Singapore Chamber of Commerce is formed

The Singapore Chamber of Commerce was formed by the Singapore mercantile community on 8 February 1837.^[1] The chamber was the oldest private sector representative organisation in Singapore at the time,^[2] and it was founded to resist the encroachments on the island’s free-port status by the Bengal Government in India. The merchants had also resisted the attempt by the Bengal Government to replace the Spanish dollar and Dutch guilder with the Indian rupee as the local currency, preferring the British dollar instead.^[3]  The chamber’s  first  president was  A. L. Johnston, a prominent businessman of the island and head of Singapore’s first European mercantile house.^[4] Its first committee  was a multi-racial one, comprising  leading  figures  of Singapore’s business community  at  the  time.^[5]

Before the formation of the Singapore Chamber of Commerce, there were already calls from within the mercantile community for a body that could lobby for their commercial interests effectively.^[6] Over time, the influence of the chamber spread to political matters such as control over the secret societies. The chamber’s voice also carried weight in the legislature as it was given a right of nomination to the Legislative Council from 1887 to 1955.^[7] Despite the display of a united front, the chamber members had their share of disagreements, which worsened after the failure of Rajah James Brooke to establish a commercial foothold in Siam (now known as Thailand) through his 1850 official mission – one that was strongly supported by the chamber. Merchants in Singapore had hoped that the mission would result in a more favourable policy towards British trade in Siam. The chamber’s prestige suffered as a result of the mission’s failure.^[8]

For about 45 years from 1870 to 1915, the chamber was made up of only Europeans.^[9] By the latter half of the 19th century, the chamber had lost the crucial support of its Chinese members. The reasons for the loss of Chinese support are vague but one possible reason was that the Chinese merchants were unable to meet their liabilities for items that they had purchased on credit terms from European business houses, leading eventually to the collapse of some of these firms.^[10] The chamber languished during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore (1942–1945), but it was revived after the war and became more British-centric in its make-up.^[11] The chamber was renamed the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce (SICC) in 1964.^[12]

References
1. Buckley, C. B. (1984). An anecdotal history of old times in Singapore (p. 313). Singapore: Oxford University Press. Call no.: RCLOS 959.57 BUC.
2. MacLean, R. (2000). A pattern of change: The Singapore International Chamber of Commerce from 1837 (p. 1). Singapore: Singapore International Chamber of Commerce. Call no.: RSING q380.10605957 MAC.
3. MacLean, 2000, p. 18; The Free Press. Singapore. (1937, February 2). The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1835–1869), p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Singapore International Chamber of Commerce. (1979). From early days: [Some long time members of the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce] (pp. 13–14). Singapore: The Chamber. Call no.: RSING 380.10655957 SIN.
4. Moore, D., & Moore, J. (1969). The first 150 years of Singapore (p. 176). Singapore: Donald Moore Press Ltd. Call no.: SING 959.57 MOO-[HIS].
5. Buckley, 1984, p. 314.
6. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1835–1869), 2 Feb 1837, p. 2.
7. Turnbull, C. M. (1972). The Straits Settlements 1826–67: Indian presidency to Crown Colony (pp. 137–138). University of London: Athlone Press. Call no.: RSING 959.57 TUR-[HIS]; Singapore International Chamber of Commerce, 1979, pp. 16–17.
8. Turnbull, 1972, p. 138; MacLean, 2000, pp. 49–50.
9. SICC, 1979, p. 22
10. MacLean, 2000, pp. 34–35.
11. Singapore International Chamber of Commerce. (2007). SICC: Making history for 170 years, 1837–2007 (p. 21). Singapore: Singapore International Chamber of Commerce. Call no.: RSING 382.095957 SIN.
12. MacLean, 2000, p. 1.