How did the british govern Singapore before World War 2?

Answer 1

The head of the government in Singapore was the Governer. He was assisted in his duties by the Executive and Legislative Councils.Governer of the Straits Settlements represented the king or queen of Great Britain. For many years, the non-official members consisted of a few Europeans and Asian merchants. As the number of non-official members in the Legislative Council was fewer than the official members, it was very difficult to persuade the government to act on their suggestions as the large majority of official members could easily out-vote the non-official members. For many years, there was pressure on the government to increase the number of non-official members. The number was increased over the years and in 1924, the number of non-official members was equal to the official members in the Legislative Council.

One of the main problems the British had to deal with in the 1820s was crime. As more immigrants arrived in the 19th century, keeping Law and Order became even more difficult. The small police force of the early 19th century was unable to maintain law and order. In Singapore few people wanted to join the police force as the policemen were poorly paid and equipped. Most of those who did joined accepted bribes. The police force was made up largely of Malays and Indians and there were no Chinese in it. They were unable to get information from the Chinse. very often, the army was called in to help the police maintain law and order in the settlement. The government tried to improve the police force by increasing the pay of policemen and providing proper training. It also employed capapble officials who could speak Malay and Chinese dialects. In 1862, the Detective Branch was set up to look into activities of secret societies. Byt the 1906, Chinese detectives were recruited into the branch to help with investigations. In 1931, the Branch was renamed the Criminal Investigations Department (C.I.D). Modern methods like fingerprinting were introduced. By the mid 1920s, law and order had improved.

To address the problems related to the Chinese community, the British government set up a Chinese Protectorate with William Pickering as the first Protector of the Chinese in May 1877.

For the most part of the 19th century, the British government did little to provide social services to improve the lives of the people. It was not until the turn of the 20th sentury that the government began to pay more attention to the provision of social services such as education and better health services for the people. Throughout the 19th century, the British government did not see the need to provide education for the locals. They were happy to elave education in the hands of private organisations. However, the government began to change their attitude in the 20th century. By the late 19th century, there was a demand for people trained in English to fill up posts in the government offices and trading companies. To meet the demands, the government set up English and Malay schools and provided grants. However, the British did not treat all schools equally. English and Malay schools were given more moeny. The British were often seen to be neglecting the Chinese schools as they believed that these schools bred anti-British feelings among their students and preferred to concentrate more on the English-speaking Chinese.

Asians were often discriminated by the British government.Depsite these restrictions imposed by the British, Singapore fared well under British rule. There was order, security and general improvements to the people's standard of living.