April 5, 2018

Was Sir Stamford Raffles the first to discover and acknowledge the significance of Singapore’s strategic location in 1819?

Associate Professor Peter Borschberg (Department of History) opines in the Straits Times that Singapore’s ideal location as a financial hub for trade and colonialization was appreciated long before Stamford Raffles’ supposed discovery. Before the 1800s, Singapore’s prominence within the region was reflected by the diverse names that Singapore has been given. More specifically, Singapore’s strategic location was highly regarded by local and early European colonial authorities, as reflected by their efforts to gain control of naval networks within the Singapore Straits. One instance was the deployment of multiple patrolling ships, by the Dutch East India Company, to vital parts of the Singapore Strait.

According to Borschberg, the illuminating discovery of drafted proposals by De Coutre, dated two centuries before the 1800s, also illustrated plans to build forts around Singapore’s coastal areas. Although these proposals were petitioned to the King of Spain, the plans did not come to fruition due to various limitations. Nevertheless, there were continuous recommendations by the Dutch governors to construct a colony in Singapore. Based on the findings, Borschberg concluded that Stamford Raffles’ so-called discovery of Singapore in 1819 should not be considered as a new finding but rather, as a relatively recent progression of the island.

You can read the full article here.