In my opinion,I think that the cost of achieving internal self-government was worth it because Singapore would not have developed so successfully without it. Though death and injuries occurred in the riots but eventually Singapore manage to gain internal self-government in 1959.
During the 1945-1959 years, the British were ruling Singapore. They mentioned that they are able to govern the local people well but they did not prove themselves right. The British was not able to see the needs of the people and riots happened. This made resulted the people of Singapore thinking that, that is a need to struggle and achieve internal self-government
The three major riots that occurred were the Maria Hertogh riots,Anti-National Service riots and the Hock Lee Bus Riots. The roots to all the three riots is that the British did not understand and pay much attention to the needs of the people in Singapore.
- Take the Maria Hertogh riots as the first example, if the British will to find out more about the Muslim laws and take the Muslim's feelings into considerations before their unwise actions, the riot would not had happened.
- As for the Anti-National Service riots, it involved mostly Chinese students who were anti-British. They started to strike because the British neglected those who were still studying at the age of 18-20 due to the delay caused by World War 2. The British had failed to spare a thought for the Chinese students.
- The Hock Lee Bus Riots took place as the workers wanted to seek for better pays and working conditions. The Hock Lee Bus Company dismissed 229 workers instead of putting in effort to negotiate with them. The British had neglected the peoples' interest and resulted in the riots.
Lastly, the British seemed to be taking sides with some races which should not be allowed as the local people regarded them as the governor. Also, I think it's only right for the local people to rule Singapore as no country should be a colony of another. The local people of Singapore knew the living conditions of the nation and understand the people best.
In conclusion, I strongly think that it's worth it for Singapore to struggle in order to achieve self-government, despite all it's cost as what we gained form been independence is far more than what we had lost!
lei yu jia (15)
faith2-1
Wednesday, 29 August 2007
Friday, 20 July 2007
In your opinion, what could have prevented the Maria Hertogh riots in 1950? Give at least two suggestions.
what had cause the riots?
In my opinion, I think that it's because the Muslim community felt somewhat betrayed as the British seemed to take side with the Dutch. The judge announced that the Dutch law did not recognised Maria's marriage as she was under-aged and her natural father's consent was not obtained. This upset the Musim community. They felt that the Muslim laws was not respected.
Meanwhile, the court put Maria in the care of a Catholic convent in Thomson Road. There was widespead coverage of the custody battle in the English, Malay and Tamil newspaper. Reporters and photographers entered the convent to take pictures of Maria. There was a photography taken of Maria Hertogh(a Muslim) kneeling in front of Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. In Muslim eyes the wordship of images in any kind is not acceptable. That, more than any other story,inflamed Muslim feelings.
So what could have prevented the riots?
In my opinion, I think that the judge should have found out more about the Muslim religion, thus less problem would have been caused. If the British have paid more attention to the religion and the Muslim laws, the riot would no have happened.
Firstly, the courts should have made their decision more firmly and not kept on changing their decisions. They also shouldn't have allowed Maria to switch between her foster parents and her real parents during the trial, as this will cause much confusion to Maria.
Secondly, If the judge were to look into the Muslims Laws,they will have known that Muslim only worshipped one God, the courts would have offered to put Maria Hertogh in another place, and not in a Catholic convent. By placing Maria in a convent, the courts seems more bias as they clearly knew she was raised as a muslim. Placing Maria in a convent had already offended the Muslim beliefs, despite that, the court still allowed the reporters and photographers into the convent to take pictures of Maria. They should have stopped those photographers from entering the convent to take pictures of Maria and putting them in the newspapers. The Muslim supporters of her foster parents were outraged by this.
It is clear to all of us that newspapers and media had a very big impact on the people, so when the Muslim got to know that maria had being placed in a convent, they felt that the British were not respecting their religion. If those photographs had not being put into the newspapers, perhaps some of the anger from the Muslims could have been adverted.
Thirdly, The courts should also have put themselves in Che Aminah's shoe. They should have understand that Che Aminah had areadly developed feelings with Maria as Maria had been living with her for many years. Thus, it is not easy for Che Aminah to return Maria to her biological parents. The courts had neglected this point and thus it make the Muslim felt that the British had taken side with the Dutch.
Lastly, if the judge knew that, that a riot might outbreak on the day the verdict was made. The courts should have sealed off the Padang area to prevent crowds gathering outside the court. This could have prevented the Muslims from taking actions immediately.
To conclude, I will liked to say that if the courts have taken more considerations Muslims' feelings, the riot may not have happened.
lei yu jia (15)
faith 2-1
In my opinion, I think that it's because the Muslim community felt somewhat betrayed as the British seemed to take side with the Dutch. The judge announced that the Dutch law did not recognised Maria's marriage as she was under-aged and her natural father's consent was not obtained. This upset the Musim community. They felt that the Muslim laws was not respected.
Meanwhile, the court put Maria in the care of a Catholic convent in Thomson Road. There was widespead coverage of the custody battle in the English, Malay and Tamil newspaper. Reporters and photographers entered the convent to take pictures of Maria. There was a photography taken of Maria Hertogh(a Muslim) kneeling in front of Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. In Muslim eyes the wordship of images in any kind is not acceptable. That, more than any other story,inflamed Muslim feelings.
So what could have prevented the riots?
In my opinion, I think that the judge should have found out more about the Muslim religion, thus less problem would have been caused. If the British have paid more attention to the religion and the Muslim laws, the riot would no have happened.
Firstly, the courts should have made their decision more firmly and not kept on changing their decisions. They also shouldn't have allowed Maria to switch between her foster parents and her real parents during the trial, as this will cause much confusion to Maria.
Secondly, If the judge were to look into the Muslims Laws,they will have known that Muslim only worshipped one God, the courts would have offered to put Maria Hertogh in another place, and not in a Catholic convent. By placing Maria in a convent, the courts seems more bias as they clearly knew she was raised as a muslim. Placing Maria in a convent had already offended the Muslim beliefs, despite that, the court still allowed the reporters and photographers into the convent to take pictures of Maria. They should have stopped those photographers from entering the convent to take pictures of Maria and putting them in the newspapers. The Muslim supporters of her foster parents were outraged by this.
It is clear to all of us that newspapers and media had a very big impact on the people, so when the Muslim got to know that maria had being placed in a convent, they felt that the British were not respecting their religion. If those photographs had not being put into the newspapers, perhaps some of the anger from the Muslims could have been adverted.
Thirdly, The courts should also have put themselves in Che Aminah's shoe. They should have understand that Che Aminah had areadly developed feelings with Maria as Maria had been living with her for many years. Thus, it is not easy for Che Aminah to return Maria to her biological parents. The courts had neglected this point and thus it make the Muslim felt that the British had taken side with the Dutch.
Lastly, if the judge knew that, that a riot might outbreak on the day the verdict was made. The courts should have sealed off the Padang area to prevent crowds gathering outside the court. This could have prevented the Muslims from taking actions immediately.
To conclude, I will liked to say that if the courts have taken more considerations Muslims' feelings, the riot may not have happened.
lei yu jia (15)
faith 2-1
Wednesday, 18 April 2007
Reflection topic 3: Industrial Revolution
Topic:
Did the Industrial Revolution affect the way people lived, worked in the 19th century for the better or the worse? Explain your answer by providing examples.
The Industrial Revolution was a time of dramatic change, from hand tools and handmade items (manual labour), to products which were mostly produced by industry and the manufacture of machinery . Workers became more productive, and since more items were manufactured, prices dropped, making exclusive and hard to make items available to the poor and not only the rich and elite.
Life generally improved, but the industrial revolution also had its harmful side. Pollution increased, working conditions were harmful, and capitalists employed women and young children, making them work long and hard hours. The industrial revolution was a time for change for mostly the better, and some the worse.
The following is the series of events that formed the main part of the Industrial Revolution in British.
*Mechanisation of the textile industries - In the early 18th century, British textile manufacture was based on wool which was processed by individual artisans, doing the spinning and weaving on their own premises. This system is called a coltage industry. Flax and cotton were also used for fine materials, but the processing was difficult because of the pre-processing needed, and thus goods in these materials made only a small proportion of the output.
Use of the spinning wheel and hand loom restricted the production capacity of the industry, but incremental advances increased productivity to the extent that manufactured cotton goods became the dominant.
*Steam power - The improved steam engine invented by James Watt was initially mainly used for pumping out mines, but from the 1780s was applied to power machines. This enabled rapid development of efficient semi-automated factories on a previously unimaginable scale in places where waterpower was not available.
* Iron founding - In the Iron industry, coke was finally applied to all stages of iron smelting, replacing charcoal. This had been achieved much earlier for lead and copper as well as for producing pig iron in a blast furnace, but the second stage in the production of bar iron depended on the use of potting and stamping (for which a patent expired in 1786) or puddling (patented by Henry Cort in 1783 and 1784.
*Trade expansion - With the invention of the steamship, more Europeans could now sail to the east to obtain raw materials such as tin, and to sell their goods. At 1880s, many Europeans and American steamship made Singapore their port of call in this region. This meant that ships stopped at Singapore to refuel and obtain food supplies. Asians in Singapore also began to use steam ships to transport their goods between Singapore and other ports in the region. Singapore became and important port in the collection of the goods from the east and the distribution of manufactured goods from the West.
In my opinion,I thought that the Industrial Revolution was a major shift of technological and culture conditions in the late 18th century and early 19th century as it affected the way the people lived,worked and interact in the good way!
done by:yu jia (15)
faith 2-1
Did the Industrial Revolution affect the way people lived, worked in the 19th century for the better or the worse? Explain your answer by providing examples.
The Industrial Revolution was a time of dramatic change, from hand tools and handmade items (manual labour), to products which were mostly produced by industry and the manufacture of machinery . Workers became more productive, and since more items were manufactured, prices dropped, making exclusive and hard to make items available to the poor and not only the rich and elite.
Life generally improved, but the industrial revolution also had its harmful side. Pollution increased, working conditions were harmful, and capitalists employed women and young children, making them work long and hard hours. The industrial revolution was a time for change for mostly the better, and some the worse.
The following is the series of events that formed the main part of the Industrial Revolution in British.
*Mechanisation of the textile industries - In the early 18th century, British textile manufacture was based on wool which was processed by individual artisans, doing the spinning and weaving on their own premises. This system is called a coltage industry. Flax and cotton were also used for fine materials, but the processing was difficult because of the pre-processing needed, and thus goods in these materials made only a small proportion of the output.
Use of the spinning wheel and hand loom restricted the production capacity of the industry, but incremental advances increased productivity to the extent that manufactured cotton goods became the dominant.
*Steam power - The improved steam engine invented by James Watt was initially mainly used for pumping out mines, but from the 1780s was applied to power machines. This enabled rapid development of efficient semi-automated factories on a previously unimaginable scale in places where waterpower was not available.
* Iron founding - In the Iron industry, coke was finally applied to all stages of iron smelting, replacing charcoal. This had been achieved much earlier for lead and copper as well as for producing pig iron in a blast furnace, but the second stage in the production of bar iron depended on the use of potting and stamping (for which a patent expired in 1786) or puddling (patented by Henry Cort in 1783 and 1784.
*Trade expansion - With the invention of the steamship, more Europeans could now sail to the east to obtain raw materials such as tin, and to sell their goods. At 1880s, many Europeans and American steamship made Singapore their port of call in this region. This meant that ships stopped at Singapore to refuel and obtain food supplies. Asians in Singapore also began to use steam ships to transport their goods between Singapore and other ports in the region. Singapore became and important port in the collection of the goods from the east and the distribution of manufactured goods from the West.
In my opinion,I thought that the Industrial Revolution was a major shift of technological and culture conditions in the late 18th century and early 19th century as it affected the way the people lived,worked and interact in the good way!
done by:yu jia (15)
faith 2-1
Sunday, 18 March 2007
Stamford Raffles or Tan Tock Seng?
The National Museum has decided to erect a statue in front of its entrance. They have to choose between Stamford Raffles and Tan Tock Seng.If you will working for the museum,who will you choose and why?
If i was working for the museum,i would have erect a statue of Tan Tock Seng instead of Raffles.In my opinion, though Raffles was the founder of Singapore but he did not contribute much to the setting up of Singapore. Likewise,Tan Tock Seng was a prosperous Singapore businessman of the early 1800s, known particularly for his generosity to the poor. He contributed heavily to the 1844 construction of a new hospital for the indigent, which was then named Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
Another factor was that a Stamford Raffles statue was already erected in front of the Victoria Concert Hall but there was no statue erected for Tan Tock Seng although he had made great contributions to Singapore.
Tan Tock Seng was a Singaporean merchant and philanthropist. He was born in Malacca to an immigrant Fukien father and Hokkien Peranakan mother, Tan Tock Seng rose from humble origins. In 1819, Tan moved to Singapore to sell fruit, vegetable and fowl. He worked diligently and was able to set up a shop in Boat Quay and became a notable businessman.
In time, he became an influential Chinese leader and was the first Asian to be made a Justice of the Peace by the Governor. He was skillful at settling feuds among the Chinese.This reduced fights among the Chinese and promotes peace in the nation.
In 1844, he contributed $5,000 to the construction of the Tan Tock Seng Hospital on top of Pearl's Hill.$5,000 was not a small amount of money in the past,it was Tan Tock Seng's hard-earned money.The hospital was later shifted to Tan Tock Seng Road because the building at Pearl's Hill was too small to cater enough patients and it was too old.
Tan Tock Seng also contributed money to the construction of the Taoist Thian Hock Keng Temple at Telok Ayer in 1842, the place of worship for the settlers from the Fujian province of China.Tan Tock Seng's loyalty to his religion was visibly seen through his actions.
Tan Tock Seng was not only the richest merchants in Singapore,but also a philanthropist who gave liberally to charity. He had a passion for the sick and poor and at his own expense buried the unclaimed bodies or paid the funeral expenses of those who could not afford one. Tan Tock Seng, being an ardent Taoist, believed a decent funeral should be conducted for the dead. The Singapore free pass wrote in March 1850 that Tan Tock Seng took it upon himself to bury all Chinese Paupers who died in the streets and verandahs, and between the years 1843 and 1850 supplied 1,032 coffins.
Tan Tock Seng became seriously ill and died in 1850, at the age of 52. His descendants like Tan Kim Ching, Tan Teck Guan and Tan Chay Yan continued his legacy and also became leaders in the Chinese community.
Great contributions made by Tan Tock Seng to Singapore were visibly seen and thus i thought his statue should be erected in front of the National Museum to commemorate his contributions.
done by:
yujia(15)
faith 2-1
word count:601
Wednesday, 31 January 2007
Who really ' founded ' singapore ?
Thomas Stamford Raffles was believed to be the real founder of Singapore. He was the fist resident that landed Singapore on 28 January 1819. Tengku Hussein was recognised by the British as Sultan. According to the plan. Raffles sent his men to one of the Riau islands to invite Tengku Hussein to Singapore. On 6 February 1819, he sighed a treaty with Tengku Hussein and Temenggong that allowed the British to set up a trading settlement in Singapore. Though the Dutch claimed that Singapore indirectly belonged to them and protested strongly against the British trading settlement in Singapore as this would break their trade monopoly, Raffles continued to fought hard for himself and tried to get the support of some important men. After a long paper war between the Dutch and British, in 17 march 1824, Raffles and the Dutch government signed the Anglo-Dutch Treaty which allowed the British to keep Singapore. Raffles was also generally remembered fondly as a benevolent figure that opened doors of opportunity and fought slave trading in Singapore.
Constructions such as the Raffles Hotel, Raffles Hospital and Stamford house were built to remember the contributions and existence of Thomas Stamford Raffles.
word count: 200 words
done by: yu jia (15)
faith 2-1
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