Life in Colonial Singapore Sources & Questions:

Question: How was life like for the people in Colonial Singapore?

Source 1: An account of overcrowding in Colonial Singapore before WWII.

I can still remember, in the early 1930s, when houses were built and people moved in
to Geylang, it brought a merry mood to the atmosphere. About 90 percent of the
people who lived there were Malays. Besides them, there were Chinese and Indians
residing there…
Geylang Serai has many inhabitants. In 1933, Geylang Serai was crowded with
settlers. The Chinese merchants who opened shops such as medicine shops dwelled
in the outer part near the roadside. Behind those shops were the kampongs where the
Malays lived. The Kampongs were so overcrowded that the passageway became
narrow, and if we opened our window, it would touch the window of our neighbour.
The houses were closely built. About 5,000 to 6,000 houses were there.

Adapted from: CPDD(2014), Singapore: The making of a Nation-State, 1300-1975

Inference:
Point: The source tells me that the living conditions for the people in Colonial Singapore
were cramped and overcrowded.

Evidence: This can be seen from the source which states that there were “about 5,000
to 6,000 houses were there.” and the houses were “closely built.”

Explanation: A large number of houses was built in Geylang, showing that many people
lived in Geylang at that time. Also, the source stated that the houses were built closely
together, showing that there was a high density of people living in Geylang Serai.

Contextual Knowledge: I know that Singapore attracted many people from different
places of origin because it offered jobs and good pay. Hence, the place was very
overcrowded and thus the conditions were very harsh.
Source 2: An article about Chinese coolies in Colonial Singapore before WWII.

Chinese coolies formed the early backbone of Singapore's labour force, engaged
mainly in hard physical labour. They were mainly impoverished Chinese immigrants
who came to Singapore in the later half of the 19th century, seeking their fortune but
serving instead as indentured, unskilled labourers.
...The coolies suffered much hardship, they were very poor and lived in cramped
dwellings with no windows and light.
Many of the jobs taken by coolies involved hard labour, taking a toll on their bodies.
They were given to opium inhaling to relieve their tired bodies of its soreness and to
gambling in an attempt to escape from their misery. The whites and wealthy Chinese
employed the coolies mainly because of their willingness to work hard for little money.
The coolies were, in a way, the backbone of early Singapore's economy because they
generated growth for the economy and caused the country to prosper. Few Chinese
coolies went back to China later but most coolies settled down in Singapore doing
other odd jobs. ...

Adapted from: http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_87_2004-12-

15.html?s=chinese%20coolies

Inference:
Point: I can infer from the source that many of the Chinese coolies had to suffer great
hardship living in Colonial Singapore.

Evidence: This can be seen from the source which states that their homes were
“crammed”, did not have any “windows” and “light” and “many of the jobs taken by
coolies involved hard labour taking a toll on their bodies.”

Explanation: This shows that their homes were small and and they did not have enough
space. Also, their homes were poorly ventilated, since there were no windows to allow
air to enter and leave their houses. In addition, their homes lacked proper lighting, which
probably made it difficult for them to see at night in their houses. In addition, many
coolies had to take on jobs that were hard labour that paid little. This meant that they
had to work very hard and earned a meagre amount of salary.

Contextual Knowledge: From my contextual knowledge, I know that many of the

Chinese coolies who had come here were often poor and uneducated. Thus, they were
often exploited and could not find good paying jobs. Despite this, they continued to work
hard and took on all kinds of jobs in order to make ends meet and to be able to send
some money back home. The hard labour and poor living conditions made their lives
extremely difficult and hard to bear.
Source 3: A short article about Sanitation in colonial Singapore before WWII.

...1880s to 1987: Night soil bucket

Before modern sewage was introduced, toilets were rudimentary outfits - no more
than a wooden shack with a galvanised metal bucket. Waste was collected and
transferred to plantations on the outskirts of the city.
The euphemistically named night soil man and his "32-door limousine" - the vehicle
used to collect human waste - were an everyday sight on the streets of Singapore.
Some who remember the night soil collectors say they would put off going to the toilet
till the night soil bucket was changed; others claimed they took up smoking to kill the
stench in the toilets.
Attempts to introduce a town sewage system made little progress until the 1920s due
to financial and technical challenges. Night soil collection was present in Singapore
until as recently as 1987, when the last two night soil buckets were decommissioned.

Adapted from: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/a-history-of-singapore-in-50-

objects

Inference:
Point: I can infer from the source that the people in colonial Singapore had poor
facilities for sanitation.

Evidence: This can be seen from the source which states that “toilets were rudimentary
outfits - no more than a wooden shack with a galvanised metal bucket.”, “others claimed
they took up smoking to kill the stench in the toilets.” and “attempts to introduce a town
sewage system made little progress until the 1920s…”

Explanation: This shows that the toilets for the Chinese in colonial Singapore were very
basic, as their toilets were just a metal bucket and a small shack, showing that their
toilets were not advanced as they did not have basic features such as a flush or pipes
unlike modern toilets. The sanitation was so poor that people could not stand the stench
of sewage and this was not rectified until 1920s, about 100 years since Singapore was
founded by the British.

Contextual Knowldege: From my contextual knowledge, I know that the British were
not interested in looking after the people of Singapore but they were only interested in
maximising the profits of Singapore as a trading port. As such, providing facilities for
sanitation was a low priority for the British and the people of Singapore had to contend
with living in difficult and dirty living conditions in colonial Singapore.