blog topic 2.

Topic: The National museum intends to erect a statue in front of its entrance. It cannot be decide whether the statue should be of Stamford Raffles or Tan Tock Seng. If you were the representative of the museum, who will you choose and why ?

If I were the representative of the museum I will choose to erect a statue of Tan Tock Seng in front of its entrance. I chosen to erect a statue of Tan Tock Seng in front of the museum entrance as he give medical help to the sufferring and plight of his unfortunate fellow man. I will not choose Stamford Raffles as he did not did anything to Singapore to became what is it today, and moreover he gt two statue already but Tan Tock Seng had none.

Tan Tock Seng was born in Melaka and came to Singapore in 1819, at the age of 21. He amassed wealth but did not ignore the suffering and plight of his unfortunate fellowmen. He was not the only 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 expenses buried the unclaimed bodies or paid the funeral expenses of those who could not afford one. This charity of his is still being continued, unpublicised, by a descendant when he is approached by the deserving poor.

The things that he had done made me feel that a statue of Tan Tock Seng should be erect in front of the entrance of the museum.

blog topic 1.

Topic : Who really "founded" Singapore ?

In the dictionary, the word founder means a person who found or establishes. So, I think William Farquhar is the one who really "founded" Singapore.

William Farquhar establishes Singapore to become a busy town full of new settlers. A new Bristish settlement could not be built overnight. Farquuhar was the one who had start one from scratch.

I did not choose Raffles as the one who "founded" Singapore because what he did was just to sign the treaty with Sultan Hussein and the Temenggong and then he left for Bencoolen where he was appointed the Lieutenant-Governer while Farquhar was left to in charge of the Bristish settlement in Singapore. He served as Resident or the local ruler of the settlement. Farquhar was also the commander of the British and Indian troops who were left behind with him on the island.

Farquhar had a difficult job of getting the new settlement started. The new settlement had many problems which Farquhar had to solve. First, there must be enough food to keep the new settlers. So, the people of Melaka heard about it and sailed down in boats loaded with foods adn they sold at high prices. Second, Farquhar had to get people to come and trade and live in Singapore. Then with the new settlers came violence and disorder.Robbery. Fighting and murder took place very often. Last, there is also rats and centipedes so Farquhar offered money for every rats and centipede killed and he succeeded in doing that.

Therefore, I think Farquhar is the founder of Singapore.