THE SINGAPORE INDIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 1935-1980

Abstract

Although we are known as snake-charmers, peanut-vendors, the hole-in-the-wall shopowners, it is perhaps true to say that Indian businessmen were among the first established multinational trading houses in the history of the region. Mr G. Ramachandran Straits Times 31.1.86 Existing literature on the history of Indians in Singapore has tended to concentrate on the Indian labour immigrants as they form the bulk of the immigrants. While the labour migrants may predominate numerically, there is nevertheless an influential non-labour immigrant group-the Indian business community who deserves much attention too. The general impression of the Indian community as an labour/coolie community would not do justice to the Indian businessmen whose contribution to Singapore's economic development is measurable. The dearth of literature on the Indian businessmen thus motivated the writer to choose this topic. However, this Academic Exercise does not attempt to make any major breakthrough at providing a comprehensive history of the Indian business community. Rather, the writer will focus on a commercial organisation, the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce to throw some light on the Indian business community in Singapore. The study is essentially chronological in approach and historical in its treatment of the subject. Although a economic approach would seem more relevant to an organisation like the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce, the writer out of interest tended to concentrate more on the social history of the Chamber. The bulk of this study is based on the records kept at the indian Chamber of Commerce viz, minutes of meetings and annual reports which are all in English. It is indeed sad that greater portions of the records had been destroyed which had inevitably left a great gap in the Chamber's history. To supplement these incomplete records, the writer conducted few interviews. However personalities who could draw more light on the Chamber's history are no longer here. The interviews conducted with a few merchants were not that satisfactory as the interviewees were trying to boost the image of the Chamber during the period they presided, thus giving the writer a difficult job. Furthermore, the study was greatly constrained by the inavailability of secondary materials on the Indian Chamber of Commerce in particular and to the Indian business community in general. The opening chapter will attempt to provide the background of the Indian business community in Singapore. Here the movement of Indian traders to Malaya in the ancient times and their settlement, ,the modern commercial migrants and the differences existing between the Indian business communities will be highlighted. The second chapter will examine the origin of the Indian Chamber of Commerce, its formation and development until the Japanese Occupation will be brought forth. The third chapter will analyse the post-war changes of the Chamber until 1965. Chapter four will focus on the shift of the Chamber's role and activities in the context of Singapore and Chapter Five will wrap up the study by giving a conclusion.