Raffles

These days, there are few stories as wild and interesting as the narrative of the life of Thomas Stamford Raffles.

Raffles, the British colonial official who founded Singapore, started his career at age 14, when he became a clerk at the East India Trading Company. He was forced into work at such an early age because of the untimely death of his father, who was the Captain of a slave trading ship.

Raffles was self taught. He learned the Malay language and read extensively on the cultures of insular Southeast Asia. He combined this with his wit and natural intelligence to gain a posting in Penang.

He quickly rose through the ranks of the colonial administration.

Most of Britain’s conquests in the region (and worldwide) were fraught with bloodshed. Raffles’ career, therefore, seemed out of place in this bloody part of history. He was, without a doubt, a colonizer, but, by abolishing slavery and allowing the local peoples to retain their language and many of their customs, he showed a light hand with his leadership.

He remained a student of Malay language and culture throughout his life.
Raffles is famous for being the founder of the city-state of Singapore. His pen was the one that wrote Singapore’s first constitution. As with his work elsewhere, he allowed many of the native people to retain their customs and language while imposing a moral code upon the area. Slavery and gambling were outlawed. However, people were allowed to adhere to their traditional religious beliefs.

Surprisingly, Raffles died penniless, at age 45, after returning to England. He had incurred debts while establishing colonies, and his anti-slavery stance and hands off governing style did not win him any friends among England’s elite. His estate was sold to pay off his debts.

Singapore is still stamped by the name of Raffles. Stamford street is one of the city’s main boulevards. Raffles Hotel has been made world famous by its luxury and celebrated visitors. With all the streets, buildings and universities bearing his name, Singapore, now an independant state, still pays tribute to its founder.