How Was the Position of British Resident in Perak Abolished?

The Resident system was introduced and used in the administration of Perak after the Pangkor Treaty was signed on January 20, 1874, by the late Sultan Abdullah (the 26th Sultan of Perak). Perak was the first state to accept a British Resident, followed by Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, and Pahang.

As we are aware, J.W.W. Birch was the first British Resident appointed by the British to administer Perak, and he was assassinated by Sipuntum in 1875 during an uprising that occurred in Pasir Salak on the second day of Hari Raya.

You can refer to the details of the assassination of J.W.W. Birch in this article

. Most Malays rejected the British Resident concept because they could not accept outsiders interfering in administrative affairs, especially those who did not respect Malay customs and culture. Essentially, the British Resident functioned to provide advice on state administration, and indirectly, the Sultan only held power over Islamic religious affairs and Malay customs, with every piece of the Resident's advice being mandatory to follow.

J.W.W. Birch (First British Resident in Perak)

This indirectly caused the Sultan and the chiefs to lose power, and the appointed British Resident held power like a Chief Minister, managing all state administrative matters. The British Resident also had the right to collect taxes through appointed British officials, namely the Magistrate and Collector of Revenue. Due to dissatisfaction and many weaknesses in the British Resident administrative system, the Federation Agreement of 1895 was signed on June 12, 1895, by Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, and Pahang, and came into effect on July 1, 1896. The agreement formed the Federated Malay States (FMS) or the 1896 Federation, which consisted of Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, and Pahang. Frank Swettenham was appointed as the first Resident-General, and the federal administrative center was located in Kuala Lumpur, headed by the Resident-General. In 1956, the late Sultan Yussuff Izzuddin Shah (the 32nd Sultan of Perak) signed two documents that abolished the position of British Advisor (previously known as British Resident) in Perak. The ceremony took place at Istana Iskandariah, Kuala Kangsar. Both documents concerned amendments to the Perak State Constitution and the Federation of Malaya Agreement.

The late Sultan Yussuff Izzuddin Shah (the 32nd Sultan of Perak)

As mentioned above, the British official known as the British Resident was appointed through the Pangkor Treaty signed by the late Sultan Abdullah (the 26th Sultan of Perak) on January 20, 1874, and the position of Resident remained until the end of World War II in 1945, after which it was changed to British Advisor.

The late Sultan Abdullah (the 26th Sultan of Perak)

On December 19, 1956, the position of British Advisor in Perak was completely abolished. Since then, the 82-year history of direct British official intervention in the administration of Perak, which began in 1874 with J.W.W. Birch and ended in 1956 with Dato’ I.W. Blelloch, came to an end.