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INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT 1
 MODULE CODE : MPU3132
 MODULE NAME : Malaysian Studies 3
 SEMESTER : Spring 2021-22
 TOPIC : The British Occupation of Malaya
 LECTURER : Ms Rowena Francis

TO BE COMPLETED BY STUDENTS
I declare that this coursework is strictly our own work.

NAME ID NUMBER PROGRAMME SIGNATURE

Sarah Wafai (20401805) BSc Psychology (Hons) Sarah Wafai

TO BE COMPLETED BY LECTURER
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*ATTENTION: (1) WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT WITHOUT CITATION 5 MARKS WILL

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ASSESSMENT CRITERIA TOTAL GIVEN MARKS

MARKS
Cover page 1
Table of content 1
Introduction 2
Content 20
Conclusion 2
Reference / Citation 2
Appendix 2
Total 30
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Originality Report: generated by Turn It In

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THE BRITISH OCCUPATION OF MALAYA – Discuss the factors that

led to the British intervention in the Malay states and the impact of British
colonialism in this country.

Content Index:

1. Introduction
2. British Occupation: When and How?
3. Anglo-Dutch Treaty
4. Pangkor Treaty
5. Federation Agreement
6. Rebellion
7. Conclusion
8. References
9. Appendix 1
10. Appendix 2

Total Word Count: 1504

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Introduction:

Malaysia is a country located in the south-east region of Asia. It is divided into two
regions i.e. East Malaysia and West Malaysia (also known as Peninsular Malaysia) by the
South China Sea (See Appendix 1 for map). Malaysia shares land and marine borders with
countries including Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines and Vietnam. The
total area accounts for 329,847 sq. km including land and sea areas ("Malaysia- World
Factbook", 2022). The country consists of thirteen states i.e. Johor, Kedah, Kelantan,
Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Penang, Perak, Perlis, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor,
Terengganu and three federal territories i.e. Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya.

Malaysia is a culturally and ethnically diverse country with various communities living
together. Local, indigenous groups (including Bumiputeras, Orang Asli, Dayak, Anak
Negeri etc.) account for 62.5% of the total population, followed by Chinese (20%), Indians
(6.2%) and others (0.9%) ("Malaysia- World Factbook", 2022). The languages spoken
include Malay, Chinese, English, Tamil, Telegu, Malayalam, Punjabi and Thai among
others. A total of 134 languages are spoken, inclusive of indigenous and non-indigenous
languages. Major religions include Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and several
other Chinese religions including Confucianism and Taoism.

The word ‘Malaysia’ translates to ‘land of Malays’. It was formerly known as Malayan
Union, British Malaya, Federation of Malaya and now finally as Malaysia. The country
follows a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy system of government.

Malaysia was colonized by the Portuguese and the Dutch in the 16th and 17th centuries
respectively. The European powers captured most of south-east Asia in an attempt to gain
financially from the rich resources of the region. During late 18th and 19th centuries, the
Britain established its rule in Malaya and gradually acquired hegemony.

After years of colonization by foreign powers including European and Japanese invaders
and the British, Malaysia finally attained independence in the year 1963.
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British Occupation: When and How?

The British Occupation in Malaysia formally lasted from 1826 to 1957. The country was
named as ‘British Malaya’ under the occupation of Britain. The main motive for the
Britain to establish rule in Malaya was more or less similar to the intentions of European
settlers i.e. economic gains. The East India Company (EIC) proved to be a gateway for the
British settlers to colonize Malaya.

The EIC, as a private enterprise made way for government officials to establish rule in
India, after successful fortification of areas and establishment of strait settlements. The
same tactic was used by the EIC to allow the establishment of British authority in Malaya.
It began with establishment of trading outpost in Penang island after the successful efforts
of Captain Francis Light, an officer of the EIC (Ooi, 2009). Sultan of Kedah had
authorized Captain Francis to set up an enclave in Penang and in return the Sultan was
promised security and defence for Penang in case of enemy attacks. Captain Francis
named his base as ‘Georgetown’, and the city in Penang is still named so. However,
Captain Francis, not keeping his promise abstained from defending the Penang Island
during a Siamese attack in the year 1832. The Sultan of Kedah was later forced to lease
land to the East India Company, in exchange of ten thousand Spanish dollars per year
(“Lecture 3- British Occupation”, 2022).

In the year 1819, Sir Stamford Bingley Raffles founded Singapore, as he established a
trading outpost in Temasik (old name for Singapore). Raffles had the approval of the
Sultan of Johor. He (Raffles) had speculated Singapore to be very profitable in terms of
trade and commerce, due to its strategic location, and his prediction was proven right.
Singapore was a crucial trading centre for the Britain because of two reasons. Firstly, it
served as a bridge for trade of tea and opium between China and Britain. Secondly, the
Britain, through the EIC wanted to replace the Dutch traders in the region (“Lecture 3-
British Occupation”, 2022).

After the year 1840, the Britain expanded its involvement in public affairs through
establishment of Strait Settlements (See Appendix 2) via the East India Company. It got
actively involved in the governance of other territories which were more densely
populated as compared to Penang and Singapore. The British officials signed numerous
treaties with the local kingship and authorities to legitimize its involvement, annexation
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and expansion. Within a span of fourteen years i.e. from 1874 to 1888, the Britain signed
treaties and pacts with the local leadership of Selangor, Pahang, Perak and Negeri
Sembilan (Hutchinson, 2014).

Anglo-Dutch Treaty:

The English and the Dutch were trade rivals in the Far East but maintained cordial
relations back in Europe. In order to prevent the relations from worsening, a pact was
signed between the two parties, in the year 1824. The agreement came to be known as the
“Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824”. The objective of the treaty was to avoid conflicts and draw
a clear demarcation between the areas of control for each of the parties. Territories were
divided on the bases of control i.e. British Sphere of Influence and the Dutch Sphere of
Influence. The signing of the Anglo-Dutch treaty implied that Malacca was to be handed
over to the British forces, acceptance of Britain control over Singapore, split-up of the
empire of Johore and the establishment of Strait Settlement States (“Lecture 3- British
Occupation”, 2022). The Strait Settlement States included Penang, Melaka, Singapore,
Dinding Islands, Labuan Island, Christmas Island and Keeling Islands.

Pangkor Treaty:

The British policy of non-intervention did not last long (1786-1874). Their presence had
an inevitable impact on the lifestyle of locals. The Pangkor Treaty was one such gateway
for the British settlers to set their foot in the local administration and speed up their
involvement in public affairs in Peninsular Malaysia (Andaya & Andaya, 1991). There
were several factors that led to the signing of the Pangkor Treaty. Firstly, there was an
inevitable European influence in the region, post the opening of the Suez Canal. Secondly,
it authorized Britain to act as a peace-keeping force while mediating conflicts in tin-
mining areas. And finally, the British settlers felt a need to secure their economic interests
in Malaya.

Raja Abdullah who was expected to assume the throne after the passing away of the ruler
of Perak, was denied the kingship. This compelled him to approach the British for help.
The British sought this as an opportunity to establish control in the region. The events that
followed led to the signing of the Pangkor Treaty of 1874. The treaty declared Raja
Abdullah as the Sultan of Pangkor. Raja Ismail, who initially fought Raja Abdullah was
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given a territory to rule, independently. A British official, titled as the ‘resident’ was given
the authority to advise the Sultan on all matters and affairs, barring religion and tradition
(“Lecture 3- British Occupation, 2022”). The residents were given the power to negotiate
conflicts, work on economic policies and improve revenue generation. The residential
system had many benefits including an improved administrative system, however it also
weakened the authority of local chiefs and the Sultans.

Federation Agreement:

Despite its strengths, the Pangkor treaty had its loopholes, such as inconsistency among
the administrative systems of the states. Different states followed different governance
systems, which led to ineffective functioning of the country overall. In order to counter
this, the British proposed the idea of ‘Federated Malay States’ and hence the Federation
Agreement was signed in the year 1896. This led to grouping of four states under one
administrative system and the states collectively came to be known as ‘Federated Malay
States’ (FMS). The FMS comprised of Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang. The
Unfederated Malay States (UFMS) comprised of Perlis, Perak, Kelantan, Terengganu and
Johor. The Federation Agreement gave almost full autonomy to the British occupiers. The
local administration and the Sultans served as mere “ceremonial figureheads”, since most
of the policy-making powers and governance decisions were looked after by the British
administration (Milner, 1987).

Rebellion:

The British administration started to face resistance from the aristocracy as well as the
common masses. Datuk Maharaja Lela stood up against the imperial rule of the British in
Perak. He had allegedly killed the first resident of Perak i.e. JWW Birch. The opposition to
British rule was also a consequence of economic oppression and levying of heavy taxes.
Years of rebellion, opposition and resistance finally led to the independence of ‘Federation
of Malaya’ from the Great Britain. It was on the 31st of August 1957 that the British
administration decided to hand over the country to its citizens (Hooker, 2003).
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Conclusion:

The British occupation of Malaya was a strategic plan to conquer the country without the
means of arms. The British administration entered the region of Far East as mere traders,
however gradually established control over most parts of the country. Initially, the British
intervention did not invite resistance from locals, but with time, as the occupiers built on
their plans to extend control, through oppressive regimes, it faced brutal opposition, not
just from common people but also the ruling elite, who had lost their autonomy and
authority to Britain.
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References:

Andaya, B., & Andaya, L. (1991). A history of Malaysia. Foundation for the Promotion of
Social Sciences and Humanities Textbooks Project.

Hooker, V. (2003). A Short History of Malaysia. Allen & Unwin.

HUTCHINSON, F. (2014). Malaysia's Independence Leaders and the Legacies of State

Formation under British Rule. Journal Of The Royal Asiatic Society Of Great
Britain &Amp; Ireland, 25(1), 123-151.
https://doi.org/10.1017/s1356186314000406

Lecture 3, M. (2022). The British Occupation. Presentation, University of Nottingham

Malaysia.

Malaysia- The World Factbook. Cia.gov. (2022). Retrieved 11 April 2022, from
https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/malaysia/#introduction.

Milner, A. (1987). Colonial Records History: British Malaya. Modern Asian

Studies, 21(4), 773-792. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0026749x00009318

Ooi, K. (2009). Historical dictionary of Malaysia. The Scarecrow Press, Inc.

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Appendix 1
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Appendix 2