2.  The British system of government
 The system of law and order
 The British treatment of the Asians

3. The British
 Maintained their presence (1819), with the exception of the Japanese
occupation (1942 to 1945).
 Built many government buildings for administrative purposes. E.g
Fullerton Hotel, Old Supreme Court etc.
 Combined their possession of Penang, Melaka and Singapore into the
Straits settlement.
How did the British govern Singapore before World War 2

4. Colonial office under the british government (pg 60 of textbook)
Governor of the Straits
settlement
• Could stop passing of laws (veto
powers)
The legislative council
• Executive council and non-official
members who were mainly Asian
and European traders
• Help government make laws
Executive council
• High ranking british officials
• Advised the governor in the
running of the settlements

5. PROBLEMS FACED BY THE BRITISH
• Ran opium houses, brothels and gambling dens
• Violence - rob, kill and took part in activities against the
law
• Abuse of coolies and young girls by coolie agents
• Collection of protection money by street hawkers
• Piracy – trading ships were attacked and cargoes were
taken away

6. MEASURES TAKEN BY THE BRITISH
• Set up detective branch
• Employ more policemen by paying them more money
• Sent gunboats to destroy pirate ships
• Steamships were used later

7. MEASURES TAKEN BY THE BRITISH
Set up Chinese Protectorate
• Got Chinese to settle their dispute at the Protectorate
instead of turning to Secret Societies for help.
• Enlisted help of the Chinese leaders to maintain law and
order among the Chinese.
• Registered coolie agents and houses.
• Inspect coolie ships to ensure there was fair treatment of
the coolies.
• Rescue young girls from being sold to brothels.

8. HOW DID THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT IMPROVE
SOCIAL SERVICES FOR THE PEOPLE
1. Education
• The government set up English and Malay schools
• The government established the Queen’s scholarship, allowing the top
secondary students to further their studies in British universities
• Many Queen’s scholars returned as doctors, lawyers and teachers

9. HOW DID THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT IMPROVE
SOCIAL SERVICES FOR THE PEOPLE
2. Public health
• The British government set up a malaria committee to supervise the
infilling of mosquito-infested swamps, replaced the pail system with
modern water-carriage seawage system and cleared the dirty streets
and drains
• A general hospital, a leper camp and a lunatic asylum for those who
suffered mental illness were also built to provide some form of health
care to the public
• From 1882 onwards, outpatient clinics were also set up to serve the
public

10. HOW DID THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT IMPROVE
SOCIAL SERVICES FOR THE PEOPLE
3. A quarantine law
• Passengers arriving by sea had to be checked by a doctor to ensure
that they were not suffering from any infectious disease
• Those found suffering from any diseases were quarantined in a
separate place for some time to prevent the disease from spreading to
others

11. THE BRITISH TREATMENT OF THE ASIANS
Asians were often discriminated by the british government
• Most of the high-ranking officials were Europeans and well qualified
Asians were not given senior or important post
• The railway department discouraged Asians from travelling in first class
carriages
• At public places such as some hotels in Singapore, Asians were not
allowed to use the dance floor as they were reserved solely for the
Europeans

12. SUMMING UP
Government attitude towards the
locals
• Discriminative towards the Asians
Improvements on social
services
• Provided grants to schools to
improve education
• Public health department
• Passed quarantine law
• Set up hospital, clinics and a
medical school to improve public
health
Law and order
1. Three major problems:
• Chinese secret societies
• Abuse of new immigrants
• piracy