THE EARLY BRITISH ADMINISTRATORS IN THE MALAY STATES, 1874-1909
Abstract: British intervention
in the Malay States began in Perak with the signing of the Pangkor Agreement of 1874 which provided for
the appointment of an official Resident whom the British could
rely upon for
advice. J.W.W. Birch
became the first
Resident of Perak. Later
in the same
year, British authority
was extended to
Selangor and Sungai
Ujung, and in 1888
to Pahang. British
intervention led to
rapid economic growth
in the four Malay
States, the pace
of which was
accelerated through Colonial
Office support for investments following
the formation of the Federation
in 1896. However
there were conflicts between
officials at different levels of the command chain in regards to approval for
capital investments in the Malay States. The policies of the administrators
differed, as was clearly evident
in the agriculture
and mining sectors.
It is therefore
pertinent to understand what led
to such contradictions in the decision making process and whether the officials’
backgrounds could have
influenced their attitudes
towards the administrative,
economic and social policies that were enforced in the Malay states. This article
will explore such conflicts and analyse their underlying causes, and thereby
will help explain how colonial administration and administrators shaped the
course of British imperial history.
Author: Sivachandralingam Sundara
Raja
Journal Code: jpsejarah&umumgg150005
