Resident System
The British introduced the Resident System in Malaya through the Pangkor Engagement, a treaty between the British and local sultans under which the British appointed a resident to assist each local sultan. The first state to get a resident was Perak (1874), followed by Selangor (1874), Negeri Sembilan (1874), and Pahang (1888). These four states were later called the Federated Malay States (FMS).
According to the Pangkor Engagement, each resident was to advise the sultan on all administrative matters except those pertaining to Malayan religion and custom, but in practice the resident ruled.
The resident system had weaknesses. First, there weren't enough British officers to administer it, and few of these officers could converse in the native language. Second, there was already a hierarchy in the states. Third, religious matters could be separated from politics, but custom was strong. Revenues collected were the personal income of the sultan and his chiefs. To implement a new taxation system was a violation of custom. Indeed, J. W. W Birch, the first British resident (1874–1875), was murdered as he tried to interfere with custom in Perak. His lack of respect and understanding of Malayan custom, language, and religion caused his administration to fail.
The resident system, however, was administered well in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan by Sir Hugh Low and Martin Lister, respectively. They did not attempt to interfere with Malayan custom. The economy developed as railroads were built, making the production of tin easier, and as state councils were set up to discuss policy matters in order to gain the confidence of the Malayan people through their chiefs. Underdeveloped Pahang, too, benefited from the revenue brought in by the system, although it did not receive a resident until 1888.
By the 1880s the British ruled all the states in the Malay Peninsula. The states that the British obtained from Siamese rule—Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan, and Trengganu—were called the Unfederated Malay States (UMS), and an adviser was placed in each of these states. Thus, the British used the Resident System to spread their influence across the Malay Peninsula.
Further Reading
Kennedy, J. (1964) A History of Malaya A.D. 1400–1959. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Macmillan.
Khong, Kim Hong. (1984) Merdeka: British Rule and the Struggle for Independence in Malaya, 1945–1957. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Institute for Social Analysis.
Ryan, N. J. (1974) The Making of Modern Malaysia & Singapore: A History from Earliest Times to 1966. Singapore: Oxford University Press.
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