The present always becomes the past. And the past in turn is something that slowly settles, obscuring as often as it educates; and in time it becomes hardened truth, just like a sun-cured cement pavement.
Like a recalcitrant and naughty child, then, a good historian tries to put his – in this case, her – imprint on the pavement before it is fully hardened, reminding us that any at and neat pavement is in fact a lie. The battle between William Farquhar and Stamford Raffles for the honour of being the founder of Singapore is indeed a subject that brilliantly brings this truth to the fore.
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