Singapore is one of the most advanced cities and societies in the world. It stands like a little jewel in Southeast Asia - or so it seems. The population of around three million is dominated by overseas Chinese who have migrated there since Singapore's founding at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The island city's economic development has been based on entrepôt trade with the rest of the region and a strong rule of law, derived from English common law, as was the case with the United States.
All of this was made possible by the original founder of the city as an outpost for British trading interests: Sir Stamford Raffles. Who was he?
Sir Stamford Raffles followed a path that was quite well-known for a young English boy without a personal fortune but with some prospects for betterment at the end of the eighteenth century. That is, he entered a life of service to the British empire in the colonies, in his case by joining the East India Company. At this time, the East India Company acted almost as a sub-contractor for the British crown to represent her interests. Although there were of course ups and downs in the relationship, it was quite common for the Company to maintain its own armed forces and to co-operate with official troops, as well as to make diplomatic agreements with foreign princes.
Young Stamford was following in the footsteps of his father, Benjamin Raffles, who had enjoyed a career as a maritime captain. He was awarded the post of Assistant Secretary to the governor of Penang and traveled to Malaya, then a British colony of course, in 1805, aged 14.
England, among others was at war with the France of Napoleon and his allies in the early part of the nineteenth century. Owing to the presence of colonial empires in most parts of the world, the Napoleonic Wars became world wide wars. Stamford became involved in this war through action in Java, part of Dutch holdings, paving the way for a more substantial British invasion.
Raffles' experience of the very harsh conditions enforced upon the Indonesians by the Dutch colonists was perhaps instrumental in influencing his views for the suppression of slavery and a generally more humane form of administration. In any case, he did reform the Dutch system and his subsequent career revealed him to be a humane individual.
Malaya and the archipelago of islands in Southeast Asia have historically offered numerous havens for pirates; in addition, the very many small princedoms, extending no more than a single island, have made it very difficult for any power to enforce a high level of control over the area. In this case, control of suitable naval bases was of critical importance and, indeed, it continues to be so.
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