What we know now as Malaysia in History, and consists of two very different parts: West, or Peninsular Malaysia, and East Malaysia. The latter consists of Sabah and Sarawak, the two Malaysian States on Borneo Island, and the Federal Territory of Labuan off the shores of Sabah. Sabah and Sarawak make up more than 55% of the total land area of Malaysia, yet they are very distinct from the “mainland” in culture and traditions, which must not be forgotten. And while the Sultanates of old Malaya, which make up Peninsular Malaysia, became quite naturally part of Malaysia in the middle of last century, Sabah and Sarawak are truly new territories and states of the fascinating cultural melting pot that distinguishes the whole of Malaysia.

The Malay Peninsula

The political history of the Malay Peninsula has its roots in the Malaccan Sultanate during the 15th and 16th centuries. Subsequently Malacca was colonised by the Portuguese in 1511, and later by the Dutch in 1641. However, it was mostly up to the Malay rulers, the Sultans of the loosely connected sultanates on the peninsula to rule over their respective counties. The British only arrived in Penang in 1786. Later they took over Singapore (1819) and Malacca (1824). An Anglo-Dutch Treaty was designed in 1824 and divided the Malay world between the English and Dutch. The Straits of Malacca, a body of water that linked the Malay world in present Indonesia and Malaysia together, became its chosen border.

British Malaya

Under the British, the peninsula was carved up into five colonial administrative blocks. In 1825 they founded the Straits Settlements in the south (Penang, Singapore, Malacca and the Dindings); in the northern region, the Malay states of Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan and Terengganu were all under Siamese influence until the Bangkok Treaty of 1909, when the latter surrendered these territories to the British. Also in the early 1900, British intervention on the west coast states of Malaya gave rise to the residence system. With the issuing treaties the Federated Malay State was formed, and the British administered the whole territory until the Japanese invasions at the beginning of WWII. For the duration of the war, Japan ruled over much of what is now present-day Malaysia, inclusive Sabah and Sarawak.

After the Japanese Occupation

After the Japanese Occupation the Malayan Union was proposed to unify the peninsula under one central administration. Singapore remained a Crown Colony, but the other British settlements and protectorates came under the administration of a British High Commissioner in Kuala Lumpur. The traditional power of the Malay rulers was restricted, and the large immigrant populations, namely the Chinese and the Indians, were accorded citizenship in the new federation.

Malay opposition to the Malayan Union proposal was powerful, and the Malayan Union was quickly replaced with the Federation of Malaya and preparations for self-government began.

But the Malayan Union gave rise to the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), then led by Dato' Onn Jaafar, the Menteri Besar of Johor. Dato' Onn resigned when his idea to open UMNO to non-Malay participation was opposed by a majority of UMNO members.

Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Aj-Haj became UMNO's second president. The Tunku was aristocratic, an anglophile and popular among the non-Malays. He was considered ideal for the stewardship of a new nation, and it was him who steered the people of Malaya and Borneo towards present-day Malaysia.

However, the road to independence was not without obstacles, the biggest of which was certainly the uprise of the communists, mostly from Chinese quarters. In 1948, a state of Emergency was declared when communist rebels in Sungai Siput murdered three European planters. The communists declared an armed struggle to liberate Malaya from the British and started the bloodiest British undeclared war that should last twelve years. Eventually the communists were beaten through a combination of aggressive jungle warfare, the cutting-off of supplies and the establishment of multi-racial co-operation between the respective race-based parties in Malaya. Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaya's first Prime Minister, declared the Emergency over in 1960.

Independence

During the 1951 Kuala Lumpur Municipal Elections, UMNO decided to join the Malayan Chinese Organisation (MCA) to woo voters. This formula of racial co-operation saw the establishment of the Alliance Party that eventually won the first Malayan elections in 1955. Tunku Abdul Rahman became Malaya's first Chief Minister and began negotiations with the British for independence.

Following the favourable recommendations of the Reid Commission, the Tunku arrived home from London with the good news that independence would finally come to Malaya. Between the years 1955-57, the Tunku and his cabinet prepared the Malayan Constitution, discussed the administration of justice, cemented racial harmony in the country and resolved to beat the Communists. The Tunku led the nation when he shouted Merdeka seven times at the newly built Merdeka Stadium on the 31st of August 1957.

The Formation of Malaysia

On 27th May 1961, the Prime Minister of the Federation of Malaya, Tunku Abdul Rahman, revealed in Singapore the concept of the Malaysia Plan that could come about if an understanding could be reached between Malaya, British North Borneo (Sabah), Brunei and Sarawak to achieve amongst them a closer cooperation in politics and economy. The British Government regarded the "Malaysia Plan" as an ideal solution to end its colonial rule through peaceful means. In 1963, the Tunku was finally able to announce the foundation of the Federation of Malaysia, a new nation that would includ the Crown Colony of Singapore (which left the federation in 1965), and the British territories on Borneo Island but without Brunei Darussalam. Indonesia opposed to the formation of Malaysia and President Sukarno initiated the Indonesian Confrontation against what he considered a neo-colonial state in Southeast Asia. However, the British were at the defence of the new country, and after the initial clashes Malaysia emerged as an independent and recognised nation.

Meanwhile in Borneo

Borneo’s history is long and uncertain, going back at least 40,000 years in human history and maybe more. Most of the facts remain shrouded in mystery and may never be unearthed. Here we look back at a mere 300 years, and concentrate on Borneo’s west coast, from Sarawak to Sabah: in 1838 James Brooke, relentless adventurer, arrived in Borneo and found the Brunei aristocracy in troubles with dissatisfied inland tribes of which little was known except that they were fierce head-hunters. The trouble Brunei faced was also somewhat family-related, but James Brooke managed to quell the rebellions and was overwhelmed with the Sultan’s gratitude who gave him large tracts of land in present-day Sarawak. Soon, James Brooke was known as ‘Raja Brooke’, and he ruled over his territories with benevolence and compassion, taming the tribes, suppressed head-hunting and cleared the seas widely of marauding pirates. His personal dynasty lasted for over 100 years and only ended with the occupation of the Japanese. Reading the history of the Brooke Dynasty, one cannot help but think of a Victorian romance come true.

Sabah went through less romantic times, with the turbulent establishment of a chartered company, the British North Borneo Chartered Company, to exploit the land with an administration more interested in the territory’s natural resources than cultural and traditional riches. This development has left a lasting impact and can be felt to the present day.

After the Japanese occupation Sarawak came under direct British rule, and Sabah became a British Crown Colony. The British helped rebuild to a certain extent post-war Borneo, and kept an eye on the development of the entire area: Malaya with Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak with Brunei. Without further entering into the personal political struggle of Sabah and Sarawak is suffices here to mention that in 1962 the Cobbold Commission set up by the British Government to determine the wish of the of the people in Singapore, Sarawak and Sabah found that a vast majority wanted to join the Federation to create a unified Malaysia. The commission report recommended separate agreements between the Federal Government in Kuala Lumpur and the states in Borneo. Brunei decided to stay out of the Federation and remained an independent sultanate and British protectorate.

Malaysia

In September 1963, Malaysia was officially established and the Tunku was declared "Bapa Malaysia" or the “Father of Malaysia”. The National Flag was raised for the first time in all 13 states and two federal territories of the new nation on 16 September 1963. In Kota Kinabalu, then still Jesselton, Tun Fuad Stephens read the Proclamation of Independence of Sabah through Malaysia. He was to be Sabah’s first Chief Minister, and later he became Sabah’s third Yang di-Pertua Negri, or Head of State.

Sabah

Sabah, Malaysia’s 13th State and with over 32 distinct indigenous ethnic entities, got away with the most public holidays in Malaysia. In a quirk of history, Sabah has even managed to somehow double the Independence Celebrations, and festivities here continue right up to September 16: while Malaysia had been granted independence already on 31st August 1957, Sabah was granted self-government on the 31st August 1963, 16 days away from the Proclamation of the Malaysia Act throughout the new country. The 16-day delay of the proclamation was due to the U Thant Assessment Team (similar to the Cobbold Commission), which had to submit its report to the United Nations General Assembly.