Imperialism: The History Of Malaysia

According to Steven A. Leibo, the history of Malaysia begins with Melaka, a state with ports for trading, and a gateway to trade throughout the world (182). In Colonialism: An International Social, Cultural, and Political Encyclopedia, Eric A. Jones explains that in 1511, the Portuguese were the first to conquer Melaka for control over the spice trade. Then came the Dutch, who took over in 1642, and finally, the British who colonized in 1795, gaining power over the sea trade as well as capital from exports and a docking port (364). In her book Malaysia, Barbara A. Poisson adds that under British rule, the colony expanded and was named Malaya. From then on, Malaya’s economy began to rapidly expand, and Britain achieved 162 years of successful

Leibo, imperialism had a positive effect on Malaysia’s economy. He also stated that after Britain took over Malaya, the production of natural resources and the introduction to the rubber tree caused a huge economic growth. Not only did Malaya have fertile soil and the ideal climate for planting cash crops, but it also had ports that attracted traders from all over the world. Malaya began to export a large variety of goods including tin, palm oil, and pepper. This brought capital to the land, and British Malaya grew with the production of tin and rubber (182). Today, Malaysia has become the tenth largest trading nation in the

As the economy grew larger, so did the need for more labor. Chinese and Indians began to immigrate to Malaysia to work in production. Although Malaya was introduced to new languages and religions, Britain decided to govern the different ethnic groups separately to avoid rebellion. However, that only caused more conflict. Different groups were divided into their own communities and when they encountered each other, there was a lot of tension and anger. For example, in a 1969 election, after non- Malays received more votes, Malays grew angry and resorted to violence. Over one hundred people were killed. Groups organizations such as the UMNO (United Malays National Organization) and the MCA (Malaysian Chinese Association) were created as an attempt to lessen the tension. However, they displayed unfair treatment, which angered many. Up to this day, separation is seen in all of Malaysia. Craig A. Lockard states that although there were some negative effects caused by imperialism, imperialism positively affected Malaysia’s technology. Because of Malaysia’s skyrocketing economy, the British ordered the construction of roads and railways. This was a way to more easily transport goods and also an improvement to the transportation system. In addition to the new roads, ports were improved and telegraph networks and postal systems were created. This allowed for faster communication.