1. THE RESIDENTIAL
SYSTEM
(PERAK )
Masilah Binti Matusin

2. KEY POINTS IN THIS CHAPTER
1. How the Residential System worked
2. The Residents of Perak
3. The advantages and disadvantages of
the Residential System

3. LESSON OUTLINE
• What was the Residential System
• The resident’s position : in theory & in practice
• Problem faced by the Resident
• The role of the Resident
• The Residential System in Perak :
1. J.W.W. Birch
2. J.G. Davidson
3. H. Low
• Compare J.W.W. Birch with H. Low
• Advantages of the Residential System
• Disadvantages of the Residential System

4. RECAPPED
Policy of NON-INTERVENTION
Policy of INTERVENTION

6. What was the RESIDENTIAL
SYSTEM?
• Resulted from PANGKOR AGREEMENT
• The system of governing with assistance
from a Resident
NEGRI
SEMBILAN
SELANGOR MARTIN
J.G LISTER
PERAK DAVIDSON
J.W.W PAHANG
BIRCH J.P
RODGER

7. The Resident advised the sultan on all matters except
those to do with Malay customs or religion
STRUCTURE OF THE RESIDENTIAL SYSTEM

8. The Residents position
• In Theory • In practice
• The Resident was • The Resident
only supposed to GOVERNED in the
advise the sultan on name of the Sultan
government matters

9. Problems faced by the Resident
• No army or police • They had to bring
force to assist them changes but must be
beneficial for the
• Depend on the locals
support and power of
the Sultan for their • To change BUT had
advice to be acted to avoid offending the
upon sultan and not to
criticized local custom
and practice

10. The role of RESIDENT
1. Sultans should consult Residents on all
matters except those to do with Malay
customs or religion
2. Advise on the collection and control of
revenue
3. Responsible for setting up systems for
more efficient collection of the state’s
revenue

11. 1. Encouraging economic growth in the
state to create maximum wealth
2. To restore and maintain peace in the
state
3. The Residents did not rule the state but
only stay in office

12. The Residential
System in PERAK

13. St J.W.W
1
BIRCH • Perak’s 1st Resident
in November 1874
• An efficient & able
civil servant (Sri
Lanka & Straits
Settlement)

14. J.W.W. BIRCH
 He did not speak Malay
 He had a very poor opinion of the value of
Malay custom and opinions
 He was intolerant and arrogant personal
manner

15. ACTIVITY
(Perak) Ask the students to do
1. if there any changes after the introduction of the Residential System
2. Do mind-mapping on the policies implement by JWW Birch

16. What happened in PERAK ???
BEFORE
(THE PANGKOR ENGAGEMENT or RESIDENTIAL SYSTEM)
 Sultan ABDULLAH allowed some of the
chiefs to collect their own taxes
 Agreement by farming out revenue
collection to the Chinese citizen of
Singapore, TAN KIM CHENG ($15,000 a
year collected by the Sultan)

17. AFTER
(THE INTRODUCTION OF THE RESIDENTIAL SYSTEM)
Birch introduced some CHANGES in Perak

18. Economic Changes
• Declared Abdullah’s FARMING OUT OF
REVENUE collection = ILLEGAL
• Perak Chiefs NOT ALLOWED to collect
taxes
• Need Birch’s permission to collect revenue
• Introduced new taxes & licence fees

19. RESULT
•
CHIEFS’ INCOME
• Led to great RESENTMENT (dislike)

20. Administrative Changes
• Announced a new Code of Civil & Criminal
Law
• Penghulu British resident
local chiefs
Sultan
British Judge

21. RESULT
EFFECTIVE control
of the judiciary in
British hands

22. Social Changes
He put an END to DEBT SLAVERY
RESULT
The Sultan & chiefs felt British SHOULD
NOT have any say in the matter because
debt slavery was a MALAY CUSTOM

23. Changed of GOVERNOR in
Perak
SIR ANDREW CLARKE (governor)
SIR WILLIAM JERVOIS (NEW governor)

24. • Sir Jervois insisted Sultan Abdullah to
accept J.W.W. Birch as a QUEEN
COMMISSIONER (rule Perak in the name
of the Sultan)
• PENSIONS Sultan
GIVEN Malay Chiefs
(LOSS POWER)
• Sultan Abdullah was FORCED to agree in
OCTOBER 1875

25. The murder of Birch
• Lets watch a video
together……

26. ACTIVITY
Answer the questions
prepare by the teacher

27. What happened???
• Birch was killed on NOVEMBER 1875, as
he bathed at PASIR SALAK
MAHARAJALELA
• Killed by DATO SAGOR
PANDAK INGUT

30. RESULT
1. Jervois launched a series of attacks on Perak
(Penang,Singapore,India & Hong Kong)
2. July 1876 – those involved in the murder were
captured & punished severely :
a) Sultan Abdullah, Raja Ismail & other chiefs
was deposed & sent into EXILE
b) Maharajalela, Dato Sagor & Pandak
Ingut were HANGED

32. • Raja Yusof became REGENT
SULTAN of PERAK
• William Jervios was REPRIMANDED by
the British government (forcing Sultan
Abdullah into accepting Birch as a
Queen’s Commissioner)

33. ACTIVITY
Do mind-mapping on :
Reasons for Birch’s murders

34. PART 2

35. RECAPPED

36. 2n
J.G DAVIDSON
d
• He was a Singapore
lawyer
• He was Resident of
Selangor before came
to Perak
• He was appointed to
replace Birch (1875)

37. rd
3
H.LOW • February 1877- he was appointed
as the new PERAK Resident
• He was 53 year old that time
• 30 years experiences as
administrator in South East Asia
• He was fluent in Malay
• He had GREAT respect for Malay
customs & traditions
• He was tolerant & understand the
Malays

38. H.LOW BELIEVES……….
• Develop a trusting & friendly
relationship between the
Resident & the Malay chiefs

39. H.LOW made PERAK….
Hostile & bankrupt
Most prosperous

40. H.LOW’S
WORK

41. POLITICAL

42.  The members were State Council
appointed by the
sultan after advice
from the Resident ADVISORY
 Membership
included
representative from JUDICIAL POWER
• Malay
• British
• Chinese
EXECUTIVE POWER

43. • By 1899 – member = 12
BUT
The control of revenue in the
hand of RESIDENT

44. STATE COUNCIL

45. ECONOMIC

46. • Resident controlled • Improved
the revenue communication
• 1884 – abolished debt • Improvement in
slavery agriculture
• Laws for regulating
land usage &
introduced registered
land titles

47. RESULT
Stable PERAK
Attracted investors
BANKRUPTCY

48. ADMINISTRATION

49. • Divided Perak into districts controlled by
officers
Courts of Justice
European Malay

50. ACTIVITY
Ask students to do mind-mapping on policies implement by H.Low

51. RECAPPED

52. ACTIVITY
WHY J.W.W. BIRCH FAILED
BUT H.LOW SUCCESSES ?

53. JWW BIRCH vs H.LOW
J.W.W BIRCH H. LOW
• Did not speak Malay • Fluent in Malay
• Poor opinion of the value • Great respect for Malay
of Malay customs and customs & traditions
opinion • Tolerant & understanding
• Intolerant & sometime approach to the Malays
arrogant personal manner
• “it concerns us little what • Developing a trusting &
were the old customs of friendly relationship
the country…I consider between the Resident
that they are not worthy and the Malay chiefs
of any consideration”

54. ACTIVITY
WHY J.W.W. BIRCH FAILED
BUT H.LOW SUCCESSES ?
(Pre-activity)

55. ACTIVITY
Do a table of Hugh Low’s achievement as
the British Resident in Perak ?
(Pre-activity)

56. ACTIVITY
ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES
(Pre-Activity)

57. ADVANTAGES :
1. Political stability & enforcement of law and order
2. More effective government
3. Substantial economic growth
4. Greater revenue & higher standard of living
5. Malaya became a more Multi-Cultural society
6. Increase in Malaya’s population

58. DISADVANTAGES :
1. No uniformity of government
2. Resident become increasingly powerful
at the expense of the local sultans and
chiefs
3. There were varying amounts of economic
growth within the 4 states

59. Summary

60. • Resulted from PANGKOR AGREEMENT
• The system of governing with assistance
from a Resident
• Perak – J.W.W. BIRCH
• Selangor – J.G. DAVIDSON
• Pahang – J.P. RODGER
• Negri Sembilan – MARTIN LISTER

61. • The Resident advised the sultan on all matters
except those to do with Malay customs or
religion
STRUCTURE OF THE RESIDENTIAL SYSTEM

62. British residents in Perak
St
1
it concerns us little what
were the old customs of
the country…I consider
that they are not worthy
of any consideration”
2n Developing a trusting & 3rd
friendly relationship
d between the Resident and
the Malay chiefs
I resigned

63. J W W BIRCH
 He did not speak Malay
 He had a very poor opinion of the value of
Malay custom and opinions
 He was intolerant and arrogant personal
manner

64. H.LOW
• 30 years experiences as administrator in
South East Asia
• He was fluent in Malay
• He had GREAT respect for Malay customs
& traditions
• He was tolerant & understand the Malays

65. Birch introduced some
CHANGES in Perak

66. J W W BIRCH VS H.LOW
J W W BIRCH H. LOW
• Did not speak Malay • Fluent in Malay
• Poor opinion of the value • Great respect for Malay
of Malay customs and customs & traditions
opinion
• Tolerant & understanding
• Intolerant & sometime
approach to the Malays
arrogant personal manner
• “it concerns us little what
• Developing a trusting &
were the old customs of
the country…I consider friendly relationship
that they are not worthy between the Resident
of any consideration and the Malay chiefs

67. ADVANTAGES

68. 1. Political stability & enforcement of law and
order
2. More effective government
3. Substantial economic growth
4. Greater revenue & higher standard of living
5. Malaya became a more Multi-Cultural society
6. Increase in Malaya’s population

69. DISADVANTAGES

70. 1. No uniformity of government
2. Resident become increasingly
powerful at the expense of the
local sultans and chiefs
3. There were varying amounts of
economic growth within the 4
states

71. ACTIVITY ON
SUMMARY
Ask the students to do group work on mind-mapping
1. Residential System
2. JWW Birch
3. H.Low
4. Advantages of the Residential System
5. Disadvantages of the Residential System

72. QUESTIONS
Homework

73. Hope you enjoy
the lesson