Mat Salleh Rebellion
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Mat Salleh Rebellion was a series of major disturbances in North Borneo, now Malaysian state of Sabah, from 1894 to 1900. It was instigated by Datu Muhammad Salleh, or better known as Mat Salleh.
Causes of the rebellion
North Borneo during the late 1800s was under the administration of 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. More disrupting changes brought upon by the Company was introduction of taxes and the need firearms and boat licenses. Many locals disagreed with the new rulings.
Mat Salleh and the rebellion
One of the more influential dissenting local chiefs was Mat Salleh. He was born in Inanam, Sabah and was a governor at Sugut River. A member of Bajau and Suluk tribe, he married a Sulu princess. His father was previously the leader of Inanam.
In 1895, Mat Salleh made a complaint to the Company regarding new rules imposed on Sugut River but the Company ignored him. At the same time, the Company was unhappy with the fact that Mat Salleh was collecting taxes from the local populace. Soon after the complaint, the Company burnt down his village. In 1897, he retaliated by razing the Company's harbor at Pulau Gaya. Immediately after the razing, he ordered a fort to be constructed in Ranau.
The Company tried to capture the fort but they were met with heavy resistance and failed. That failure prompted the Company to burn the fort. The confrontation ended with Mat Salleh's forces retreating into North Borneo hitherland. There were also skirmishes near Gaya island, Inanam and Menggatal.
Later, the Company offered Mat Salleh peace. Mat Salleh agreed. Unfortunately for him, the truce with the British so outraged his own people that he was forced to flee to Tambunan. The British later would let Mat Salleh control Tambunan. He built a new fort at there; the fort still stands today.
Despite the peace treaty, the Company decided to take over Tambunan from Mat Salleh in 1899. Mat Salleh refused and thus, hostility was renewed. On January 31, 1900, he was shot dead in Kampung Teboh, Tambunan. His death left the rebellion movement leaderless and effectively ended it.
Reference
- 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
External links
- [EMas Sabah] More about Mat Salleh.
- [Mat Salleh] Origin of the phrase Mat Salleh.
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