‘white statue’, and it makes it very apparent and perceptible to any locals
or foreigners who walk past the statue.
A statue of Raffles acquired a symbolic significance which
far transcended the historical reality that he founded Singapore, yet this
claim is met with competing definitions of what a “founder” means. If a “founder” would refer to one who introduced colonization to Singapore and planned Singapore
to be on the global map for its extensive entrepot activities, then Sir
Stamford Raffles is unequivocally the best option. Otherwise, if a “founder” is
one who has carried out the process of developing its political, social and
economic attributes, then it would be useful to consider Major-General William
Farquhar (1st Resident of Singapore) or Dr. John Crawford (2nd Resident of
Singapore).
With the statue of Raffles built at the heart of the
urban town, I also feel that society might have implicitly endorsed the
perceived benefits of the British legacy in relation to Singapore’s early development.
This might be true to some extent. However, it might have downplayed the counter-narratives that the British mostly acted in self-interest and the instances when
the British did not consider the needs of Singaporeans in their decision-making
during the colonial period.
Trivia
Do you know why the statue was shifted from Padang, facing the sea, between St Andrew's Road and Connaught Drive to the Empress Place? This is because Padang used to be a popular football field for players to congregate. However, the statue was subjected to waylaid balls and was often used as a “box seat” during games. To ensure that this precious monument is not compromised, they moved it to Empress Place.Suggested Activity
Consider names of historic figures who were critical in
the founding of Singapore, but that no monuments were erected.
Aspiring Historians at Raffles Landing Site
