SEJARAH: Journal of the Department of History

Perkembangan Ekonomi Maritim dalam Sosioekonomi Daerah Manjung (1874-1935)

Ahmad Fadzil Ahmad Shuhaili — 2024-06-29

This study aims to investigate the development of the maritime economy within the socioeconomic of the Manjung district from 1874 to 1935. The Manjung district, previously known as the Dinding district, was a significant area in the history of trade and maritime activities. Major ports along the Dinding River, Lumut, and Pangkor Island played crucial roles as centers of trade and local socioeconomic development in the Dinding district. This study combines quantitative and qualitative methods to provide a comprehensive understanding. The qualitative method involves document analysis sourced from the National Archives and public higher education institutions in Malaysia, in addition to referencing secondary materials such as history books and journals. Primary sources include Dindings Rural Board, Selangor State Government Secretary, High Commissioner’s Office and the Perak Forest Office. The quantitative method includes statistical data analysis. The findings of the study indicate that the socioeconomic of the Dinding district developed with diverse economic sources, particularly from agriculture, logging, and maritime economic resources. The ports functioned as maritime administrative centers and were pivotal points in the export and import activities of local economic products. In conclusion, the Dinding district contributed to the economic profit of the British under the administration of the Straits Settlements, especially in the maritime economy. The British administrative system regulated the socioeconomic development of the district until it was returned to the Perak State Government in 1935.

Received: 5 April 2024

Reviewed: 22 April 2024

Accepted: 30 June 2024

Konflik Aliran Progresif dan Konservatif di Tanah Melayu: Tumpuan kepada Polemik Agama dalam Kalangan Masyarakat Melayu, 1910-an hingga 1930-an

Abu Hanifah Haris — 2024-06-29

The problem of differences of opinion on religious issues is not new in Malay society. For this disagreement, also known as the conflict between progressive and conservative schools, began to grow rapidly in Malaya since the number of Malay students who studied in Makkah since the early 19th century, and in Egypt since the early 20th century increased. Upon their return home, they brought with them views of the ulama and other madhabs that differed from the practices of the Malay society. This led to conflict within the community, which later became better known as the Kaum Muda-Kaum Tua conflict. The aim of this article is to examine the conflict between progressive and conservative sects in pre-independence Malaya, particularly between the 1910s and 1930s. This study uses a qualitative approach, namely the literature review method, by referring to various primary sources such as files and newspapers as well as secondary sources such as books, journal articles, theses, and working papers. This study shows that there are several conflicts between progressive and conservative streams that have erupted in Malaya, such as the ketuk-ketuk issue in Melaka and Terengganu, the dog licking issue, the usalli reading issue, the tarekat issue that occurred in Kelantan, and the talkin reading issue that occurred in Kelantan and Perlis. Nevertheless, most of the Malay society tends to adhere to the views and practices of the local ulama based on the long-practiced Shafie mazhab.

Received: 4 April 2024

Reviewed: 18 April 2024

Accepted: 30 June 2024

Legitimate Trade: Catalysts for the Exploitation of the Akwanga Division in Northern Nigeria 1903-1960

Ja'afaru Yusuf Dogara — 2024-06-29

Modern Africa emerged fragmented and ravaged after an era of European colonialism. The national economies of the emerging nation-states were grossly deformed and proved to be incapable of meaningful economic growth. Historical research has established that the introduction of taxation, the influx of foreign capital, the activities of marketing boards, and commissioned buying agents served as the vehicles for colonial exploitation. A full account of the triple catalyst for the colonial exploitation of the economy and population of the Akwanga division in northern Nigeria has yet to be jointly examined. This study aims to examine the circumstances that precipitated the exploitation of this area during the colonial period. Attention is given to the colonial conquest and the level of resistance offered by the people of northern Nigeria, in particular the Akwanga division. Emphasis is also given to cash crop production as a cause of economic stagnation, besides examining the extent to which the transatlantic slave trade and the legitimate or free trade were responsible for the lack of development in the Akwanga division. We posit that colonial cash crop production solely benefited the European capitalists while damaging the local economy. The historical method is employed in this analysis, and both primary and secondary sources are consulted in order to achieve the aims and objectives of this work.

Received: 1 November 2023

Reviewed: 6 December 2023

Accepted: 30 June 2024

Road Development in Five Malaysian Plan, 1966-1990

Nur Qamarina Mohd Ridzuan — 2024-06-29

The road network is an important factor in the development especially for developing countries. This article examines the road development in the Malaysian Plan from 1966 until 1990. Malaysia implements the development plan through various five year short plans known as the First Malaysia Plan, Second Malaysia Plan, Third Malaysia Plan, Fourth Malaysia Plan and Fifth Malaysia Plan. Road development reach a new insight and connects more people across the country. Malaysia’s achievement in developing the road infrastructure include a road numbering system, privatisation roads and the length of road where it can reach more destinations in Malaysia. This article uses a qualitative approach in writing and analysing the document sources obtained from the National Archives of Malaysia such as official files of the Malaysia Plan, General Transport/Railway Study for Peninsular Malaysia, newspapers and other secondary sources. The finding shows that road network in Malaysia grew about 63 445 km in 1990 from 13 505 miles (approximately 21 734.19 km) in 1970. This figure shows that Malaysian government constructed more road infrastructure for a good system of transportation for the people.

Received: 4 March 2024

Reviewed: 28 May 2024

Accepted: 30 June 2024

Economic Exchange and Its Constraints in the 20th Century between Malaysia and Bangladesh

M Shahidul Islam Khondaker — 2024-06-29

This study examines the economic exchange and its constraints between Malaysia and Bangladesh, specifically during the late 20^thcentury. We are arguing that this issue is rarely addressed in the literature though in the relationship of these two countries, presenting the pros and cons of economic transactions are significant to strengthen the future linkages. Alongside the economic cooperation, the major characteristics of this reciprocal trade at that time were the economic imbalances and deficits between these two countries, where the Bangladeshi workers' migration to Malaysia and reciprocal trading products were considered. Such bilateral economic linkages also facilitated the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). The research applies a historiographic approach as a study method. It consults some primary and secondary data and information, including government reports, files and documents, agreements, newspapers, books and articles. The study result showed the factual depiction of the reciprocal relationships between Malaysia and Bangladesh and their limitations in terms of the exchange of material goods, industry and worker migration. The findings of this study would fill the existing literature vacuum that can be consulted for further research.

Received: 21 January 2024

Reviewed: 16 April 2024

Accepted: 30 June 2024

Isu dan Pola Kecenderungan Undi Wanita dalam Konteks Persaingan Politik UMNO dan DAP di Johor, PRU 12 hingga PRU 14

Muhammad Naim Fakhirin Rezani — 2024-06-29

The role of women in politics is not only a complement to the democratic system of practice, but it plays an important role in determining the viability of their respective political parties in the context of competition to strengthen their position. This study discusses the political competition between DAP and UMNO in Johor in the context of femininity, i.e. the details of the candidates at stake by both parties as well as the issues brought up by female candidates during the campaign. The competition of female candidates from these two parties is determined by two main factors, which are the candidates that the parties stake and the issues that are brought up during the campaign period. These two factors further affect the political survival of these two parties in the context of competition in Johor. In addition, women's voters also play an important role as political determinants in Johor. The dominance of these female voters allowed each party to determine the political viability of Johor as the number of female voters increased. Nowadays, every political party in Johor tries to show their women to to gain more support from women’s voters. In addition, this article discusses the tendency of votes from women in Johor based on primary data from the Malaysian Election Commission. Therefore, this study found that the role of the female candidates who are staked by these two parties is one of the important factors in determining the political survival of their respective parties in Johor based on the selection of female candidates who are competing and the issues brought by the female candidates in the election campaign period in this state.

Received: 3 April 2024

Reviewed: 4 April 2024

Accepted: 30 June 2024

The Thai Malay Muslim Exodus of 1981: A Malaysian Dilemma

Dunita Nabila A Rahimin — 2024-06-29

In 1981, the Malaysian government was flabbergasted by the presence of Thai Malay Muslim refugees in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The presence of Thai Malay Muslim refugees was regarded by the Malaysian government as Thai internal affairs, with Malaysia preferring to stay out of the fray. However, the growing number of Thai Muslim refugees, combined with Muslim separatist issue and active red insurgents on the Malaysia-Thailand border, had put the Malaysian government under strain. With its low-key involvement, the Malaysian government began to deal with the issue thoroughly on humanitarian grounds. This study investigates the causes of the Thai Malay Muslim Exodus, the Malaysian government’s struggles in dealing with the issue, and the extent to which the Thai Malay Muslim Exodus affected Malaysia-Thailand relations. This study uses qualitative research to analyse the event in chronological order by referring to newspapers. Authoritative secondary sources, such as theses, books, and journal articles were also used in this study. Since the existing literature on the Thai Malay Muslim Exodus is very limited, the study is expected to fill a gap in the Thai Malay Muslim literature. This study discovers that, the Malaysian government was willing to help the refugees as they are of Islamic faith. Despite the burdening situation of dealing with the refugees, the Malaysian government strived to maintain a cordial relationship with the Thai government who was cooperating with them in suppressing the Communist insurgents at Malaysia-Thailand frontier.

Received: 18 August 2023

Reviewed: 22 August 2023

Accepted: 30 June 2024

Penerbitan Filem Melayu di Tanah Melayu, 1930-an hingga 1960-an

Mohd Suhairi Mazlan — 2024-06-29

This article aims to look at the role of Malay film production companies in Malaya from the 1930s to the 1960s. This study focuses on two (2) Malay film production companies, namely Malay Film Production (MFP) and Cathay-Keris Film. Movies are the most accessible and understandable source of entertainment. Therefore, the excellence of a publishing company will be measured through the precise level of cooperation between employers, directors and actors. In addition, various movie genres have been successfully produced by these two companies. Among them are genres with political, economic and social themes that coincide with the atmosphere of society in Malaya to be presented to the film audience of the country. This article uses qualitative research methods. Materials and sources are obtained from the National Film Department, National Archives of Malaysia, Universiti Malaya Main Library, Za’ba Universiti Malaya Library and The Que Media Unit, Malaysian National Film Development Corporation (FINAS). The results of the study show that Malay Film Production (MFP) and Cathay-Keris Film have monopolized the Malay film industry in Malaya to the extent that these companies are able to produce great Malay directors and actors. This is proven when the Malay Film Production Company has successfully produced 160 films while the Cathay-Keris Film Company has successfully produced 120 films. Before the establishment of these two companies, there were no Malay directors. After the presence of these companies, Malay directors were born who were educated by foreign directors, especially from India. Among the famous Malay directors are P. Ramlee, Jamil Sulong, Omar Rojik, Hussein Haniff and M. Amin. In contrast to Malay film actors, where it had existed before most of these actors were bangsawan actors who were absorbed into film actors who were eventually able to raise their names until they became known internationally. Among the famous actors such as Kasma Booty, Siti Tanjung Perak, S. Roomai Noor, Salleh Kamil and others.

Received: 21 August 2023

Reviewed: 15 November 2023

Accepted: 30 June 2024

Strategi Perjuangan Parti Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) dalam Masyarakat Cina, 1958-1969

Lua Zyn Lan — 2024-06-29

Makalah ini akan memperinci strategi perjuangan parti Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) dalam menangani isu-isu yang dihadapi oleh komuniti Cina selepas Tanah Melayu mencapai kemerdekaan sehingga ambang tragedi 13 Mei 1969. Pada tempoh ini, MCA berhadapan dengan isu pendidikan Cina, bahasa kebangsaan, penubuhan Malaysia dan Universiti Merdeka. Tiga pemimpin MCA iaitu Lim Chong Eu, Cheah Toon Look dan Tan Siew Sin yang menerajui MCA pada tempoh masa ini menggunakan strategi tersendiri untuk menyelesaikan masalah yang dihadapi oleh komuniti Cina. Penulisan ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif, iaitu kaedah perpustakaan dengan merujuk sumber primer seperti minit mesyuarat parti, laporan tahunan parti, perlembagaan parti, Surat Persendirian H.S. Lee, Surat Persendirian Tan Cheng Lock, rekod Pejabat Tanah Jajahan, surat-menyurat parti serta akhbar, dan sumber sekunder seperti buku dan artikel jurnal. Penulisan ini mendapati bahawa strategi perjuangan MCA adalah berdasarkan objektif MCA seperti termaktub dalam Perlembagaan MCA yang mengutamakan keharmonian antara kaum serta menjaga kepentingan masyarakat Cina. Justeru, strategi perjuangan MCA dalam masyarakat Cina perlu mengimbangkan tuntutan masyarakat Cina dan pendirian parti United Malays National Organization (UMNO). Keadaan ini dapat dilihat dengan jelas melalui strategi perjuangan MCA dalam isu pendidikan Cina daripada tahun 1958 sehingga 1969. Justeru, strategi perjuangan MCA cuma dapat berkompromi dalam memenuhi sebahagian tuntutan masyarakat Cina terutama golongan pendidikan Cina yang dapat diterima oleh UMNO dan bukan sepenuhnya. Peranan strategi perjuangan MCA ini amat penting dalam konteks menstabilkan politik negara dengan mengelakkan konflik antara kaum.

Received: 3 April 2024

Reviewed: 15 May 2024

Accepted: 30 June 2024

Architecture and the Existing Urbanisms: The British Colonial Legacies in Kano, Nigeria, 1909-2000

Nadir A. Nasidi — 2024-06-29

Hausaland to which Kano belongs had its unique age-long architectural designs rendered in a radial settlement pattern. However, with the British colonial conquest and the enactment of new town planning policies in 1903, a grid pattern of settlement was introduced, especially in the Government Reserved Areas (GRAs). This development further led to the promulgation of the British Township and Public Health Ordinances of 1917, the Housing and Town Planning Acts of 1909, as well as the Town and Country Planning Ordinance of 1946 to enforce not only western architectural housing planning but also to segregate the natives along land-uses, population density and status. Hinging on both primary and secondary sources, this article examines issues revolving around the transformation of architecture and town-planning development in Kano due to British colonial policies, which left lasting legacies in the peoples’ choice of building materials, architectural designs and urbanisation. Emphasis is given to monumental buildings within the ‘traditional’ city and the emergence of British colonial buildings and settlements. Contrary to the notion that the British colonial government had not done anything positive in Africa, this article finds out that it had contributed immensely, especially in developing Kano's ‘traditional’ city and creating modern and rhythmic cities in the continent amidst its existing urbanisms. The article concludes that urban development and planning contributed immensely to the supremacy of the British colonial government over the Emirate, a struggle inherited by the Kano State government.

Received: 1 August 2023

Reviewed: 15 August 2023

Accepted: 30 June 2024