HISTORY IS the study
of things that have already happened. It is easier to
write about those things that happened long ago,
because we can stady those things more impartially
than we can stugy modern events. It is not easy to
write about North Borneo's progress as a Colony,
because most of the people who shaped its progress
are still alive and working amongst us.
It
would, how ere, be wrong not to mention a little of
what happened since 1946 in the seventeen years of
North Borneo's existence as a Colony of the British
Commonwealth.
By
1945 this territory had been completely ruined by
war. Its towns had been destroyed and its prosperity
shattered. The British Government was able to help
North Borneo to recover in many ways. It sent out
trained men and women to reorganize building and
technical development; doctors and teachers too came
here from the United Kingdom and other part of the
Commonwealth. Without money they would have been able
to do little. To help undeveloped colonies the
British Government had set up the Colonial
Development and Welfare Scheme. This organization was
given millions of pounds to distribute to the
Colonies: the money of course came from taxes paid by
the citizens of the United Kingdom.
Sabah
benefited very greatly from C.D. and W. aid. It gave
us many millions of dollars to build hospitals,
schools and other public building. Few of our
well-known building could have been built without
this help: the Duchess of Kent hospital in Sandakan,
Kent College in Tuaran, the new Jesselton hospital
and many other such building were largely paid for by
C.D. and W. money.
At
the same time, the British Government paid for many
North Borneans to study in England, so that trained
men and women would become available to run the new
facilities which were being built up. Some North
Borneans have already finished their studies overseas
and have come back as Other men and women are still
studying abroad under scholarships. The Australian
and New Zealand Governments helped Sabah in a similar
way under the Colombo Plan, under which the more.
Although
His Excellency the Governor as the representative of
the queen was the head of Government in North Borneo,
he encouraged the people more and more to learn to
run their own affairs locally through such bodies as
Town Boards, Local Education Committees and Lacal
Authorities; he also built up the representation of
the people on a higher level by increasing the number
of un-official members of the Legislative Council.
It
cannot be denied that, under Colonial Government, we
saw our country make great material progress in
building such things as modern transport (think of
our new roads and airfields) social services;
engineering enterprises in many fields (e.g.
buildings, electrical poer, irrigation). Local people
were trained from the beginning of Colony status to
help to run all of these services. Colony status to
help to run all of these services. Secondly it can be
claimed that no effort was spared to teach the
practice of democracy in North Borneo. Within
seventeen years, therefore, Colonial rule had
eliminated many of the unhappy features of 1946 and
shown the way to increased happiness in the future.
QUESTIONS
