Eighteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

Economics is inextricably linked to politics. In the years following the establishment of a trading post, nineteenth century Singapore witnessed the arrival of wealthy “Chinese-Peranakans” or Straits Chinese, who had considerable economic and political clout. Entrepreneurial and articulate in English, Chinese and Malay, these Peranakans were able to form business partnerships with the British, and also served as socio-political mediators in the Singapore society at large. The Straits Chinese community was thus significant to the economic and political governance of colonial Singapore. This paper examines how and to what extent the Straits Chinese business community in Singapore was influential in both economic and political aspects, from the early nineteenth century to the immediate years after World War II. I first examine the structure and organization of the Straits Chinese business community in colonial Singapore. Then, I explore the linkages between economics and politics, investigating how economic power became tied to political power, and how the Straits Chinese business community used their limited political power to influence the establishment. This paper thus analyzes the dynamics of economic and political power of the Straits Chinese community in colonial Singapore, with broader implications on how ethnic Chinese business networks are able to exert real political influence.