Chapter 4

• Migrants came from

  • Europe
  • Arabia
  • India
  • China
  • Malay Archipelago
• Factors for migration to Singapore

  1. Poor living conditions in their homeland

  • Overpopulation
  • Hunger and poverty
  • Natural Disasters
  • Wars and conflicts

  Pushed people to seek more peaceful lives elsewhere
• Factors for migration into Singapore

  1. Trade and business opportunities

  • Excellent geographical location

  Convenient meeting point for traders to replenish their fuel and food supplies

  • Free port status

  Did not have to pay taxes on trade, able to earn larger profits

  • Free immigration policy

  Not required to pay for immigrant passes and papers or apply for permission to enter and leave Singapore
• Pull factors for migration into Singapore

  2. Better job prospects

  • Different types of jobs available
  • To build roads, bridges and other infrastructure
  • Able to receive higher wages which they can send back home
• Traders

  Tan Kim Seng

  1. He had the ability to speak in both Chines and English which allowed him to be the middlemen and talk with both European and Chinese traders
  2. Well-known and a well-respected member of the Chinese community, wealthy treader.
  3. Built schools
  4. Donated $13,000 to the colonial government to build Singapore's first reservoir
• Traders

  Naraina Pillai

  1. Indian trader from Penang
  2. Started a factory in Singapore to produce bricks
  3. Had a cotton cloth bussiness
  4. Established the oldest Hindu temple, the Sri Mariamman Temple in 1827
• Trader

  Syed Omar bin Ali Aljunied

  1. First few Arab traders to arrive in Singapore
  2. Wealthy merchant and philanthropist
  3. Built the oldest Mosque in Singapore, Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka
• Moneylenders

  • They consisted of the Tamil community from Tamil Nadu, India
  • They offer loans to traders when banks wouldn't lend them
  • They were skilled in accounting, banking and credit
• Coolies

  • Most of them came from the province of Fujian and Guangdong in China
  • Some also helped in the refilling of coal into steamships in construction and in clearing land for plantations
  • Rickshaw pulling
  • Other activities they took part in include : Gambling, Opium smoking, sending money and letters back home
• Samsui women

  • Most came from the Sanshui district in Guangdong province, China
  • They worked in construction sites. Some also worked in tin mines and rubber estates while others became domestic servants
  • They usually wear red headdresses and dark clothes as they were eye catching
• Convict labourers

  • Mostly from India, sent to Singapore to serve out their sentence
  • labour work involving the building of early public roads, buildings, and bridges such as the : North and South Bridge road
  • North and South Bridge road
  • Cavanagh Bridge
  • St. Andrews Chapel
• Education

  European

  • Christian mission took in orphaned and homeless girls and schooled them

  Examples

  -Maria Dyer, English Missionary started schools for girls
• Education

  Chinese

  • Wealthy Chinese traders built schools to provide Chinese education

  -Gan Eng Seng, founded today's Gan Eng. Seng School in 1885

  -Teachers would use dialects like Hokkien, Cantonese and Teochew to teach students to recite passages from the Chinese Literature

  • Tan Kah Kee, opened first Chinese secondary school for boys in 1919
• Education

  Malays

  • Wealthy Malays also built Malay schools in the early 20th century

  Examples

  -Alsagoff Arab school, 1912 : taught Arabic language and Islamic knowledge
• Education

  Indian

  • Example : Ramakhrisna Mission, established schools that taught students in both English and Tamil
• Education

  Impacts of migrants contributions

  • Children of different communities were able to recieve educational opportunities and this is crucial in uplifting society, especially since many migrants were poor and uneducated .
  • It also helped maintain the community's cultural heritage and identity
• Healthcare

  • Lack of nutrition, poor sanitation and overcrowding meant that diseases such as

  -Malaria

  -Cholera

  -Smallpox

  were common among migrants. Many of the sick lay on the road with sores on their bodies, too weak to move. When they died, their bodies were left on the roads.
• What did various local groups do in response to healthcare issues?

  They developed self-help organisations instead of relying on the government.
• Who led the establishment of Thong Chai Medical Institution?

  Gan Eng Seng
• What was the purpose of Thong Chai Medical Institution?

  To provide free treatment and free medicine to poor people of all races.
• What motivated other successful businessmen to donate money?

  The desire to help the less fortunate.
• What types of community support did the businessmen provide?

  Building water wells and ensuring proper burials for the poor.
• Who constructed a hospital for the poor?

  Tan Tock Seng
• What resource was used to construct the hospital for the poor?

  Land donated by Syed Omar bin Ali Aljunied.
• Who were some of the non-official members that pressured the British to increase their representation in law-making?

  Dr. Lim Boon Keng and Eunos Abdullah
• What was the purpose of the land set aside for Kampong Melayu?

  To provide low-cost housing for Malays and allow them to earn a living
• What types of activities were the residents of Kampong Melayu engaged in for their livelihood?

  Growing fruits and vegetables as well as rearing poultry
• What was Dr. Lim Boon Keng's proposal regarding opium?

  He wanted opium to be banned
• What does the rejection of Dr. Lim Boon Keng's proposal to ban opium indicate about the British policies?

  It indicates that their policies were sometimes not adopted
• How did the British rulers treat the Asians in terms of law-making?

  They did not treat the Asians as equals
• What were the key contributions of Eunos Abdullah in law-making?

  • Proposed laws that were passed by the Legislative Council
  • Requested a large piece of land for Kampong Melayu
• What were the implications of the British not adopting local proposals?

  • Limited local influence in governance
  • Continued inequality in treatment of Asians
  • Potential discontent among local populations