EP. 12 — Farquhar v Raffles

The Story of Singapore podcast celebrates its one year anniversary.

Farquhar and Raffles bit their nails as they waited for the Court of Directors to issue a verdict on their case.

Farquhar’s career was over, but his tussle with Raffles was not. After packing his bags and leaving Singapore, Farquhar escalated their dispute all the way to London for a final adjudication.

Returning to Singapore, Raffles tore down much of the pioneering works and began building anew. Cast aside by Raffles, Farquhar could only watch, unaware that his career was hanging by a thread.

Raffles sought to make Farquhar's life difficult and tarnish his reputation by spreading disinformation behind his back.

Communication breakdowns and compatibility issues led to a straining of relations between Farquhar and Raffles.

Building the settlement from the ground up was not easy. There were many pressing areas of administration that demanded Farquhar's attention before Singapore could take flight. 

Singapore's survival was tenuous and hinged on its infancy years. As tensions between the British and Dutch approached boiling point, Farquhar had to figure out how to deliver results under tough constraints from the get-go.

In 1819, an ambitious British statesman risked open war with the Dutch and exploited turmoil in native politics to establish modern Singapore.

European powers travelled great lengths to satiate their ravenous appetite for spices and wrestled one another as they carved Southeast Asia up for their pound of flesh.