The British Imperialism Strategy in Federated Malay States' Decentralisation Policy, 1927-1934

Abstract

This article re-examines the argument for the decentralisation policy in restoring the Malay Rulers' power at the State Councils in the Federated Malay States (FMS). It focuses on the early phase of the policy implementation, i.e. after the Federal Council reconstitution in 1927 until its full execution in 1934. In that period, the policy developed under the administration of Laurence Guillemard and Cecil Clementi as British High Commissioner for the Malay States. This fact is prove of the influence of the empire's union policy in London, an implicit imperial strategy, in centralising the Malay States administration under the British High Commissioner. Although the Malay Rulers' position was returned in the State Council, their power was limited to financial administration of selected federal services. This raises the question of the imperial's intention in executing the decentralisation policy in FMS. The analysis of the FMS and Colonial Office documents shows that the execution of the decentralisation policy was a strategy by the British to form the Malayan Union under its control. The attempt was to combine the administration of the FMS colonial administration with the Straits Settlements and the Unfederated Malay States under the British High Commissioner.