INVOLVMENT OF BRITISH IN TANAH MELAYU

The British traders had been in Tanah Melayu since the 17th century. By being an
active traders in Southeast Asia, they noticed the potential of Tanah Melayu. The
British then slowly gain interest and started to actively involve in matters related to
Tanah Melayu by assisting the Sultans in issues on to the administration of Tanah
Melayu. There are many factors that made the British to involve and actively engage
in matters related to Tanah Melayu.

1) One among those factors are the economical factors.The Industrial Revolution took
place in the mid-19th century in Europe. Selangor and Perak state are the major
manufacturers.TM major producer of
-tin,
-rubber,
-coffee.
2) British compete with other Europe countries to expand their respective colonies.
3) Strategic place,Port(pelabuhan persingahan) Kedah, Penang, Johor position is
strategically located along the east and west lines.There are many facilities such as
water supply, food supply and boat repair.The merchant stopped before sailing to
Canton, China. Shelter while waiting for the monsoon to move.
4) Merchandise Collection Center (Pusat Pengumpulan Barang Dagangan)
5) Army base(pangkalan tentera). British needs Penang as its military base. British is
competing for trade power with France in India. Penang was used as a military base to
defend the French invasion.