'We need not be afraid of the past': Desmond Lee says new Sir Stamford Raffles statue does not glorify colonialism
The new statues of Sir Stamford Raffles and Dr Nathaniel Wallich at Fort Canning Park are to acknowledge their contributions to Singapore's botanical heritage, said National Development Minister Desmond Lee on Tuesday (July 2).
It is also an acknowledgement of Singapore's colonial past, and not meant to glorify or celebrate "a phase in our history", he added in a written parliamentary reply.
Lee cited examples of Singapore's administrative, judicial and political systems - including Parliament, which is based on the Westminster model - as current institutions which can be traced back to the British.
Lee's statement comes after Nominated MP Usha Chandradas asked the minister about the basis for the installation of the two new statues, given recent trends in local and global art and cultural institutions towards decolonisation and the re-examination of colonial histories.
The pair of life-size bronze figures were unveiled at Fort Canning Park in May.
They were commissioned by the Singapore Chapter of the University of East Anglia and were donated by the Estate of Mr and Mrs Tan Chee Kow through the Garden City Fund, a registered charity and Institution of a Public Character established by NParks.
It is the third public statue of Raffles in Singapore. The other two are outside the Victoria Concert Hall and along the north bank of the Singapore River.
Online debate
But the artwork has since sparked an online debate, with some netizens arguing that it goes against instances of other countries removing statues that commemorate their colonial past.
In 2021, London removed statues of William Beckford and John Cass, who were linked with the slave trade, in order to be an “inclusive and diverse city”, reported Reuters.
The Straits Times reported that the current plaque of Raffles at Canning Rise, and those at the other two public statues, did not mention his past atrocities - which included racist views and support for the opium trade.
Describing the monuments in Fort Canning Park as "puzzling", poet Gwee Li Sui told the Straits Times last month: "While around the world, colonial statues are coming down, here, they are going up. It suggests a serious failure to reframe - or at least re-evaluate - received history 200 years later and a related insensitivity to both local history and global feelings about colonialism."
Several netizens also felt that "celebrating" Raffles' achievements was "odd", given that he was only in Singapore for less than a year.
On the issues about "decolonisation" and "re-examination of colonial histories", Lee said that the former - where colonies become independent nations - is not a recent trend.
He citied how Singapore was decolonised in 1963 and became a fully independent and sovereign state two years later.
“Since then, we have charted our own destiny, as a people and as a nation,” said Lee.
The minister said that the re-examination of colonial histories involves looking back at history through a modern lens. It takes different forms in different places, with some countries condemning of all things regarded as associated with colonialism.
'We need not be afraid of the past'
Lee also added that Raffles and Wallich's contributions "laid the foundation for botanical discovery and science in Singapore and beyond", and the statues allow visitors to learn more about it.
Raffles' collection of natural history drawings serve as records for the biodiversity of South-east Asia in the 1800s. Wallich also catalogued more than 20,000 specimens, and many of these are now housed in the Singapore Botanic Gardens' Herbarium.
"We need not be afraid of the past," said Lee. "We should be able to reference it with confidence, having regard to all we have achieved together since independence as a people and a nation, and secure in the knowledge that we continue to carve our own destiny and forge our future."
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chingshijie@asiaone.com
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