Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Muda offered to make the Englishman the rajah of Sungai Sarawak if he helped suppress
the worsening revolt. Brooke, confident London would support any move to counter
Dutch influence, accepted the deal. Backed by superior firepower, he quashed the rebelli-
on and held a reluctant Rajah Muda to his word. In 1841 Sarawak became Brooke's per-
sonal fiefdom. The White Rajahs would rule Sarawak for the next 100 years.
Unlike British colonial administrators,
Brooke and his successors included tribal lead-
ers in their ruling council and respected local
customs (except headhunting). They battled
pirates (a policy that boosted trade), were dis-
inclined towards European immigration, and
discouraged European companies from des-
troying native jungle to create rubber plantations. They also invited Chinese, many from
Fujian and Guandong, to work in Sarawak as miners, farmers and traders. Despite a
bloody rebellion by Hakka immigrants in 1857, Chinese came to dominate Sarawak's eco-
nomy.
When James Brooke died in 1868, he was succeeded by his nephew, Charles Johnson,
who changed his surname to Brooke. During his long reign, which lasted until his death in
1917, Charles Brooke extended the borders of his kingdom (at the expense of the sultan of
Brunei), developed Sarawak's economy and slashed government debt.
In 1917 Charles Vyner Brooke, son of Charles Brooke, ascended to the throne of
Sarawak. A veteran of government service, he professionalised Sarawak's administration,
preparing it for a modern form of rule.
In Borneo's interior, tribal wars are believed to
have been frequent for centuries, with long-stand-
ing rivalries pitting some groups, such as the
Kenyah and Iban, against each other.
Brunei's Continuing Decline
In 1865, 15 years after Brunei and the United States signed a Treaty of Peace, Friendship,
Commerce and Navigation, Brunei's ailing sultan leased Sabah to - of all people - the
American consul in Brunei, Claude Lee Moses. His rights eventually passed to an Eng-
lishman, Alfred Dent, who also received Sulu's blessing. In 1881, with London's support,
Dent formed the British North Borneo Company (later called the North Borneo Chartered
Company) to administer the territory. Once again, Britain managed to bag a slice of
Borneo on the cheap.
In 1888 the prospect of further territorial losses led the Sultanate of Brunei, tiny and in
danger of becoming even tinier, to become a British protectorate. But British 'protection'
did not prevent Brunei from losing Limbang to Sarawak in 1890, absurdly chopping the
sultanate into two discontiguous parts (Brunei still claims the Limbang area). Ironically,
 
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