Reflections at Bukit Chandu

The museum commemorates the brave defence given by the vastly outnumbered soldiers of the Malay Regiment against the Japanese in the Battle of Pasir Panjang. Downstairs, documentary material is gathered in display cases, while the upstairs rooms recreate the building’s military past. Alongside familiar facts about how the Japanese swept down through Malaya, there’s some intriguing information about the role of British racism in an initial reluctance to train and arm the local Malays. No one proved such prejudices more wrong than Lieutenant Adnan Saidi, and the display makes a heroic effort to cement his heroic reputation. That said, his diminutive projection in a natty multi-media replay of the final battle risks recalling Princess Leia’s hologram rather than Luke Skywalker fighting off the forces of evil.