The Handover of the Dinding Territory to the Perak State Government
The 1935 agreement to return the Dinding territory to the Perak state government was the result of persistent efforts following a growing awareness among the Perak state leadership to reclaim a coastal region with significant potential for the state's economic development.
Since 1917, the late Sultan Iskandar Zulkarnain (the 30th Sultan of Perak) had consistently strived and appealed to the British to reclaim the Dinding territory following the Pangkor Treaty of 1874. Eventually, the government of the F.M.S. (Federated Malay States) supported the efforts of the late Sultan Iskandar Zulkarnain to return the Dinding territory to Perak. The Governor of the Federated Malay States at the time, Sir Cecil Clementi Smith, also expressed his support for the actions of the late Sultan Iskandar Zulkarnain, and after years of effort, the Sultan's endeavors finally succeeded. The Colonial Office agreed to return the Dinding territory to Perak, and the British government signed an agreement with the late Sultan Iskandar Zulkarnain on June 6, 1934.
The late Sultan Iskandar Zulkarnain (the 30th Sultan of Perak) The agreement, known as The Dinding Agreement (Approval) Act, 1934, was heavily debated and finally passed by the British Parliament on November 16, 1934. With this approval, the 320-square-kilometer Dinding territory was returned to the Perak state government. The signing ceremony for the agreement was held on February 16, 1935, in front of the Rest House in Lumut. At that time, the late Sultan Abdul Aziz (the 31st Sultan of Perak), then holding the title of Raja Muda, and G.E. Cator (the British Resident in Perak) represented the Perak state government, while the Governor of the Straits Settlements was represented by J.S.W. Arthur and J.F.F. Gregg.
The late Sultan Abdul Aziz (the 31st Sultan of Perak) It was stipulated in the agreement that the Perak state government had to pay a sum of $86,850 as compensation for buildings, bridges, roads, and other infrastructure constructed while under the administration of the Straits Settlements. Since then, the Dinding territory was reunited with the state of Perak, having been separated due to the Pangkor Treaty of 1874. At that time, the area of Pulau Pangkor was excluded from the agreement. In commemoration of this historic event, the Dinding territory was renamed the Iskandar District, and the Lumut area was renamed Port Iskandar. The celebration of the Sultan of Perak's birthday and the 25th anniversary of King George V's accession to the English throne were also celebrated grandly in the Port Iskandar (now Lumut) area.
The late Sultan Idris II (the 33rd Sultan of Perak) However, the use of the names Iskandar District and Iskandar Port did not last long. During the reign of the late Sultan Idris II (the 33rd Sultan of Perak), the name of the Dinding district was changed to the Manjung district, and Iskandar Port reverted to its original name, Lumut.
