SINGAPORE: A Malay netizen has turned to social media to question whether The Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre is attempting to overly emphasize the Chinese aspects of Singapore’s history.

This critique centres on the identification of several historical inaccuracies within a dance-drama production.

The netizen, who goes by the name Fikrah Siyasah on Facebook, raised concerns about a dance-drama production titled “Whispers From The Dragon’s Teeth Gate,” commissioned by the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC).

Upon checking the SCCC official website, the dance-drama, performed on April 20, 2019, claimed to “rediscover the enthralling tale of Singapore’s transformation from an island of immigrants to a nation forged by our multi-ethnic cultures”.

“Over four acts, the performance brings the audience on a journey 700 years back in time – from the legendary voyage of Sang Nila Utama and the discovery of the Dragon’s Teeth Gate, to the progress of Temasek as it transforms into the metropolitan city known as Singapore as today. ”

The production also boasts an ensemble of international experts across various fields, including Singaporean historian Mr Kua Bak Lim (柯木林), Cultural Medallion and Singapore Chinese Cultural Contribution Award recipient and playwright Mr Han Lao Da (韩劳达), esteemed Indonesian choreographer Didik Nini Thowok, and Peranakan costume designer Raymond Wong.

Did Sang Nila Utama witness a Chinese Lion Dance in Temasek?

In a recent Facebook post, Fikrah Siyasah voiced his critique of the dance-drama production, highlighting numerous historical inaccuracies in its portrayal of the origin of the name Singapura.

This includes the assertion that the name Singapura originated from Sang Nila Utama, the legendary founder of Singapore, witnessing a Chinese Lion dance in Temasek.

Moreover, in an article provided by the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC) to a local media outlet, Smart Local Singapore, in 2019 to introduce the drama, the article also claimed that historians are attributing the origin to Sang Nila Utama’s sighting of a Chinese traditional lion dance.

Mr. Siyasah remarked, “They claimed that this silly idea, which has no historical basis, is now getting acceptance from historians.”

He further pointed out that the article asserted that Singapore’s original name was not Temasek but rather the decidedly Chinese name Long Ya Men (龙牙门) or Dragon Teeth Gate.

In his post, Mr Siyasah said the name Long Ya Men was derived from a Chinese traveller’s account of his 14th-century visit to the island.

Wang Da Yuan (汪大渊) indeed referenced the Dragon Teeth Gate, which is, in reality, Batu Belayar.

However, Mr Siyasah contended that Wang did not refer to the entire island as Long Ya Men.

Instead, Wang referred to the island as Tanmaxi (淡马锡) – Temasek.

“The gate he referred to was just an area within Temasek. It was not the original name for Temasek.”

The netizen challenging efforts to rewrite Singapore’s history with a Chinese focus

Mr Siyasah criticized the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre’s apparent intent to establish the idea that Singapore once had a Chinese name.

He pointed out that there were other names that predated Temasek. Arab travellers in the 9th century, which was 400 years before Wang Da Yuan’s visit, referred to the island as Mayt.

Mayt served as a hub for international shipping, with ships from the Malay archipelago, China, India, and the Middle East making stops in Mayt (Singapore) to exchange goods.

Coincidentally, there is a theory suggesting that Sentosa’s former name, Pulau Blakang Mati, was a reference to the name Mayt used for Singapore, as Sentosa lies to the north of Mayt.

There is also a belief that 800 years before it was known as Mayt, Singapore was known as Sabara. Sabara, which is at the southern tip of the Malay peninsula, was also known as a centre for international trade.

“Singapore’s international shipping and trading history is not new. Its status for international trade did not begin with Raffles. And it definitely was not due to Lee Kuan Yew or his group of colonial settlers.”

He strongly condemned the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre’s efforts to reshape Singapore’s history with a predominant Chinese perspective, characterizing it as “regrettable.”

Furthermore, Mr Siyasah highlighted that the Sinification of Singapore’s history is not an isolated incident but has been occurring over an extended period.

Challenging the ruling party’s historical narrative

In another Facebook post on 13 September, Mr Siyasah also took issue with the Singapore ruling party’s historical narrative to “downplay Malay native history” and present Singapore as a nation of migrants from various ethnic backgrounds.

Fikrah Siyasah mentions that, despite Singapore’s constitution recognizing Malays as the indigenous people of the country, PAP leaders and Chinese elites often referred to Singapore as a nation of migrants, arguing that there was no native, indigenous culture.

This erasure of Malay native history was further perpetuated by a documentary produced with support from the Singapore government during the SG50 celebration, which suggested that Sang Nila Utama named the city “Singapura” or “Lion City” after witnessing a Chinese lion dance performance.

He criticizes this narrative as an attempt to embed Singapore with Chinese history and notes that it has gained traction within the Chinese community.

Readers can view the complete recorded performance of the dance-drama “Whispers From The Dragon’s Teeth Gate,” which Mr Siyasah criticized in his remarks.

Singapore ranked second most influenced by China in the world

According to the China Index 2022 by Taiwan-based research outfit Doublethink Lab, Singapore has ranked second globally, preceded by Cambodia and followed by Thailand, in terms of China’s growing influence on countries.

The study revealed that Singapore is particularly vulnerable to Beijing’s influence in areas such as technology, society, and academia, although it is less affected in terms of domestic politics.

INDONESIA: A devastating fire broke out at the National Museum, also known as the Museum Gajah, located at Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat No. 12, Jakarta Pusat, on Saturday (16 Sept), around 8:00 PM local time.

The fire, which reportedly originated from an air conditioning unit, quickly spread to the rear of the museum, causing significant damage to part of the building.

The flames reached the museum’s A1 building, one of its three main structures, causing the collapse of a portion of the roof and walls.

Tragically, four storage rooms containing historical artefacts were consumed by the inferno. The collection stored in this building included prehistoric, ethnographic, and ceramic artefacts dating back to prehistoric, classical, and colonial times.

According to Satriadi Gunawan, the Head of the Jakarta Fire and Safety Department (Gulkarmat), the fire originated from a temporary construction site behind the museum.

“The cause was from the temporary shed that was under construction,” explained Satriadi.

“There was an AC explosion that led to the fire, which then spread to the rear side of Building A1,” he stated to the media on Saturday.

Shortly after the initial explosion at approximately 7:58 PM local time, a significant blast occurred from the direction of the construction site renovating the museum.

Subsequently, the fire rapidly spread to the A1 building along Jalan Abdul Muis. The building’s alarms rang out, but the fire had already gained substantial ground.

Marwoto, an officer from the Central Jakarta Fire and Rescue Agency (Sudin Gulkarmat), suggested that the rapid escalation of the fire could be attributed to the highly combustible materials in the construction site shed.

The front courtyard of the National Museum of Indonesia, Gambir, Central Jakarta. (Photo: KOMPAS.com)

Efforts to salvage priceless artifacts

“The shed contained construction materials, and it was being renovated on the ground floor, in the parking area. The shed was made of wood and plywood, which easily catch fire,” Marwoto explained.

To combat the blaze, Central Jakarta’s Sudin Gulkarmat mobilized additional personnel, increasing the firefighting team from 32 to 52 members and deploying 13 fire trucks. The fire was successfully extinguished two hours later, at around 10:40 PM local time.

Acting Head of the Public Service Agency for Museums and Cultural Heritage (BLU MCB) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek), Ahmad Mahendra, in his statement on Sunday, reported that six rooms in the A building of the museum were affected by the fire.

Thankfully, the remaining 15 rooms in Building A and the exhibition rooms in Building B and Building C were unaffected, and the fire did not spread further.

The initial investigation indicated that some of the damaged items were replicas from the prehistoric section of the museum’s collection.

The authorities are currently assessing the extent of the damage and planning the necessary actions to secure and restore the affected artifacts.

Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Nadiem Makarim, expressed his commitment to preserving as many historical artifacts as possible.

“Our top priority right now is to save as many historical artifacts as possible from the rooms affected by the fire,” he stated during an early morning press conference at the National Museum on Sunday (17 Sep).

Nadiem Makarim, the Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology

Challenges and concerns mount as experts await entry to assess museum’s fire damage

Nadiem announced the formation of a joint team to inventory the historical items within the museum.

“We’ve established a joint team consisting of museum experts, police officers, and firefighters to assess the damage and ensure the safe retrieval of any salvageable items,” he explained.

However, due to ongoing safety concerns regarding the museum’s structural integrity after the fire, inventory and assessment activities have not yet begun.

“We cannot enter the building for inventory purposes at this time because it has not been declared safe by the firefighting authorities,” Nadiem emphasized.

As a result of the fire, the National Museum will remain temporarily closed to the public. Chief of the Central Jakarta Police Resort (Kapolres), Commissioner General (Kombes) Komarudin, stated, “Our personnel are stationed both at the front and back of the museum.

Given the valuable and historically significant items stored in Building A, we want to prevent any undesirable incidents. The museum will remain closed until the management determines it is safe to reopen.”

Komarudin added that the duration of the museum’s closure is still uncertain and will depend on the evolving situation. Enhanced security measures will be in place for the coming days.

The incident has drawn the attention of the Indonesian Museum Association (AMI).

The Chairman of AMI, Putu Supadma Rudana, urged the police to promptly determine the cause of the fire and assess the extent of the damage to the museum’s collections. While initial reports suggest an electrical short circuit in the construction shed, a comprehensive investigation is needed.

Putu highlighted the importance of enhanced protection for museums, both from the central and regional governments and proposed the establishment of insurance policies for the safety of museum buildings and their collections.

He also called for comprehensive regulations to govern museum management and development in Indonesia.

Furthermore, Putu stressed the need for capacity-building in museum management and the development of regulations to guide museum operations.

“To achieve these goals, the Indonesian Museum Association hopes that the Indonesian Parliament, in conjunction with the government, will expedite the discussion of the Museum Act,” he concluded.

A treasure trove of history and culture with a storied legacy

Quoted from the Museum Nasional web page, the National Museum, originally constructed by the Dutch East Indies government in 1862, holds a rich history and cultural heritage.

It was officially opened to the public in 1868 and earned the moniker “Museum Gajah” due to the bronze elephant (gajah) statue gifted by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) of Thailand during his visit in 1871.

In March 2021, the Ministry of Finance designated the National Museum as a central government institution under the Financial Management Pattern of Public Service Agencies (PPK-BLU) within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology.

The museum’s collection comprises approximately 140,000 items across seven categories, including archaeology, ethnography, geography, ceramics, numismatics and heraldry, prehistory, and history.