Federated Malay States


The Federated Malay States was a federation of four integrated protectorates in the Malay Peninsula comprising Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang. It was established in 1895 by the British government and lasted until 1946. In that year, these states joined with two of the former Straits Settlements and the Unfederated Malay States to form the Malayan Union. The union was short-lived and in 1948 was replaced by the Federation of Malaya, which gained independence in 1957. This federation later became Malaysia in 1963 following the inclusion of North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore. Singapore was eventually separated from Malaysia and became a sovereign state on 9 August 1965.
Unlike the Unfederated Malay States, which retained greater internal autonomy, the real authority in the FMS resided with the four British Residents and the Resident-General. The powers of the local rulers were significantly restricted and were largely confined to matters "touching Malay religion and customs". The administration of the FMS represented a more centralised and interventionist colonial governance model in contrast to the comparatively decentralised arrangements in the Unfederated States. Nevertheless, the FMS remained nominally more autonomous than the Straits Settlements, which were directly governed by Britain through its Governor.
During World War II, the federation, along with the Unfederated Malay States and the Straits Settlements, was invaded and [Japanese occupation of Malaya|occupied by Empire of Japan|Japanese forces] which culminated in the Fall of Singapore. After the Japanese surrender and the liberation of Malaya, the original federation was not reinstated and was replaced by the short-lived Malayan Union. Nevertheless, the federal model it had introduced remained influential and provided the administrative framework for the Federation of Malaya formed in 1948 and for the eventual creation of Malaysia in 1963.

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 Negri Sembilan, and in 1888 to Pahang.
To promote greater administrative efficiency, these four states were brought together in 1895/1896 to form the Federated Malay States. This 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.
The British established the Federal Council in 1898 to administer the federation. It was headed by the High Commissioner, assisted by the Resident-General, the rulers, the four state Residents and four nominated unofficial members. 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:
  1. Sultan Alaiddin Sulaiman Shah of Selangor
  2. Sultan Idris Murshidul ‘Adzam Shah I of Perak
  3. Yamtuan Tuanku Muhammad Shah of Negeri Sembilan
  4. 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, symbolising the federation of monarchies under the protection of the United Kingdom. A banner with the phrase "Dipelihara Allah" 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.
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.
OrderResidents-GeneralsFromUntilNotes
1Frank Athelstane Swettenham1 January 189612 December 1901
William Hood Treacher5 October 189716 April 1898Acting
William Hood Treacher29 April 190012 December 1901Acting
2William Hood Treacher13 December 190131 December 1904
William Thomas Taylor13 September 190431 December 1904Acting
3William Thomas Taylor1 January 190530 September 1910
Edward Lewis Brockman11 May 190713 February 1908Acting
Henry Conway Belfield4 May 190827 July 1908Acting
Reginald George Watson26 February 191029 September 1910Acting
4Reginald George Watson30 September 191031 January 1911

Chief Secretary to the Government

OrderChief SecretariesFromUntilNotes
1Arthur Young1 February 19111 September 1911
2Edward Lewis Brockman2 September 191112 September 1920
Reginald George Watson3 April 19148 February 1915Acting
Edward George Broadrick21 January 19185 February 1918Acting
Reginald George Watson7 April 191825 August 1918Acting
Frederick Seton James13 June 19203 October 1920Acting
3George Maxwell13 September 19206 May 1926
Arthur Blennerhassett Voules14 October 19204 March 1921Acting
Oswald Francis Gerard Stonor21 December 19219 January 1922Acting
Edward Shaw Hose11 May 192324 October 1923Acting
4William Peel9 May 19269 April 1930
Henry Wagstaffe Thomson6 May 19275 June 1927Acting
Henry Wagstaffe Thomson10 September 192731 March 1928Acting
Charles Walter Hamilton Cochrane30 November 19298 April 1930Acting
5Charles Walter Hamilton Cochrane9 April 193024 March 1932
Andrew Caldecott25 July 193123 March 1932Acting
6Andrew Caldecott24 March 19323 February 1933
7Malcolm Bond Shelley4 February 19334 April 1935
8Marcus Rex4 April 193524 February 1936

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
OrderFederal SecretariesFromUntil
1Christopher Dominic Ahearne24 February 19366 May 1939
2Hugh Fraser6 May 193915 February 1942

State Council

In the Federated Malay States, the individual state were still ruled by rulers but was now advised by the State Council for the purpose of administrating the state. The State Council was made up of the Resident, native chiefs, and representative 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 carried on with the administrative work.

Residents

Selangor

Administrative subdivisions

For the purpose of efficient administration, all the states of the federation were further divided into districts. Each district was administered by a District Office headed by a District Officer.

Perak

State capital: Ipoh, Perak
Districts:
  • Hulu Perak
  • Selama
  • Larut
  • Kerian
  • Matang
  • Kuala Kangsar
  • Kinta
  • Hilir Perak
  • Batang Padang

Selangor

State capital: Kuala Lumpur
Districts:

Negeri Sembilan

State capital: Seremban
Districts:
  • Seremban
  • Port Dickson
  • Jelebu
  • Kuala Pilah
  • Rembau-Tampin

Pahang

State capital: Kuala Lipis
Districts:
  • Lipis
  • Raub
  • Bentong
  • Temerloh
  • Kuantan
  • Pekan

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

Chief Judges

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 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. 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.
YearRevenueExpenditureImportExport
1875$409,394$436,872$831,375$739,972
1880$881,910$794,944$2,231,048$1,906,952
1885$2,208,709$2,261,954$8,667,425$9,961,786
1890$4,840,065$5,237,275$15,443,809$17,602,093
1895$8,481,007$7,582,553$22,653,271$31,622,805
1900$15,609,807$12,728,930$38,402,581$60,361,045
1905$23,964,593$20,750,395$50,575,455$80,057,654
1910$26,553,018$23,598,610$53,255,151$102,851,990
1915$40,774,984$42,838,631$61,343,935$162,429,254
1920$72,277,146$100,433,471$175,916,712$289,112,016
1921$54,449,568$114,386,546$102,914,877$134,955,549
1922$52,494,110$49,811,007$78,822,349$140,429,775

Note: All values are in Straits dollars. 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.

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 was one of five of the Queen Elizabeth-class battleship, displacing 31,000 tons, mounting fifteen-inch guns and capable of. 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.