Federated Malay States

Formation and power structure

On 20 January 1874, Sir Andrew Clarke, governor of the Straits Settlements, concluded with the Sultan of Perak the treaty of Pangkor whereby the Sultan agreed to "receive and provide a suitable residence for a British Officer to be called Resident, who shall be accredited to his court, and whose advice must be asked and acted upon on all questions other than those touching Malay Religion and Customs". The residency system was extended the same year to Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, and in 1888 to Pahang.

To promote greater administrative efficiency, these four states were brought together under the Treaty of Federation 1895 to form the Federated Malay States (initially named Protected Malay States). The treaty formally went into effect on 1 July 1896. This new federation's structure was highly centralized, with real power resting in the hands of the agents of the British Government, at first called the resident-general, and later the chief secretary. Under the treaty, the four states were required to assist each other in terms of manpower and money, essentially lumping their revenue system together. In case of war, the states were also obligated to supply Indian troops to assist the British.

In 1909, a further agreement between the British and Malay rulers was signed to establish the Federal Council, which would act as the federal legislative body. Modelled after the Legislative Council of the Straits Settlements, it was headed by the high commissioner (the Governor of the Straits Settlement), assisted by the resident-general, the four rulers, the four state residents and four nominated unofficial members. The heads of the various public departments could also be nominated to council by the High Commissioner. Additionally, the legal advisor of the government could attend the council's proceedings and advise on legal matters, but was not entitled to vote.

The Federal Council was responsible to pass law that apply to multiple states or the whole federation, and to consider the budgets and finances of each state and the federation. Laws passed by the State Councils may not be in conflict with federal law, except in matters of Islamic religion, political pensions, royal prerogatives, native chiefs and penghulus, where the State Councils retained exclusive jurisdiction over them.

This structure remained until the Japanese invaded Malaya on 8 December 1941.

The sultans and first durbar

Although the Resident-General was the real administrator of the federation, each of the four constituent states of the federation retained their respective hereditary rulers. At the formation of the Federated Malay States, the reigning rulers were:

Sultan Alaiddin Sulaiman Shah of Selangor

Sultan Idris Murshidul ‘Adzam Shah I of Perak

Yamtuan Tuanku Muhammad Shah of Negeri Sembilan

Sultan Ahmad Mu’adzam Shah of Pahang

In 1897 the first durbar was convened in the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, Perak as the platform for discussions for the four rulers. This formed the basis for the Conference of Rulers that was created later on under Article 38 of the Malaysian Constitution on 27 August 1957.

Flag and emblem of the Federation

Flag

The flag of the Federated Malay States consisted of four different-coloured stripes, from top to bottom: white, red, yellow and black. Different combinations of these colours represent the four states that formed the FMS — red, black and yellow are for Negeri Sembilan; black and white for Pahang; black, white and yellow for Perak; and red and yellow for Selangor. The same design concept is used in Malaysia's national emblem. In the middle is an oblong circle with a Malayan tiger in it.

The National History Museum located near the Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia has a replica of the federation's flag.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of the Federated Malay States featured a shield guarded by two tigers. On the top of the shield is the crown (known as Eastern Crown in English heraldry), symbolising the federation of monarchies under the protection of the United Kingdom. A banner with the phrase "Dipelihara Allah" (Under God's Protection) written in Jawi is located underneath the shield.

The combinations of the four colours of the shield represents the colours of the flags of the states of the FMS in the same way the stripes of the FMS flag do.

Red and yellow for Selangor

Black, white and yellow for Perak

Red, black and yellow for Negeri Sembilan

Black and white for Pahang

This design forms the basis of the Federation of Malaya's national coat of arms along with the guardian tigers and a quartered shield of the same, symbolic four colours mentioned above.

The phrase "Dipelihara Allah" was also adopted as the current state motto for Selangor.

Naval Ensign

In addition to a state flag, the Federated Malay States also had a naval jack or ensign for use on government ships. The ensign, with the four colours of the FMS, was flown by HMS Malaya, commanded by Captain Boyle under the 5th Battle Squadron of the British Grand Fleet) during the Battle of Jutland in the North Sea. This was the only full-scale clash of battleships during World War I.

Government

Resident-General

From 1896 to 1936, real power lay in the hands of the Resident-General, later known as Chief Secretary of the Federation.

Federal Secretaries

After 1936 the Federal Secretaries were no more than co-ordinating officers, under the authority of the High Commissioners, which are always the Governors of the Straits Settlements

State Council

In the Federated Malay States, the individual state were still ruled by rulers (a yamtuan in Negeri Sembilan and sultans elsewhere) but was now advised by the State Council for the purpose of administrating the state. The State Council was made up of the Resident (or in certain cases by the Secretary to the Resident), native chiefs, and representative(s) of the Chinese community nominated by the Sultan. The council discussed matters of interest for each respective state such as legislative and administrative issues as well as revision of all sentence of capital punishment. The Resident and his staff (mostly consist of European and Malay) carried on with the administrative work.

1875–1876 James Guthrie Davidson (1837–1891)

1876–1882 William Bloomfield Douglas (1822–1906)

1882–1884 Frank Athelstane Swettenham (1850–1946)

1884–1888 John Pickersgill Rodger (1st time, acting, 1851–1910)

1889–1892 William Edward Maxwell (1846–1897)

1892–1896 William Hood Treacher (1849–1919)

1896–1902 John Pickersgill Rodger (2nd time, 1851–1910)

1902–1910 Henry Conway Belfield (1855–1923)

1910–1913 Reginald George Watson (1862–1926)

1913–1919 Edward George Broadrick (1864–1929)

1919–1921 Arthur Henry Lemon (1864–1933)

1921–1926 Oswald Francis Gerard Stonor (1872–1940)

1926–1927 Henry Wagstaffe Thomson (1874–1941)

Administrative subdivisions

For the purpose of efficient administration, all the states of the federation were further divided into districts (Malay: Daerah). Each district was administered by a District Office (Malay: Pejabat Daerah) headed by a District Officer (Malay: Pegawai Daerah).

State capital: Ipoh, Perak

Districts:

Hulu Perak (Upper Perak)

Selama

Larut

Kerian

Matang

Kuala Kangsar

Kinta

Hilir Perak (Lower Perak)

Batang Padang

Notes:

Dinding and Pangkor Island were ceded to the British, administered as part of the Straits Settlements and were returned to the government of Perak in February 1935.

The capital of Perak was moved to Ipoh in 1935.

State capital: Kuala Lumpur (also served as the federal capital cum administrative centre)

Districts:

Hulu Selangor

Kuala Selangor

Kuala Lumpur

Klang

Hulu Langat

Kuala Langat

Law

The first Supreme Court was established in 1906 and headed by the Judicial Commissioner, in whom supreme judicial authority was vested. The title of Judicial Commissioner was changed to Chief Judge in 1925.

Judicial Commissioners

1896–1905 Lawrence Colvile Jackson

1906– Sir William Henry Hyndman Jones

1913–1917 Sir Thomas de Multon Lee Braddell

1917–1919 John Robert Innes (acting)

1919–1920 Sir G. Aubrey Goodman

1920 Percy Alan Farrer Manby (acting)

1921–1925 Sir Lionel Mabbot Woodward

Chief Judges

1925–1929 Sir Henry Hessey Johnston Gompertz

1929–1932 Sir Lancelot Henry Elphinstone

1933–1937 Sir Samuel Joyce Thomas

1937–1939 Sir Roger Evans Hall

1939–1941 Sir Kenneth Elliston Poyser

1941–c.1945 Sir Harry Herbert Trusted

Economy

The Federated Malay States initially used the Straits dollar issued by the Board of Commissioners of Currency for the Straits Settlements. As the currency depreciated over time, it was pegged at two shillings four sterling pence in 1906. In 1939, the British government introduced a new currency, the Malayan dollar (ringgit in Malay) for used in Malaya and Brunei replacing the Straits dollar at par value. It had denominations ranging from 1 cent to 1,000 Malayan dollars.

The Federated Malay States main economic activities were agriculture and mining with emphasis on rubber and tin. The FMS and Malaya as a whole was the main supplier of these two commodities for British industrial needs. Rubber plantations were established in all four states and tin was mined primarily in the Klang valley in Selangor and the Kinta Valley in Perak. This labour-intensive economic activities prompted the British to bring in immigrant workers from southern India to work at the plantations and workers from southern China to mine the tin.

The economic condition in the period can be viewed as self-sustainable, as the income of the federation was more than what was expended in terms of maintaining the administration and economic activities. In the later period, many resources were put into the development of Kuala Lumpur, as the capital of the federation. This period also saw rapid growth in terms of communications infrastructure such as interstate roads, the expansion of the Federated Malay States Railways' narrow-gauge railway line between the Padang Besar and Singapore, and Port Swettenham (present-day Port Klang). Public schools and academic institutions were also opened along with an improvement in public health. An area in the city was also gazetted as a settlement for the Malay called Kampung Baru. Public buildings were also constructed such as the Kuala Lumpur railway station, the Government Offices of the FMS and Masjid Jamek.

The table and section below illustrated the economic growth of the federation and its member states.

Note: All values are in Straits dollars (One dollar fixed at two shillings and four pence sterling). Data for Pahang included only from 1890 onwards.

Ref: Harrison, Cuthbert Woodville. An Illustrated Guide to the Federated Malay States. 1923.

Selangor

The revenue of Selangor in 1875 amounted to $115,656; in 1905 it had increased to $8,857,793. Of this latter sum $3,195,318 was derived from duty on exported tin, $1,972,628 from finance, federal receipts, and $340,360 from land revenue. The trade balance was chiefly derived from the revenue farms, which included the right to collect import duty on opium and spirits. The expenditure for 1905 amounted to $7,186,146, of which sum $3,717,238 was on account of federal charges and $1,850,711 for public works. The value of the imports in 1905 was $24,643,619 and that of the exports was $26,683,316, making a total of $51,326,935 equivalent to £5,988,000. Tin was the principal export. The amount exported in 1905 was 17,254 tons. The total area of alienated mining land at the end of 1905 amounted to 65,573 acres (265 km2).

Perak

The revenue of Perak in 1874 amounted to $226,333. That for 1905 amounted to $12,242,897. Of this latter sum $4,876,400 was derived from duty on exported tin, $2,489,300 from railway receipts, $505,300 from land revenue and $142,800 from postal and telegraphic revenue. The remainder is mainly derived from the revenue farms, which are leased for a short term of years, conveying to the lessee the right to collect import duties upon opium, wine and spirits, to keep pawnbroking shops, and to keep public licensed gambling-houses for the use of non-Malay only. The expenditure for 1905 amounted to $10,141,980. Of this sum $4,236,000 was spent on railway upkeep and construction and $2,176,100 on public works. The value of the imports into Perak during 1905 was over $20,000,000, and that of the exports exceeded $40,000,000, making a total of over $60,000,000, equivalent to about seven million sterling. The output of tin from Perak ranged between 18,960 tons, valued at $23,099,506 in 1899, and 26,600 tons, valued at $35,500,000, in 1905. The fluctuating output figure was due to the uncertainty of the labour supply. The mining population was recruited exclusively from the districts of southern China, and during certain years an increased demand for labourers in China itself, in French Indo-China, in the Dutch colonies, and in South Africa temporarily and adversely affected immigration to the Straits of Malacca. The output had, moreover, been affected from time to time by the price of tin, which was $32.20 per pikul in 1896, rose to $42.96 in 1898, to $74.15 in 1900, and averaged $80.60 in 1905. Excluding tin, the principal exports were $108,000 worth of Para rubber, $181,000 of copra, $54,000 of hides, $48,000 of patchouli, and considerable quantities of timber, rattans and other jungle produce.

Negeri Sembilan

The revenue of the Negri Sembilan amounted to $223,435 in 1888. In 1898 it had increased to $701,334, in 1900 to $1,251,366, and in 1905 to $2,335,534. The revenue for 1905 was derived mainly as follows: customs $1,268,602, land revenue $145,475, land sales $21,407, while the revenue farms contributed $584,459. The expenditure in 1905 amounted to $2,214,093, of which $1,125,355 was spent on public works. The trade returns for 1905, which are not, however, complete, showed an aggregate value of about $13,000,000. The value of the tin exported during 1905 exceeded $6,900,000, and the value of the agricultural produce, of which gambier represented $211,000 and damar $80,000, amounted to $407,990.

Pahang

The revenue of Pahang in 1899 amounted to $62,077; in 1900 to $419,150. In 1905 it was $528,368. The expenditure in 1905 amounted to $1,208,176. Of this sum $736,886 was spent on public works. Pahang is still a source of expense to the federation, its progress having been slowed by the disturbances which lasted from December 1891 until 1895, with short intervals of peace, but the revenue was steadily increasing, and the ultimate financial success of the state is considered to be secure. Pahang owed something over $3,966,500 to Selangor and $1,175,000 to Perak, which had financed it for some years out of surplus revenue. The value of the imports in 1905 was $1,344,346, that of the exports was $3,838,928, thus making a total trade value of $5,183,274. The most valuable export is tin, the value of which in 1905 amounted to $2,820,745. The value of the gutta exported exceeded $140,000, that of dried and salted fish amounted to nearly $70,000, and that of timber to $325,000.

Military history

World War I

With the threat of Germany, the British Navy was in a drive for expansion. As a contribution, the government and people of the Federated Malay States agreed to finance the commissioning of HMS Malaya; this was a motion proposed in the Federal Council by the Sultan of Perak in 1913 and supported by the Sultan of Selangor. The battleship which cost $25,000,000 (approximately £2,945,709) was one of five of the Queen Elizabeth-class battleship, displacing 31,000 tons, mounting fifteen-inch guns and capable of 25 knots (46 km/h). The most modern ships of their day, they formed the 5th Battle Squadron and fought as such at Jutland in 1916. HMS Malaya was also refurbished and was in service throughout World War II.

WWII – Japanese invasion and dissolution

After the Japanese landed in Malaya on 8 December 1941, the Japanese forces began their invasion of the Malay Peninsula. Japanese forces began their invasion of the FMS by crossing the Thailand–FMS border at Kroh. Ipoh, the state capital of Perak, fell on 26 December 1941. Kuala Lumpur, the capital of the Federated Malay States and the State of Selangor, was captured on 11 January 1942. Seremban, the state capital of Negeri Sembilan, was captured two days later. Kuantan, in the eastern component state of Pahang, fell on 30 December 1941, meanwhile the capital, Kuala Lipis was taken by the Japanese on 7 January 1942. With the conclusion of the Battle of Gemas on 15 January 1942, the entire FMS was now in Japanese hands.

All of Malaya including Singapore remained under Japanese occupation until the surrender of Japan on 2 September 1945.

Dissolution

The federation was formally dissolved on 1 April 1946, and was incorporated into the Malayan Union thereafter. This in turn was succeeded by the Federation of Malaya in 1948, which gained independence in 1957, and later became Malaysia in 1963.

Postage stamps

While the four states issued their own postage stamps as before, there were additional issues for the Federated States as a whole.