Palace of Ghosts: Singapore's Untold History

Sultan Abu Bakar passed away in London, UK, on 4 June 1895 only months after the grand ball at Istana Tyersall. His body was shipped back to Johor where he was laid to rest at the royal mausoleum at Makam Mahmoodiah on 7 September 1895. The creator of Istana Tyersall, his Sultana Fatimah, had been buried there four years earlier in 1891.  His son, Tunku Ibrahim was installed as the new Sultan of Johor in November 1895. Sultan Ibrahim’s reign was to span more than six decades, encompassing two world wars and a host of sensational and dramatic events. Palace of Ghosts dedicates five chapters to this transformative period, during which the Tyersall estate underwent significant changes that in many ways mirrored the sweeping geopolitical and social shifts in both Singapore and Johor. A frequently controversial figure, Sultan Ibrahim's life is a fascinating tale of immense wealth, power, heartbreak, and tragedy—recurring themes woven throughout the narrative of  Palace of Ghosts: ...

The Flight From Johor    The last post saw Tan Yeok Nee scaling heights of affluence and power that few newly arrived immigrants in the region could have ever dreamt of. Within only a couple of decades Tan had risen from being a door-to-door peddler of fabrics to perhaps the most wealthy and influential figure within the Singapore and Johor business and political elites of the time. All the more perplexing then that in 1875, only four years after his elevation to the highest echelons of power, including leadership of the Great Opium Syndicate, Tan apparently vanished from the Johor scene. It was a supposed disappearing act made all the more mysterious by the lack of any kind of explanation as to why. At least that is how some accounts of the events that transpired would have us believe. The Singapore National Library Board’s Infopedia site says: “In 1875, Tan fled from Johor to Singapore and gave up all his connections in Johor.” Considering Tan’s staggering accumulation of po...

The Rise of Tan Yeok Nee The last two posts described the world that Tan Yeok Nee encountered on his arrival in Singapore: everchanging, perhaps even intimidating, but offering boundless opportunities for anyone quick witted enough and with energy and ambition. Some things about Singapore have not changed despite today's modernity, but back then the market forces at work revolved around opium and secret scoeities. Regardless, Singapore and its rapidly growing, Malay governed hinterland of Johor, was open and welcoming to anyone with a hunger to succeed. Tens of thousands came. Malays, Chinese and British alike were brimming expectantly with optimism. The scene was set for Tan’s spectacular rise. A 19th century Singapore Chinatown shop front occupied by young men of about Tan's age when he arrived there. This overcrowded area of town was the immediate destination for most new arrivals from China. For many it was a staging post before being sent to work on the plantations. (Natio...

I am far from any kind of expert in the field of etymology nor in the Malay language. However, a quick survey of the existing research on the topic provides plenty of food for thought and, like the previous few blog posts, is intended to provide context for the story of Palace of Ghosts. Some of the explanations may be plausible, but cannot be undisputedly proven. The point is to show that Singapore and the surrounding islands and shorelines are far from being disconnected from history. What is important is to strip away the barriers which blur perceptions of the past. Look beyond the modern inventions of borders and cities to see more clearly how the present links to the past and vice versa. The people who today live in territories once occupied by the Johor-Sultanate should look to the island of Sumatra to understand where the people who created the first trading hubs in area originally came from. The zone where mainland Southeast Asia (SEA) meets maritime SEA seems to lack a catchy ...

Occasionally an item of news appears that makes me stop and think about how the present engages with the past. It can be a comment from a politician, an announcement from a government department, or an observation by a journalist that arrests the mind for a while and stands out from the dross that unfortunately characterises much of the so-called current events commentary. And the reason why is that it connects to something you had previously thought was important to you in one way or another. A key theme of Palace of Ghosts is the way the past connects to the present. So, I am always on the lookout for those connections, however unlikely their provenance. One of my pleasures in life is waiting for, then reading, the next episode of ex-Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad, age 96, ranting about something or other. I do find it a little amusing. Rants that are often disguised as a reasoned observation or philosophical musings, but which simultaneously cast aside any semblance of ...

This is a question I am often asked. It is also one that I have also pondered at length. It took me a while to work through the reasons, but I only did so after I had completed the first manuscript. My thought process did not follow a logical, sequential trajectory. I did not, for example, initially identify the reasons I might embark on such a course of action, then weigh up the pros and cons, and then evaluate whether or not to proceed. Rather it was fact a gut feeling. I had to write the story, and the more I researched, the stronger that instinct became. It was only tens of thousands of written words later that I attempted to rationalise why I had done it. The main reasons are those I have set out below. But it’s not an exhaustive list, and I may well come back to these points in a later post. The lure of an untold story . I believe that it is possible to sense history even if there appears to be a gap in the record and you don't know what the missing detail is. There is a deep...