Published in The Straits Times and AsiaOne, Tuesday Jan. 1, 2013
By Tom Benner
SINGAPORE, as we all know, is filled with streets, schools, hospitals and businesses named Stamford or Raffles, after Sir Stamford Raffles, the acknowledged founder of the place.
A new book sheds new light on the man, his exalted place in history, and the dark side of British colonialism. Yet despite it being the top-selling title at last month’s Singapore Writers Festival where it made its debut, the book has yet to prompt much in the way of a Raffles re-evaluation.
There is time for that; in the years leading to the 200th anniversary of the 1819 founding of modern Singapore, Raffles is sure to get a sizing-up by modern standards. Continue reading …
Tom Benner Reports 
Good to see Tim Hannigan’s book get another outing. No doubt, as you say, the Singapore bicentenary in 2015 will prompt wider reflection on the real Raffles and his role.