Anti-cession movement of Sarawak

Anti-cession movement of Sarawak
Sarawakian demonstration against the British. This photo would later become the trademark of the Sarawak Anti-cession Movement
Location Sarawak (now part of Malaysia) Result Assassination of the second Governor of Sarawak, Sir Duncan Stewart, in 1949. Closure of more than 22 schools in Sarawak. 56 students quit their university studies. All associations of anti-cession dissolved by British Authorities. Colonial rule continued until 16 September 1963.
Belligerents
Sarawakian people (mostly Malay and Iban including Abang Haji Abdillah, Lily Eberwein and Rosli Dhobi) Rukun 13	United Kingdom Young Malay Association
Commanders and leaders
Anthony Brooke Abang Haji Abdillah Lily Eberwein Rosli Dhobi ☠	Charles Arden-Clarke Duncan George Stewart †

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The anti-cession movement of Sarawak (Malay: Gerakan Anti-Penyerahan Sarawak) was a movement in Sarawak to fight against the British attempt to govern Sarawak as a crown colony rather than a protectorate ruled by the White Rajahs. The movement lasted from 1 July 1946 until March 1950.^[1]

Factors

The anti-cession movement of Sarawak arose from the violation of a provision in the 1941 constitution of Sarawak, which stipulated that Rajah Charles Vyner Brooke would grant the right self-rule to Sarawak. Instead, he decided to cede it to Britain as a crown colony on 8 February 1946.^[2] Secondly, the Sarawakian people had believed that the rule of the Brooke family could be expected to lead to independence for Sarawak, but heir apparent Anthony Brooke was not appointed as the next Rajah.^[3] In addition, the decision was taken without the consent of the indigenous people. The British did discuss it with the local people, but declared Sarawak a crown colony on 1 July 1946 anyway, with support from British officers and non-native residents.^[4]

Overview of movement

Rosli Dhobi caught by policemen for murdering Duncan Stewart

Many Malays joined Datu Patinggi Abang Haji Abdillah and Datu Patinggi Haji Mohammad Kassim to fight against cession of Sarawak to Britain. Many other local associations, such as the Malay National Association of Sarawak (PKMS), took part as well.^[5] Members of the movement sent a letter objecting to cession to the Colonial Office in London. They also displayed an anti-cession poster in all the villages of Sarawak, and local people, including women, held demonstrations against it.^[6] However, when the authorities discovered that most of the members of the movement were civil servants, "Circular No.9" was issued and signed by C. W. Dawson on 31 December 1946, to warn civil servants that it was illegal to participate in political movements, on pain of dismissal from their post. More than 338 public employees, mostly teachers, resigned on 2 April 1947 in protest against the circular. These resignations forced the closure of more than 22 schools in Sarawak. 56 students also quit their university studies to denounce the circular.^[7] The largest demonstration took place on 1 July 1947, when the British government appointed Sir Charles Arden-Clarke, former Resident Commissioner of Bechuanaland (present-day Botswana) as the first Governor of the British Crown Colony of Sarawak.^[8] From that date onwards, demonstrations increased.

The British government, intending to put an end to the anti-cession movement, tried to disrupt the close relationship between Malays and the indigenous Dayak people. They also tried to weaken the movement by saying that the colonisation of Sarawak aimed to bring better life to Malays and encouraging the formation of the Young Malay Association (YMA), which supported the colonisation of Sarawak. YMA members were picked at random from the anti-cession camp – if they refused to join, their children would be unable to attend school or work in the Civil Service. The British government also pursued psychological warfare against the anti-cession movement, causing it to decline from December 1947 on.^[9]

After an unsuccessful attempt, thirteen radical members of the Sibu Malay Youth Movement formed a secret organisation called Rukun 13 (The 13 Pillars). This organisation aimed to eradicate all European and Malay officers who were in favour of British rule in Sarawak. Rukun 13 members Rosli Dhobi and Awang Ramli Amit Mohd Deli, together with non-members Morshidi Sidek and Bujang Suntong, assassinated Sir Duncan Stewart, the second Governor of Sarawak, when he arrived in Sibu on 3 December 1949. He died in Singapore General Hospital a week later. This incident led the British authorities to try to crush the anti-cession movement once and for all, by any means possible. All Rukun 13 members were arrested in March 1950. The four assassins were sentenced to death and the remaining Rukun 13 members were jailed. After the end of the anti-cession movement, Britain ruled Sarawak from early 1950 until the formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963.^[10]

References

1. ↑ "Pergerakan Anti-Cession". Unofficial PKMS website. 21 October 2009.  (Malay)
2. ↑ "Sarawak C.V.Booke White Rajah". CACHE Historical and World Coins. 
3. ↑ "SARAWAK: End of Absolutism". Time Magazine. 6 October 1941. 
4. ↑ Reece 1993, p. 72.
5. ↑ "Sejarah PKMS". Unofficial PKMS website. 18 October 2009.  (Malay)
6. ↑ Sarawak, Sejarah (9 June 2010). "Pergerakan Anti-Cession - Bermulanya perjuangan dan penentangan Cession".  (Malay)
7. ↑ "Circular No 9". Unofficial PKMS website. 22 October 2009.  (Malay)
8. ↑ Perjuangan anti-cession Sarawak books.
9. ↑ Achie, Nordi. "Petualang Dan Pensubahat British: Satu Penelitian Terhadap Pemikiran Intelektual Melayu Antipenyerahan Di Sarawak, 1946-1950" (PDF). Universiti Malaysia Sabah.  (Malay)
10. ↑ Rosli Dhoby - Pejuang Atau Pembunuh). Documentary on Rosli Dhobi, broadcast by Astro Prima. (Malay)

History of East Malaysia
Main history1	Empire of Brunei Japanese occupation Borneo campaign British Military Administration Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation Malaysia Agreement Proclamation of Malaysia
History of Sabah	Brunei Civil War Sultanate of Sulu Austrian colony North Borneo Chartered Company British North Borneo Antanum Mat Salleh Madrid Protocol Jesselton Revolt Sandakan camp Sandakan Death Marches Battle of North Borneo Crown Colony of North Borneo Self-government of North Borneo Cobbold Commission 20-point agreement Keningau Oath Stone Double Six Crash Cross border attacks from the Philippines 1985 Lahad Datu ambush 2000 Sipadan kidnappings 2013 Lahad Datu standoff 1986 Sabah riots 1991 Sabah political arrests Sabah State Water Department corruption probe
History of Sarawak	Kingdom of Sarawak Rentap Liu Shan Bang Syarif Masahor Crown Colony of Sarawak Anti-cession movement of Sarawak Communist insurgency in Sarawak Self-government of Sarawak Cobbold Commission 18-point agreement 1966 Sarawak constitutional crisis 1987 Ming Court Affair
History of Labuan	Crown Colony of Labuan North Borneo Chartered Company Administered under Straits Settlements Battle of North Borneo Battle of Labuan Administered under Crown Colony of North Borneo Part of Sabah Became Federal Territory
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Protests in Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur	1946–47 anti-Malayan Union protests 1947 All-Malaya Hartal 1967 Keranda 152 rally 1969 Malaysian students pre-election demonstrations 13 May 1969 riots 1969 PMUM Anti-Tunku demonstrations 1970 PMUM vs PBMUM Papan Tanda demonstrations 1971 Malaysian constitutional crisis 1983 Malaysian constitutional crisis 1988 Malaysian constitutional crisis 1993 Malaysian constitutional crisis 1998–2000s Reformasi demonstrations 2001 Kampung Medan riots 2007 BERSIH 1.0 rally 2007 HINDRAF rally 2008 Black 14 rally 2008 Malaysian fuel hike protests 2009 Keranda 152 rally 2009 anti-ISA rally 2009 anti-Menteri Besar Terengganu rally 2011 anti-Peaceful Assembly Act rally 2011 BERSIH 2.0 rally Occupy Dataran 2012 Free Anwar 901 rally 2012 BERSIH 3.0 rally 2012 anti-Lynas rally 2013 anti-Jamalul Kiram III infiltration protests 2013 KL 112, People’s Uprising rally 2013 Blackout 505 rallies 2013 Ops Turun, anti-price hike rally 2014 Red Pencil protest 2014 May Day anti-GST rally 2015 Rakyat Hakim Negara rally 2015 Kita Lawan, May Day anti-GST rally 2015 #TangkapNajib rally 2015 Low Yat Plaza riot 2015 BERSIH 4.0 rally 2015 United People's rally 2015 Shutdown Sungai Besi rally 2016 anti-TPPA rally 2016 Keranda 152 rally 2016 Muafakat Selamatkan Malaysia rally 2016 Hancur GST, Undur Najib, Undur Rosmah, Bebas Anwar, Hidup Rakyat rally 2016 BERSIH 5.0 rally
Other	1946–50 anti-cession movement of Sarawak 1963 anti-Indonesia infiltration demonstrations 1964 race riots in Singapore 1966 Sarawak constitutional crisis 1967 Teluk Gong demonstrations 1967 Penang Hartal riot 1974 Baling demonstrations 1974 Tasek Utara, Johor demonstrations 1977 Kelantan riots 1985 Memali riots 1986 Sabah riots 1993 Sultan of Kelantan demonstrations 1998 Kampung Rawa riots 2009 Perak constitutional crisis 2009 1BLACKMalaysia protests 2009 cow's head protests 2009 anti-PPSMI rally 2010 Water for People rally 2011 Gathering of a Million Faithful 2012 Orange rally 2012 Green Rally to Putrajaya 2012 People's Lands rally 2015 Taman Medan anti-cross protest 2015 Sarawak for Sarawakians rally 2015 Penang villagers protests
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Kingdom of Sarawak
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