THE MALAY SOCIETY DURING THE TRANSITION OF THE SELANGOR ADMINISTRATION IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY

This paper re-examines the transition of Malay society in Selangor during the beginning of British rule, focusing on interactions between the British and the natives around colonial administration in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Establishing the rural colonial administration involved interactions between the government and the natives, including immigrants. These interactions took the form of exchange of letters written in Jawi between both parties. When the British introduced uniform administration, they had to incorporate pre-colonial headmen of such native communities into their system. During this process, the British reformed kuasa, letters of authorisation from the Sultan, to make their rule known to natives. On the other hand, the natives sent Jawi petitions to the government to obtain official recognition for their headmen. The immigrant communities were especially eager to establish relations with the colonial authority to secure their positions within society. These interactions were important in maintaining Selangor’s social order. The Selangor regime, whether under the Sultanate or the British, had to authorise immigrant headmen to keep the immigrant groups settled within this fluid society. In Selangor, the Malay community evolved along these interactions. The case of Selangor shows how natives in sparsely populated areas reacted to rigid territorial colonial rule.