Land Acquisition Act Impact on Singapore Hadrami Wealth: A Case Study of One Family

Talib (1997) highlighted four factors for the decline of the Hadhrami wealth and influence in Singapore. One factor was the Land Acquisition Act. The purpose of this paper is to study and gain insight into how the compulsory land acquisitions affected the Hadhrami wealth and influence. This paper reviews the wealth lost thorough land acquisitions for one Singaporean Hadhrami family. The Land Acquisition Act (LAA) gives the government power to acquire land for public use with a compensation determined by the acquirer according to the Act. The main features of LAA, (1) right to acquire land, (2) landowners cannot oppose the acquisition (3) the state pays compensation, and (4) An Appeals Board to appeal the amount of compensation paid. Around beginning of the 20th century, the Hadrami Arabs owned about 75% of the land in Singapore alienated by the British (Zelin??). Many properties under the Arab family was being acquired, today the government is the biggest land owner. This decline in Hadrahmi land ownership is worth investigating.