Saying hello to an old acquaintance

Lying somewhat hidden from view in the grounds of the building that once was the Coleman Street branch of Anglo Chinese School (ACS), unbeknownst to many,  is a simple block of grey granite, supported by a red brick plinth. This block of stone has been with us for four decades now, laid with the intention of it being the foundation stone for a  monument that was to be erected in tribute to our early founders – the many nameless immigrants, for the contributions made to the development of modern Singapore, amid much fanfare by the late President Yusof Ishak in 1970, during the twelve months during which the 150th anniversary of the founding of modern Singapore was commemorated.

The foundation stone for a monument intended to honour the early immigrants who contributed much to the development of modern Singapore at its current location outside the lobby of the National Archives.

For three decades, the stone stood in hope, fading into obscurity at its original location on the promenade along Fullerton Road (opposite the Fullerton Building), as it lay vainly in wait for the monument that it was meant to be a forerunner of. It was a stone that I had observed and perhaps been guilty at times of ignoring, on the many walks along that same promenade that my parents were fond of taking in my childhood, one that we made regularly which would take us from Empress Place via Anderson Bridge to Clifford Pier, when it seemed to deserve no more than a cursory glance.  There were a few occasions however when I did try to acquaint myself with the grey block, tracing the inscriptions on its four faces with my fingers, wondering for how much longer it would sit there as the world passed it by.

Inscription on the foundation stone reads: THE FOUNDATION STONE OF THE MONUMENT IN TRIBUTE TO THE EARLY FOUNDERS OF SINGAPORE WAS LAID BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE ON THE 18TH DAY OF JANUARY 1970.

I had the opportunity recently to seek my old acquaintance out at its current home, just outside the entrance lobby of what is the National Archives of Singapore, where together with the red brick plinth that supports it, it silently sits in the shadows of the plants that seem to offer a comforting arm to it, as it sits as if wanting to hide from a Singapore that has chosen to forget it. The early founders stone moved to its current home at the turn of the new century, and looks none the worse for wear, having been exposed to the elements on the promenade for thirty years. As I stood there next to my old acquaintance in silent contemplation, I recalled the the promise it once held, which today remains sadly unfulfilled.

Inscription in Chinese.

When the idea for the monument was mooted by the Alumni International Singapore, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before $200,000 in funds needed, could be raised to erect the monument. The temporary location of the foundation stone was significant enough – along the sea front close to Collyer Quay where many of the early immigrants arriving by boat would have landed. Somehow in the interim, despite attempts at finding a suitable design through a competition, as well as with several attempts to raise the necessary funds, a suitable design was never found, nor sufficient funds raised. In 1985, the Alumni International decided to instead channel the funds raised to other areas.

View from the street through the fence of the National Archives.

That the monument was never built, and that the foundation stone is placed in an relatively obscure location, is perhaps a reflection of what we have become as Singaporeans, lacking a sense of who we really are, and of how we have got where we are. We have embraced the bright lights that the modern city comes with, choosing to discard much of the reminders of our humble past. There are of course those reminders, which except for a few glorious buildings that have been put to appropriate use, which have become nothing but an extension of the way we live, housed in the buildings, in the sanitised neighbourhoods of old, but lacking the heart and soul that once made the edifices and streets what they were. Perhaps all is not lost, for that the stone still exists, provides us with a glimmer of hope that the monument and the people the monument is meant to honour, is not all forgotten. It would be nice if we could see the monument built, maybe in time for the 200th anniversary of modern Singapore.

Another view of the early founders' stone from the inside of the National Archives compound.

The stone is located somewhat hidden from view in front of the lobby of the National Archives.