| With
the archeological artifacts uncovered in Lembah Bujang, Kedah was
recognised as a major kingdom on the Malay Peninsula dated back
to the 5th century. As with most other Malays states located in
the north, Kedah was under the influence of Siam in the 15th Century.
Kedah was able to remained independent from Siamese rule sporadically
within that period. The attacked by Acheh in 1618, lead to Kedah
seeking protection form Siam. In doing so, Kedah became under the
Siamese influence for the second time.
Kedah's
position was further jeaopadised with the pressure from the Bugis,
the Siamese and the Burmese in the 18th Century. The power struggled
between them sparked a civil war in 1724. The Bugis leader, Raja
Haji, invaded Kedah in 1770.
Sultan Abdullah Mukarram Syah appealed to the British for protection
from the Siamese threat. The British appointed Sir Francis Light
to negotiate the protection conditions. In return for protection,
The British obtained an exclusive lease of Pulau Pinang for her
British East India Company. Lead by sir Francis Light, the British
established a settlement on Pulau Pinang on 11 August 1786.
By
1788, Sultan Abdullah realized that the British had no intentions
in helping Kedah's situation with the Siamese. In retaliation, Sultan
Abdullah attempted to drive The British off Pulau Pinang. However,
Sir Francis Light quashed the challenge. Consequently, Sultan Abdullah
was forced to hand over Pulau Pinang to The British on 11 May 1791.
Without
the protection of the British, the Siamese invaded and conquered
Kedah in 1821. The Kedah sultanate tried many times to restore the
Kedah's independence. Eventually, Siam.
In
1909, Kedah was relinquished to The British with the signing of
the Bangkok Agreement. In line with the British colonization policy
of installing an advisor in all the Malay states, Sir George Maxwell
was installed as the first British adviser in 1909. Similar to other
Malay states, Kelantan was placed under the British Military Administration
from September 1945 to early 1946.
In
October 1945, the British laid out the Malayan Union scheme before
the British Parliament. Under the scheme, Pulau Pinang, Melaka and
nine other Malay states were to be united under the Malayan Union.
Sir Harold MacMicheal was then entrusted in obtaining the agreements
from the Malay Rulers.
Malays
opposition to the British plans to form the Malayan Union catalyst
the movement for Independence. Sparked by national sentiments, Dato
Onn Jaafar formed United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) on
11 May 1946. The Malay Federation was founded on 1 February 1948
and on 31 August 1957, Malaya achieved Independence. |
