UNIT 3

Was Singapore’s Prosperity Threatened?

Why did People Leave Their Homeland and Move to Singapore?

1.Unstatisfactory Conditions in Homeland

2. Business Prospects and Job Opportunities in Singapore

a. Availability of Jobs

b. Free Immigration Policy

c. Free Port

2. Business Prospects and Job Opportunities in Singapore

Singapore was like a magnet which attracted people from different parts of the world. Businessmen and traders came here to trade while others came to look for jobs.

21st Century Singapore River

1830s Singapore River

1840s Singapore River

a. Avaliability of Jobs

Many employers were looking for workers.From these pictures, what kind of jobs

were available in Singapore as a port?

Photograph of South Boat Quay in 1910Chinese labourers, known as coolies, could be seen loading and unloading goods from the lighters anchored at the bank of the Singapore River. The buildings along the bank of the river were known as ‘godowns’. The goods unloaded were stored in these godowns.

Chinese labourers along the Singapore River, 1960. (K. F. Wong Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore)

Loading and unloading goods

Goods unloaded were stored in these godowns

Can you think of other possible jobs in Singapore? •Clearing of land for plantations •Building of roads, houses and offices •Working in vegetable gardens and plantations owned by rich planters •Selling foodstuffs and other goods to the new settlers

Different Occupations for the Indians

Different Occupations for the Chinese

Source A: An oral account by a Boyanese

When we were living on Bawean as peasants and fishermen, we had at best one single sarong to wear, and if we could change clothes once a week, we felt ourselves to be privileged. We did not go to Singapore because we were hungry on Bawean; on the contrary our land’s production was sufficient, and in addition we could go fishing after the rice harvest and then make extra money.

Source A: An oral account by a Boyanese (continued)

Still this never gave us the same income as our village-mates, who returned from Singapore. They came back wearing splendid clothes, and they also brought back presents for their relatives which we would never manage to do on Bawean. Is it not reasonable that we, too, preferred going to Singapore to find work there, rather than continue toiling on the land?

b. Free Immigration Free Immigration Policy Immigrants could come and go as they please without having to pay for immigrant passes and papers.  Came and went according to demand for their services.

Impact: Why would this policy attract immigrants e.g poor immigrants and traders? Traders: Did not need to pay money for paperwork and passes Cheaper More profit

British government made Singapore different from other nearby ports

Why did these differences attract traders/immigrants to Singapore? Discuss. Free Port: Traders did not have to pay any custom duties or taxes on the goods they carried to and from the port to the governmentFree Trade: Traders of all nations were free to call at the port and could trade freely with one another.

c. Free Port

Situation in port controlled by the Dutch

Answer: Merchants found it much

easier to do business and to make profit in Singapore than in other ports due to free trade.

Moreover, they made more profit as it was a free port.

c. Free Port

Conclusion

With the arrival of the British, Singapore was revived as a hub for entrepot trade that attracted immigrants from China, India, the Malay Archipelago, and beyond.