- Mat Salleh Rebellion
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Mat Salleh Rebellion was a series of major disturbances in North Borneo, now the Malaysian state of Sabah, from 1894 to 1900. It was instigated by Datu Muhammad Salleh, better known as Mat Salleh.
Contents
Causes of the rebellion
During the late 19th century North Borneo was under the administration of the British North Borneo Company. The Company was trying to transform North Borneo into a producer of various agricultural products, especially tobacco. As the Company introduced new cash crops, North Borneo underwent inevitable economic and social changes.
The Company tried hard to preserve local cultures, but certain local practices had to be regulated to ensure the Company's control. For instance, slavery was abolished. Other disruptive changes brought about by the Company were the introduction of taxes and the requirement for the keris (see Kris) , an instrument used as a weapon and also for traditional purposes, and boat licences which burdened the common people. Many disagreed with the new rulings.
Mat Salleh and the rebellion
Mat Salleh
One of the more influential dissenting local chiefs was Mat Salleh. He was born in Inanam, North Borneo, the son of the leader of the Brunei royals, and became a governor at Sugud River. A member of the Suluk and Bajau tribes / Sub-ethic of Bajau (Bajau Suluk), he married a Sulu princess.
In 1895, Mat Salleh entered into a long running dispute with the Company. Salleh had taken issue with the Company imposing new rules on the Sugud River region, but the Company ignored his complaints. For its part, the Company was unhappy with Mat Salleh collecting taxes from the local populace without Company approval. Soon after the dispute began, the Company burnt down Salleh's village, and in 1897 he retaliated by razing the Company's harbour at Pulau Gaya. As the rebellion grew, Salleh ordered a fort to be constructed in Ranau. The Company tried to capture the fort but met with heavy resistance and resorted to setting fire to it instead. After skirmishes near Pulau Gaya, Inanam and Menggatal, this phase of the conflict ended with Mat Salleh's forces retreating into North Borneo hitherland.
In due course the Company offered Mat Salleh peace, which Mat Salleh agreed to. Unfortunately for him, this truce with the British so outraged his own people that he was forced to flee to Tambunan. The British granted Mat Salleh control of Tambunan, and he built a new fort there which still stands today. Despite the peace treaty, the Company decided to take Tambunan back from Mat Salleh in 1899 - Mat Salleh refused to co-operate and fighting recommenced. On January 31, 1900, he was shot dead in Kampung Toboh, Tambunan. His death left the rebellion movement leaderless and effectively ended it.
In most parts of Malaysia, and even now in the state of Sabah, the word "Mat salleh" is used as a slang term for "Caucasian". In this context, the word might have been derived from "mad sailor" or could also have been derived from the meaning of the word "Mat Salleh" which means preacher or one who preaches due to the fact that early colonials came with the sub‐agenda of preaching Christianity.
References
- Zainal Abidin Bin Abdul Wahid, Khoo Kay Kim, Muhd. Yusof Bin Ibrahim, D.S. Ranjit Singh. 1994. Sejarah Tingkatan 2. ISBN 983-62-1009-1
- Our Family History ( As The Existence Real True Blood Of Royal Brunei ) {Paduka Enderang Sibling to Paduka Mat Salleh}
External links
- EMas Sabah More about Mat Salleh.
- School History of Sabah
Categories:- British North Borneo
- Military history of Malaysia
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