Desmond Lee on Fort Canning statues: Singapore built on colonial legacies to become what it is today

SINGAPORE – The acceptance and display of the donated statues of Sir Stamford Raffles and Dr Nathaniel Wallich in Fort Canning Park recognise the colonial legacies that the country has been able to “build , adapt and transform to bring Singapore to what it is today”, said Minister for National Development Desmond Lee on July 2.

His statement was in response to a question by arts Nominated MP Usha Chandradas about the basis for the installation of theThe artwork, titled Scholars In Conversation: Sir Stamford Raffles & Dr Nathaniel Wallich, was donated by the Singapore chapter of the alumni of the University of East Anglia, and accepted by the National Parks Board, which administers Fort Canning.

Despite Singapore’s long history, public commemorations of pre-British figures in Singapore are almost non-existent. Raffles and Wallich’s contributions “laid the foundation for botanical discovery and science in Singapore and beyond”, he said, and the statues commemorate this heritage and allow visitors to learn more about this.

During the Singapore Bicentennial in 2019, four temporary sculptures of Sang Nila Utama, Tan Tock Seng, Munshi Abdullah and Naraina Pillai were placed in dialogue with one of Raffles at the Singapore River, presenting a more nuanced view of history. These were removed after the event and not preserved.

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