The chief secretary of Singapore, known as the colonial secretary of Singapore before 1955, and the colonial secretary of the Straits Settlements before 1946, was a high ranking government official position in the Straits Settlements before 1946 and the Colony of Singapore after 1946, between 1867 and 1959. It was second only to the governor of Singapore, formerly the governor of the Straits Settlements in the colonial government.
The Straits Settlements, which mainly comprised Singapore, Penang and Malacca, became a Crown colony in 1867. The position of Colonial Secretary was subsequently created with a view to replacing Resident Councillor in Singapore. During the Japanese occupation of Singapore, the position was vacant and suspended following the downfall of the Malay Peninsula into the hands of the Japanese Empire. In 1946, Singapore parted from Penang and Malacca, forming itself into a Crown colony, so the jurisdiction of Colonial Secretary was reduced to Singapore only.
The title "Colonial Secretary" was later changed to "Chief Secretary" in 1955 when the Crown colony adopted the Rendel Constitution. Having been in existence for 92 years, the position was abolished in 1959 after Singapore attained self-governance.
Being the head of the Colonial Secretary's Office, the colonial secretary was an ex-officio member of both the Executive and Legislative Council, and at the same time the head of the Colonial Secretariat between 1867 and 1955.
When Singapore adopted its new constitution in 1955, although the Colonial Secretariat was abolished, the chief secretary remained an ex-officio member of the Council of Ministers and the Legislative Assembly.
Soon after, due to the rapid development of trade and the constant expansion of trading ports, the office of the Governor of the Straits Settlements was relocated from Penang to Singapore in 1832, thus replacing the Resident Councillor as the highest-ranking official in Singapore.[5] When the Straits Settlements was established in 1826, it was administered under India as its Presidency; it was later administered as a Residency from 1830 to 1851, when it was directly under the Governor of India. However, the ultimate control over the Straits Settlements remained under EIC's Board of Directors in London.[6]
The British Government took over the EIC's administrative powers over India in 1858 due to the Sepoy Mutiny and established direct rule in India. The Government of the Straits Settlements continued to be accountable to the Government of British India, while local Resident Councillors, originally employees of the EIC, were transited over to the colonial civil service.[5] In 1867, the Colonial Office of the British Government decided to directly administer the Straits Settlements as a crown colony,[7] with Colonel Ronald MacPherson, the last Resident Councillor of Singapore as the inaugural Colonial Secretary of the Straits Settlements.[8]
Nineteen people served as the Colonial Secretary of the Straits Settlements from 1867 to 1942, excluding acting officials. Even though this position evolved from the post of Resident Councillor of Singapore, the nature of both differed. On one hand, the status of the Colonial Secretary was higher than that of the Resident Councillors in Penang and Malacca. On the other hand, the main duties of the Colonial Secretary was to oversee and coordinate administration, while that of the Resident Councillor of Singapore under the EIC's administration covered areas such as law enforcement, land use, vessels, postal services, custom affairs and municipal services.[9] Therefore, the newly created position was similar to the Secretary to the Government of British India as well as the colonial secretaries or chief secretaries in other British colonies in terms of its nature.[8] At that time, the Colonial Secretary was stationed in Singapore, the post was also known as the "Colonial Secretary of Singapore".[10]
Flag of the Straits Settlements (1874–1925)Flag of the Straits Settlements (1925–1946)Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles
In July 1896, the British Government formed the Federated Malay States (FMS), which comprised Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Perak and Pahang in the Malay Peninsula, with the Governor of the Straits Settlements concurrently as High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to Malaya.[11] However, both the Governor and Colonial Secretary of the Straits Settlements were stationed in Singapore, so the Resident-General of the FMS (renamed Chief Secretary in 1911 and Federal Secretary in 1936) stationed in Kuala Lumpur was put in charge of the administration of the FMS.[11] The responsibilities of the Resident-General of the FMS and the Colonial Secretary of the Straits Settlements did not overlap, but both were similar in nature; a resident was stationed in each of the states of the FMS, but the Resident-General of the FMS had to govern in his daily routine on behalf the High Commissioner. Hence, he held relatively more powers as compared with the Colonial Secretary of the Straits Settlements.[12]
During Japan's invasion of Singapore in January 1942, the then-Colonial Secretary Stanley Jones was revoked from his position due to alleged ineffective defence coordination.[13] The position was taken over temporarily by FMS Federal Secretary Hugh Fraser, who retreated to Singapore.[14] Both Fraser and Sir Shenton Thomas, Governor of the Straits Settlements, stayed in Singapore until the last moment; they were imprisoned following the fall of Singapore to the Japanese. The post of Colonial Secretary was vacant due to the fall of Singapore. Following the unconditional surrender of Japan in 1945, the United Kingdom set up a provisional military government without restoring the post, so as to prepare for the dissolution of the Straits Settlements, in response to the post-war situation.
Following the dissolution of the Straits Settlements, Singapore became a crown colony on 1 April 1946. Its Governor restored the civil government, while Penang and Malacca, previously part of the Straits Settlements, were incorporated into the newly formed Malayan Union.[7] In view of this, the post of the Colonial Secretary of the Straits Settlements was renamed Colonial Secretary of Singapore, with Sir Patrick McKerron as the first to hold this post.[15] After the Rendel Constitution took effect from February 1955, the post was renamed as Chief Secretary of Singapore, in response to the growing post-war self-governance movements in Singapore, and to the change in the functions and powers.[16]
In the 1950s, constitutional amendments were made several times in preparation for self-governance in Singapore. In June 1959, the State of Singapore was established according to constitutional arrangements; under British suzerainty, the Governor was replaced by the Yang di-Pertuan Negara while the position of Chief Secretary was abolished. E. B. David was the last person to hold this position in colonial Singapore.[17] Since then, Singapore's governing powers fell into the hands of the newly created Prime Minister of Singapore and his cabinet.[17] From 1946 to 1959, only four colonial officials held the post of Colonial Secretary or Chief Secretary in post-war Singapore.
The position of the Chief Secretary and Colonial Secretary of Singapore, as well as the Colonial Secretary of the Straits Settlements, i.e. their predecessor, was the highest ranking position in the civil service during the colonial period. The status of a person holding this position was second only to that of the Governor of Singapore and the Governor of the Straits Settlements.[2] When the Governor was on leave or when its post was vacant, the Chief Secretary would usually be in charge of appointing an acting Governor. As the highest-ranking official second to the Governor, the Chief Secretary was the head of the Chief Secretary's Office (formerly the Colonial Secretary's Office)[18] and worked in the Empress Place Building, with other officials to assist him with his administration.[19] The Colonial Secretary, predecessor of the Chief Secretary, was also responsible of the Colonial Secretariat situated in the Empress Place Palace, but after the Rendel Constitution took effect from February 1955, the Secretariat was abolished following a reduction in the Chief Secretary's powers, while the Chief Secretary's Office continued to function.[20]
The Colonial Secretary had comparatively greater powers than the Chief Secretary. Similar to other British colonies, the Colonial Secretary was responsible of coordinating and overseeing the daily operation of government sectors and presided over the planning and enactment of important government policies. Besides Singapore, other places such as Penang, Malacca, Dinding and Labuan were also under the Colonial Secretary's jurisdiction during the Straits Settlements period; in addition, other than Singapore, these places also had their own Resident Councillor. On 1 April 1946, Singapore became a crown colony, reducing the Colonial Secretary's jurisdiction to only Singapore.[16] After the Rendel Constitution took effect from February 1955, the Chief Minister position, the Council of Ministers as well as Legislative Assembly were created and the ministers who were popularly elected took up responsibility in governing Singapore, thus significantly reducing the Chief Secretary powers.[16] Nevertheless, the Chief Secretary still controlled areas such as Singapore's foreign affairs, internal security, defence, broadcasting and public relations.[21]
The Colonial Secretary and Chief Secretary had long been important official positions in colonial Singapore; since the formation of the Executive Council and the Legislative Council of the Straits Settlements in 1867, the Colonial Secretary was an ex officio member for both Councils. After World War II, both Councils were initially replaced by the Singapore Advisory Council in 1946; it was later officially restructured as the Executive and Legislative Councils of Singapore. The Colonial Secretary served in the Advisory Council as well as the Executive and Legislative Councils as an ex officio member in post-war Singapore.[7] In February 1955, a democratic election system was introduced, with the Executive Council being replaced by the Council of Ministers, while the Legislative Council was restructured to form the Legislative Assembly.[16] The Council of Ministers continued to be chaired by the Governor, while the Legislative Assembly was to be presided over by the Governor-appointed Speaker; The Colonial Secretary, together with the Attorney-General and the Financial Secretary continued to remain as ex officio members in both bodies, leaving them the only members who were concurrently colonial civil servants.[16] In 1959, the State of Singapore was established, while the Council of Ministers was replaced by the Cabinet; The Legislative Assembly continued to function and the Prime Minister of Singapore was to preside over the Cabinet, while the position of the Chief Secretary was abolished.[17]
The Colonial Secretary had the power to issue warrants to arrest and deport any persons suspected of endangering public order and social stability.[22] The Chinese community back then regarded the colonial Governor as the highest ranking "prince" (王 wáng) under the British monarch, while the Colonial Secretary was viewed as a "prince" second to the Governor. Also, the word "warrant" was transliterated as "hua" (花 huā). Therefore, the Chinese community termed warrants issued by the Colonial Secretary as the "Second Prince's Warrant" (二王花 Èr-wáng Huā).[22] Persons who were taken into custody and deported by the Colonial Secretary included Hau Say Hoan (侯西反), an anti-Japanese Chinese businessman who resided in Singapore for 38 years.[22] He was accused by Sir Alexander Small, the then-Colonial Secretary of being anti-British and engaging in dealings with illegal organisations to endanger public order in December 1939;[23] Small invoked the Expulsion Order and deported Hau, and prohibited him from re-entry.[24]
Career paths
Sri Temasek, the official residence for Colonial Secretaries and Chief Secretaries from 1869 to 1959
In the colonial history of Singapore, the posts of Colonial Secretary and Chief Secretary were held by British colonial officials. Unlike Hong Kong, which is also a former British colony, no locals had ever been appointed as Colonial Secretary or Chief Secretary. In the early days, most of the Colonial Secretaries had colonial military background or had previously served in other parts of the Straits Settlements or the Malay peninsula. In 1905, F. G. Penney became the first cadet to be appointed Colonial Secretary.[25] Since then, many Colonial Secretaries and Chief Secretaries were cadets from the FMS or other parts of the Straits Settlements. Cadets were recruited from London by the Colonial Office through a systematic open recruitment test, and those who stand out were mainly outstanding graduates from top universities;[26] these Colonial Secretaries and Chief Secretaries include Edward Brockman, Richard James Wilkinson, Sir Hayes Marriott, Sir Andrew Caldecott, Sir Alexander Small and E. B. David.[27][28][29][30]
The longest serving holder of the post was Sir F. S. James; he served for eight years from 1916 to 1924.[34] The shortest serving was Edward Lewis Brockman; he held this appointment in 1911 but was transferred to serve as Chief Secretary of the FMS shortly after in the same year.[35] In addition, Colonel Ronald MacPherson, the inaugural Colonial Secretary of the Straits Settlements was the only holder to have died in office.[8]
Holders of the post of Colonial Secretary or Chief Secretary enjoyed remuneration and welfare similar to that of colonial secretaries or chief secretaries in other British colonies.[36] According to data in 1892, the annual salary of the Colonial Secretary of the Straits Settlements was $10,800 (Straits dollar), the second highest among colonial officials in British Malaya after the Governor; the third highest-paying was the Resident Councillor of Penang, with a salary of $9,600 per year, excluding bonuses.[36] The official residence of the Chief Secretary or Colonial Secretary was Sri Temasek, inaugurated in 1869, located within the grounds of the Government House. All holders of the position resided in Sri Temasek from 1869 to 1959.[37]
List of officeholders
Colonial Secretary of the Straits Settlements (1867–1942)
The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under British Raj control in 1858 and then under direct British control as a Crown colony in 1867. In 1946, following the end of the Second World War and the Japanese occupation, the colony was dissolved as part of Britain's reorganisation of its Southeast Asian dependencies in the area.
The Federation of Malaya was a federation of what previously had been British Malaya, comprising eleven states that existed from 1 February 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957, and in 1963, Malaysia was formed when Malaya united with Singapore, North Borneo, and Sarawak.
The Legislative Council of the Colony of Singapore was the legislative council of Singapore that assisted the governor in making laws in the colony. It officially came into existence in 1946, when the Straits Settlements (Repeal) Act 1946 abolished the Straits Settlements, and made Singapore a Crown colony that would need its own legislative council. Based on existing systems already in place when the council operated under the Straits Settlements, it was partially opened for public voting in 1948, before being replaced by the Legislative Assembly in 1953.
The Legislative Council of the Straits Settlements was a legislature formed on 1 April 1867, when the Straits Settlements was made a Crown colony. This allowed laws to be made swiftly and efficiently, as it was directly responsible to the Secretary of State for the Colonies in London, instead of being placed under a legislative hierarchy and answering to the Calcutta government based in India.
The term "British Malaya" loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. Unlike the term "British India", which excludes the Indian princely states, British Malaya is often used to refer to the Federated and the Unfederated Malay States, which were British protectorates with their own local rulers, as well as the Straits Settlements, which were under the sovereignty and direct rule of the British Crown, after a period of control by the East India Company.
Sir Edward Lewis Brockman was a colonial administrator who served briefly as the Colonial Secretary to the Straits Settlements in 1911 and was the chief secretary to the Federated Malay States (FMS) from 1911 to 1920. He announced the establishment of the Town Planning Committee to oversee Kuala Lumpur town planning service. He was descendant of the English Brockman family. Brockman Road in Kuala Lumpur was named after him, where the former Prime Minister office was located.
John Frederick Adolphus McNair was a British Indian and colonial official.
Sir Edward Marsh Merewether, was a British colonial administrator.
Robert Fullerton was a Scottish colonial administrator who served as the first Governor of the Straits Settlements, appointed by the East India Company.
Sir Thomas Braddell was an Irish lawyer, the first Attorney-General of the British Colony of Singapore.
Robert Ibbetson was a colonial governor of the Straits Settlements of Penang, Malacca, and Singapore from 1832 to 1834.
Richard James Wilkinson was a British colonial administrator, scholar of Malay, and historian. The son of a British consul, Richard James Wilkinson was born in 1867 in Salonika (Thessaloniki) in the Ottoman Empire. He studied at Felsted School and was an undergraduate of Trinity College, Cambridge. He was multilingual and had a command of French, German, Greek, Italian and Spanish, and later, Malay and Hokkien which he qualified in, in 1889, while a cadet after joining the Straits Settlements Civil Service. He was an important contributor to the Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (JMBRAS). On 7 November 1900 Wilkinson presented a collection of Malay manuscripts and printed books to the University of Cambridge Library. He was appointed CMG in 1912.
Robert Norman Bland (1859–1948), or "R. N. Bland," as he was more commonly known then in The Straits, was Resident Councillor of Penang and a career civil servant in the Colonial Administration of the Straits Settlements.
Thomas Church, was a British colonial administrator under the British East India Company. Church started as a writer in Bencoolen (Bengkulu) in 1816 and rose to the high position of Resident Councillor of Singapore before retiring in 1856.
Brigadier Sir Patrick Alexander Bruce McKerron, known as Patrick McKerron was a British Army officer and colonial administrator. He joined the Malayan Civil Service in 1920 as Assistant Superintendent before retiring as Colonial Secretary of Singapore in 1950.
Sir Alexander Sym Small was a colonial administrator. He joined the Malayan Civil Service and was a cadet in January 1911 and served most of his Civil Service career in Federated Malay States (FMS) and Straits Settlements (SS). He retired as the Colonial Secretary of Straits Settlements in 1940.
Frederick George Penney or Frederick Gordon Penney was a colonial administrator. He was a cadet of Straits Settlement in 1876 and retired as the Colonial Secretary of Straits Settlements in 1906.
Charles Walter Sneyd-Kynnersley, was a British colonial administrator. He joined the Straits Settlements Civil Service in 1872 and was the acting Colonial Secretary of Straits Settlements.
"Mr. S. W. Jones", The Straits Times, 28 January 1942, page 4.
The Statesman's Year-Book 1941. London: Palgrave, 1941.
The Statesman's Year-Book 1955. London: Palgrave, 1955.
The Statesman's Year-Book 1956. London: Palgrave, 1956.
The Statesman's Year-Book 1960. London: Palgrave, 1960.
Allen, J. de Vere, "Malayan Civil Service, 1874-1941: Colonial Bureaucracy/Malayan Elite", Comparative Studies in Society and History Vol. 12, No. 2. UK: Cambridge University Press, April 1970, pages 149 - 178.
Andaya, Barbara Watson and Andaya, Leonard Y., A History of Malaysia. Hong Kong: Palgrave Macmillan, 1982.
Lepoer, Barbara Leitch, ed., Singapore: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1989.
Jin, Xingzhong, "第二次世界大戰時期的星洲華僑義勇軍" (Singapore Chinese Volunteer Army during World War II), 《廣州文史資料》第十九輯 (Volume XIX of Guangzhou Cultural and Historical Data). Cultural and Historical Data Research Committee of the Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province Committee of the Chinese People Consultative Conference, June 1980.
Tan, Kah Kee, 南僑回憶錄 (Nanyang Chinese Memoirs, Volume I). United States: Global Publishing, 1993. ISBN9789814327275
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