Partitioning

Partitioning involves moving populations, dividing and conquering human beings.

The governments of the USA, Canada and Australia historically moved indigenous peoples into reservations, in a version of containing and corralling groups, minimising their cultures and not allowing them to fully participate in the fabric of the nation.

This involved not only physical partitioning, but emotional, social and economic alienation.

During World War 2, Americans of Japanese and German ancestry were interned in specially set up camps, after they were forcibly removed from their homes.

The human pysche of nations can go to extremes in times of war, religious divide or when there is competition for resources.

Partitioning was both a strategy and solution deployed when decolonisation swept the world in the mid 20th century. The worst consequences of such political and socio- religious partitioning was experienced in south Asia in 1947, when the Mountbatten Plan gave rise to the modern nations of India and Pakistan - a million people, Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims, died in the ensuing mass migration between the two newly formed states, due to man made hunger, inter religious fighting and social violence.

The colonial British deployment of divide and rule to manage diverse ethnic groups
within their colonies also arose in Malaya, which lay the seeds for continuing racial discrimination even today in a nation that is overly conscious and emphatic of racial and religious differences. The Afrikaners imposed apartheid in South Africa, which officially ended late last century, but still casts a shadow on inter ethnic relations in today's Rainbow Nation.

In both the Malaysian Federation and the Republic of South Africa, partitioning of hearts and minds to the exclusion of more significant things has not been optimal or beneficial for both societies.

Ireland saw the partitioning of their island due to religious and political factors intervening from London. The Cold War between the Soviet Union and the USA saw the unnatural partitioning of Germany, which recovered and reunited after the fall of Communism in Europe.  

Europe has seen a chequered history of changing boundaries and territorial partitions, think of Yugoslavia before 1990 and new nations arising after 1990 - but Italy was federated on the late 19th century and the EU was created in the late 20th century.

The most intense and yet unresolved conflict resulted from the creation of Israel in 1948 from a partitioned Palestine. The heady mix of entrenched cultures, beliefs and geopolitical interests add to a cauldron of shifting military balances, outside interference and historical alliances and enmity.

Russia remains unpartitioned. Yet Koreans remain separated geographically and politically between North and South. Vietnamese reunited as one nation after the French and American Wars. Thailand was never partitioned and colonised.

Partitioning can mean being reunited, but at what cost?

European Impact

Euopean states have often been ravaged by war, with national boundaries changing, religious allegiances enforced, new generations adapting to learn different languages and political systems transforming in constant flux. Although most of these states can be small in size, there are a few large players - Germany, France and Russia - that have exerted their cultural, economic and political clout on the landscape of Europe in different centuries.

The stress and dislocation caused to civil populations in the last century had made many Europeans emigrate to new opportunities in the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United Kingdom. The constant scenarios of instability, military conquest and economic uncertainty had encouraged the several cantons of the Swiss Federation to declare a strong political neutrality.

The Roman Empire set the tone early more then 2000 years ago in its drive for territory expansion, control of trade routes and increasing its brand of Greek based civilisation and so called Western values. And then this Empire was overwhelmed by the Ottomans, especially in the Eastern Roman Empire and in the Iberian region.

Waking up from the Dark Ages, Europe went through its Renaissance and Age of Enlightenment. With a technologically superior array of skills, tools and military equipment, the more advanced Euro states began to look outward. 

Adventurers under the sponsorship of Spain reached the Americas by crossing the Atlantic, initially hoping to reach India. not realising they had headed in the wrong direction.

The Arabs and the Ming Dynasty Chinese had already effectively harnessed the power of monsoonal winds to come to India, Africa and South-east Asia. Once Bartolomeu Diaz successfully sailed around the Cape of Good Hope, the limitations and shackles of the land route from Europe to China, the Silk Road, were removed.

The interim drive to discover new lands in the European mind was embedded by the delights and benefits of the spice trade. Think of spices as powerful as petroleum, clean water, sustainable energy, data and internet connections today.

Thus began the age of colonialism, economic utilisation and occupation of other civilisations by the European powers - Portugal, Spain, Holland, Belgium, France, Germany, Britain and to a minor extent, Italy. Almost every corner of the non European world was taken over for control in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Oceania and the Americas, except for Thailand, Siberia and inland regions of China.

The British had already colonised Ireland, while losing the USA earlier in 1776. The British East India Company established its first outpost in South East Asia in Penang in 1786.

The European powers in this manner disseminated the use of their own languages, cultural habits, administrative structures, political thoughts, technology like railways and sharing of their DNA. The globalisation effect strengthened, with an exchange of ideas, culinary influences and socio-cultural practices. Fusion in society was reinforced, like what happened to the Anglos, Gauls, Germania and Eastern Europe at the height of the Roman Empire.

Some European colonists tended to ignore the existence of prior societies before they "discovered" them. Indigenous populations were especially vulnerable to the arrival of the European colonists. Foreign diseases, religions and trade arrived with various implications. Some powers were more violent in their treatment of their new subjects, others more benign. Various ethnic groups who prior had no relationships with each other found themselves saddled in the same country newly formed by the colonists.

Then came the two World Wars of the 20th century, with their breakouts initially happening in Europe. The Imperial Japanese military occupation of east and south east Asia had Japan urging these other Asians to throw off the yoke of European rule. A series of national independence declarations occurred especially in the decade after the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs were dropped by the USA. Returning colonials in 1945 found a new political attitude in their subjects around the world. 

The last significant colony given up by an European power was Hong Kong in 1997. 

Previous subjects of colonised countries have come to settle in the land of their previous political masters. This is especially evident in the UK, France, Italy, Holland and Spain. Being legally settled in one EU nation means a liberating ability to be mobile throughout in seeking jobs, enjoying holidays, forming relationships and setting up businesses in fellow EU states.

A recent trend of heightened political correctness has had some European countries accepting large numbers of refugees and other categories of migrants from the Middle East and Africa, where war, economic decline and social disorder has been the norm on ours news media.

Germany and France continue to dominate the economic and other key affairs of contemporary Europe, while a revived Russia post the Communist era, now looks set to be a significant player on the world stage, together with China and the USA, in the 21st century.

The story of Europe continues, with a troubled record of union and now with the attempt of the United Kingdom to leave the EU. The borderless arrangements for travel, trade and financial integration within the EU can prove to be a two edged sword, particularly in a world facing the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Suffolk House Restored, Georgetown Penang

A Bridge too near - over a creek running beside the restored Suffolk House.

The Captain came from not the aristocrat, but from an adopted middle class family in mid 18th century England.His second son as a Surveyor General was responsible for  the beginnings of what was to become modern day Adelaide.  The life of Francis Light is not very well known, but his legacy impacted on at least three nations.  To me, Light's skills in political negotiation, dealing well with unknown cultures and sense of adventure were the most important things about the man.  My primary school attended was named after this founder of Georgetown, on a tropical isle whose value located along the trading routes was not realised until a Brit guy seized the opportunity, established a settlement out of the jungle and never looked back.  Captain Francis Light embraced the unknown, seized the future and worked on advancing an opportunity not just for himself but paved the way for immigrants from China, India, Thailand, Sumatra and Burma to carve out a new  and better life.  Light was the son of William Negus and his servant girl Mary Light.  The eventual  founder of the colony of Singapore, Sir Stamford Raffles, had first arrived in the region working in Penang.

Tropical practicality - open air verandahs, louvred doors and hanging lamps.

Only ten years after the American Declaration of Independence in 1776 was the colony of Georgetown on Penang Island founded by Light. There are the stories of how the Captain ordered for sovereign coins to be dispersed by cannon on to thick bush to motivate people to clear the jungle fast.  Francis was born in Dallinghoo in Suffolk (East Anglia) in the mother country and before arriving in Penang, was based as a trader in Salang in Phuket Island in nearby Siam.  This must have been where he met his future wife, Martinha Rozells, a woman of both Portuguese and Siamese heritage and later, mother to Colonel William Light. Martinha was Catholic and posed a potential issue to the Church of England, to which Francis belonged to.  Apparently, the marriage was never declared to the English authorities.  Captain Light had three daughters (Ann, Sarah and Mary)  and two sons (William and Francis Lanoon) with Martinha.

A Francis Light II passed away in Taiping in 1906, whilst an Augusta Victoria Light survived in Penang itself until 1972.  Not much recognition is given in modern day Malaysia for the Captain's efforts, but he is buried at the Protestant Cemetery along Northam Road.  William Light was born in Kuala Kedah on the mainland of the Malayan peninsular across from Penang island but was sent to England at the age of six years old.  The Lights are also linked to the Bain family in the 20th century.

In the early 19th century, it was the fashion to retire to writing, reading and reflecting in the drawing room at the end of a the day.

The original residence, located on the inner outskirts of Georgetown, along the banks of the Black River (Air Itam), is said to be occupied by the first Light family in south-east Asia, and then sold to William Edward Phillips, who constructed the Georgian styled mansion we often visualise as Suffolk House. Francis Light and his family in fact occupied a construction made more of attap and timber, but did maintain pepper gardens in the vicinity.  Edwards later became a Governor of this Prince of Wales Island, the official name of the settlement until 1876 (the year the British Straits Settlements was established with Malacca and Singapore).  Suffolk House was occupied by a series of Governors.  The political base of the Settlements then shifted to a more prosperous and strategic Singapore.  Suffolk House then came under the ownership of Penang local Lim Cheng Teik, a millionaire trader, before being passed for a sum of 40,000 Straits Settlement dollars to the Reverend P.L. Peach of the Methodist Church of Malaya.

A cuppa of tea, cakes and a cigar box - the vibes of the early colony for the new aristocrats of the island settlement.

Captain Light had obtained possession of Penang Island from the Sultan of Kedah without informing the British East India Company.  This oversight was uncovered when the military protection Light promised the Sultan from the British did not eventuate when Kedah was attacked by the Siamese. The history of Penang inevitably became intertwined with the Siamese kingdom, British colonial influence over the Malay States on the mainland and the focus of immigration, trade and stability for people fleeing unstable times in China and India.   Penang's ambitions as a vital port and middleman power was realised for many years, until it had to concede this position to Singapore at the southern end of the Straits of Malacca. Like Singapore, however, Penang attracted many immigrants of Chinese origin from southern China, especially  Fujian, Hainan and Guangdong.  There was also an overflow of Chinese  already in nearby Perak (Taiping and Ipoh) and who were there earlier due to the tin mining boom.  It is said that when the United States of America closed the doors on East Asians entering after the heady days of the California Gold Rush, the Chinese began to focus on south-east Asia to escape the dire economic conditions of the last dynasty (the Qing).

The table setting for a formal meal  - later replicated by the Straits Chinese, who adored the British as a community - as the Tok Panjang (or literally, long table) for festive gatherings.

A walk around the restored residence and grounds of the Suffolk House today would impress on visitors the detailed attention given in the renovations undertaken in the past few years.  History is always interpreted and preserved by those in current political power - and if not for the perseverance and funding from a select non-government group in Penang and the SACON Heritage Unit from Adelaide,  the modern version of Suffolk House would not have seen the light of day.  When the place began its period of decay, the building was still utilised to hold classes and operate as a day canteen for students of the nearby Methodist Boys School.

Today all has been transformed, although some locals observe why some specific rooms are never open to the public.  The upper floor actually collapsed many years ago due to the sheer weight of neglect and  lack of monies for repairs.  Henry and I visited Suffolk House on a rather moist refreshing morning during a week of periodic but rather torrential rain.   I reckoned this was the best time to explore its gardens, when flora was utmost green and must have echoed more of the climate more than 250 years ago.  Suffolk House was the winner of the UNESCO Asia-pacific Heritage Awards in 2008.

The lawns and grounds of Suffolk House.

At the ball room on the upper floor, with a bust of Captain Francis Light - it is said that the facial countenance represented here was more of his son Colonel William Light.

Polished floorboards bring us back to evenings when Suffolk House was a centre of social and political activity.

Model of the restored residence  and significant function house.

Mansions and bungalows tend to have this arched porch in an architectural design doted across Penang Island . especially Georgetown, inherited from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

High tea options surrounded by foliage not far from downtown Georgetown.

Apart from dropping by inside a small souvenir room, front reception landing and walk around rooms, visitors can also try meals, including high tea, at the restaurant on the ground floor and at the back of Suffolk House. The operators have been doing this for several years and the menu is influenced by both past and present concepts of fine dining.  The menu includes a variety of both Eastern and Western creations.  Interesting was the availability of Nespresso coffee varieties.  Afternoon tea commences at 230pm, with three-tiered trays of  freshly made single serve chicken pies, scones, cakes and cucumber and salmon sandwiches.  Accompanying preserves offered include tangy apple ginger compote, strawberry and pineapple marmalade.

Vista outside the restaurant window. 

I admired the timber floorings, the high ceilings and the lovingly finished detail.  The young Indian woman who opened the souvenir section for us was friendly and informative.  She hails from Kuala Lumpur and also mentioned about her personal blog site.   I found Suffolk House tranquil, eye-opening and a refuge from modern society.  It is a corner of England from the past, hopefully sufficiently embraced by the present and a gem to preserve for the future.  Those in charge can consider holding staged performances, strengthening personalised or group guided tours and having community based groups learn about this fascinating and rich past of Penang.  It is a settlement that was established before Sydney.

Fine dining possibilities - but is the jury still out on the food and value?

Suffolk House today as you approach it from the front.

Music is the refuge of the heart and soul, away from the ordinariness of life.

A perfect place to while away a moist and cloudy afternoon in Penang Island.

Memories of old England - with touches of the Far East.

Suffolk House is located at 250 Air Itam Road, 10460 Penang in Malaysia.

Hyde Park Barracks Cafe, Sydney CBD

Remniscient of a manor in countryside Britain, this preserved building now houses a delightful venue to meet up for meals in Sydney's own colonial quarter.

Times were not exactly as hoped for. The natives did not pose a strong threat to colonial interests as in the nearby South Pacific and the climate was more benign than Mother England.  Still, there were concerns about sustaining a viable fresh food and water supply, the hinterland was mostly unknown and the Euro adventure powers were fighting amongst themselves on the sea routes leading to this land.  The motley make up of the settlers ranged from teenagers convicted for stealing a loaf of bread in London to the well heeled males of ambition and power representing the government of the harbour settlement.  This was yet another new frontier, after the American colonies were lost and the next stage of possibilities away from the sultry climes of the Equatorial spice islands.  Here was a huge basin, with a river that ran inland and with a landscape of hills, bays and creeks - the home of the Eora. And so began the story of the British settlement of Sydney.  Three main clans of indigenous tribe already were there before the advent of Governor Macquarie - the Cammeraygal, the Wanegal and the Cadigal.  The well known Bennelong, remembered today near the Sydney Opera House,belonged to the Wanegals.

Beautiful fresh produce are critical to a memorable breakfast.

Today, the grounds of modern day Hyde Park Barracks are free to explore for any visitor.  Located at the north-eastern corner of Sydney CBD, they are located on high ground, with the obvious advantage to ward off military attacks.  Sandstone was and is prevalent - lending stability and solidity to the constructions of a new colony around 225 years ago.   Hyde Park lay in the realm of the Cadigal peoples.  The Barracks were constructed to house convict men and boys - and the architect Francis Greenway himself was one of them.  Surrounded by Queens Square and Macquarie Street, the brick buildings were later utilised to accommodate destitute women. The occasion of the 50th anniversary of the reign of Queen Victoria was an opportunity to refurbish this area - which was renamed the Chancery Square.  What were once working courts, offices and corridors has now been assigned as a living museum in the 21st century.

Hidden delights of heritage architecture can amaze visitors to the Cafe.

One specific  building houses the Hyde Park Barracks Cafe, open for breakfast, high tea and lunch.  The site suggests a theme of heritage for weddings, gatherings and dress up.  The menu however has touches of the Mediterranean instead of just only scones and English tea - you can have your panini,  yogurt Pannacotta and afagato, in addition to Eggs Benedict, cheesecakes and poached salmon.  there are also modern Australian variations like twice cooked pork belly omelette, pan fried duck breast and crispy skin barramundi fillet - hmmn, stirring memories of Salamanca Place in Hobart, Tasmania.  All day available dessert items include sorbets, gelatos, apple date and almond cigars, gananche tarts, flourless cake and mango parfait.  The cuisine suggests of country side air and ambiance, but you could be in David Jones department store, Pitt Street mall and Chinatown within half an hour's walking distance.

Only Italian design can complement so well with Australian sand stone.

Attestation to the influences of immigration, the surroundings not only echo colonial history, but Italian charm, Irish famine, modern chic and architecture of government.  The green lung of Sydney CBD, Hyde Park itself, literally is across the road, with its War Memorial, giant chess set and evening summer Noodles Market.  The park is the oldest public parkland in Australia. Notable  icons to visit in this area are the Australian Museum, St. Mary's Cathedral, the Obelisk, the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the Sydney Grammar School.  Londoners have no uncertainty as to the origin of the name of the Park - and this same penchant for naming streets and places in the Antipodes after places in Britain itself is replicated in almost every corner of modern day Australia.

Turbulent times in old Ireland are respectfully remembered near the Cafe.

The regulars do get their cuppa in the early morning.

Cafe staff Trudy was chatty and friendly even at breakfast time. By sheer coincidence, she used to reside in the Wollongong area but now dwells in inner city Sydney.  In the cafe, you can observe the outside world through colonial fashioned glass windows but there are not many passers-by here, adding to a quaint sense of remoteness even when you are in Australia's largest conurbation. could this cafe do more to attract regulars, perhaps by holding themed nights, special tours for kids and tourists, or by holding dear its heritage advantage than just naming a breakfast as convict?  The question is whether guests come here to find a refuge or to have a party.

A selection labelled the Convict, but with modern Australian produce.

This precinct does offer a feel and time different from the more crowded parts of Sydney city centre. As a collective experience, institutions, businesses and public places here have to do more than rely on heritage and food. Yes, there are annual events like Light Up Sydney which magically transforms this area on early winter nights. The area benefits from events held at Sydney Harbour like the massive fireworks on New Year's Eve and the recent Naval Review.  The big question is how to draw individuals back and not just to come to the place once or only revisit after a long period of time.

Bricked fireplaces open to the inspection of visitors after a meal at the Cafe.

Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Georgetown - Penang

Ware typical in south-east Asia from Chiangmai to Bali, one that also reminds me of water storage, preserving fruits and keeping stuff.

There are abodes for the historical  traveller, the adventurer, the tourist, the resort seeker.  Places of maintained elegance that hark back to another time and cultural ambiance. Residences that offer alternatives to current commercial offerings.  Hotels that have a proud past. Rooms that were occupied by celebrities of every shade, whether artistic, political or business. You can find such gems in most corners of the world, in the Caribbean, New England, Italy, India, Japan or Spain. In south-east Asia, a long period of colonial rule by various European powers has planted an outstanding such establishment in various cities, offering a key respite from the harsh climate, the ordinary masses and to recollect and recover in a world full of competition, fast paced trading and violent skirmishes. These institutional abodes do survive and prosper today, although under different owners and each facing varied socio-cultural trends and pressures.  On Penang Island, it is the all suite Eastern & Oriental Hotel.

A snapshot selection of the raw seafood offered at the daily buffet on the ground floor.

A visitor to early 20th century E & O would still familiar and comfortable many of the amenities and features available today in the 21st century version of the same place.  Tiled floors pamper your feet as you stroll along its indoor passage ways to your room or its several function facility venues.  The waterfront, looking out at the Straits of Penang to the mainland and the hillock known as Bukit Mertajam and also the higher point of Kedah Peak,  has solid parapets to form a fence against any surging tides (and which encountered the dissipated spill over from the Aceh tsunami back drift).

The swim pool is petite but good enough for those who just want to soak in the sun between conferences and business talks.  The palm trees are still there, remaining friendly and constant sentinels even if the city and nation has gradually changes.  The new Victory Annexe wing built recently gently sweeps in to the original parts of the hotel (the Heritage Wing) without a battered eyelid.  Many a function is held there in the tradition of yesteryears - weddings, club gatherings, expats hanging together late in the happy hours afternoon and family get togethers.

Sauces and condiments are essential to fully appreciate the potential of the local cuisine. 

The E & O could have been viewed as a refuge for European styled cooking in the past, especially to cater for Englishmen, their families and cohorts who have obviously been away for a long time from home, due to the then realities of long and arduous travel just to get back to the motherland.  These days the political and commercial powers and influences have changed significantly, with more island locals patronising such hotels for weekend gatherings or as suitable weekday venues to negotiate and do deals with the Malay Muslims from Kuala Lumpur, Singaporean investors, Middle Eastern stakeholders and China interests.

E & O survived the tribulations of the wold wars from the last century, endured Japanese military occupation and adapted to the changing socio-political landscape of an independent nation.  It was closed down in 1996 and suffered the indignity of decay and disorder for a certain period. The founders, the Armenian Sarkis Brothers, would have approved the transformation that has emerged from such times - and so would its more well known guests like Lee Kuan Yew, Michael Jackson, Charlie Chaplin, Sun Yet-Sun, Rudyard Kipling, Sir Noel Coward, Douglas Fairbanks and Herman Hesse.  British writer Somerset Maugham did reflect on life in colonial Malaya in his books and may have written some lines inside this very hotel itself.

A shoe shine box and polish options are made available in the washroom for gentlemen.

The surroundings on the boundary of the E & O are not your movie stereotype, falling out to busy street markets, huddled dwellings or jam packed traffic, but to more benign seafront with cooling breezes, similarly constructed buildings and a continuing theme of colonial settings.  This is  a terrific base from which to commence the heritage walking trail which may take anywhere up to four hours in the Old Quarter of Georgetown.   It is also a naturally chosen base to return to in the afternoon for a quiet refuge after surviving the humidity and heat of such an outdoor trail.  The seaside breezes from the harbour do circulate better past its walls and through its windows.

As the Malaysian Ringgit devalued much in recent years, the suite charges at E & O have moved on to  four figures per night.  Most are studio suites but you can also ask for the corner versions.  It is most enjoyable relaxing on your own balcony looking out at the placid waters of the Harbour on a lazy afternoon.  The corporate entity that owns and manages this hotel is indeed a diversified business that has also constructed residential and commercial buildings.  The inspiration and image they have adapted from this anchor hotel arm of the business is infused into their other projects.  A twenty minute car drive to the north-west brings you to the Straits Quay, developed and owned by the same owners as the E & O.

The diversity of food and drinks at the E & O can range from an Brit styled pub to tearooms, ballroom fine dining and buffet meals.

The character of the main foyer says it all - immaculately presented, lovingly detailed, spacious as the guest rooms with airy high ceilings and over seen by attentive staff.

A simple test of the integrity of the services with any establishment is to sample the fruits served at the end of a meal.

The washroom is graced with Victorian era lampshades, purposefully provided with low lighting and sinks that remind one of  Britannia at its political height.

Influences of Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia are acknowledged in traditional styled panels.

Penang Island's iconic street food, the char koay teow, is stir fried to your personal order and came out tasty, even without the use of pork lard, often utilised at street stalls and food courts to enhance the flavour and kick.