North Borneo

“ It has been shewn that the native population of North Borneo is very small, only about five to the square mile, and as the country is fertile and well-watered and possesses, for the tropics, a healthy climate, there must be some exceptional cause for the scantiness of the population. This is to be found chiefly in the absence, already referred to, of any strong central Government in former days, and to the consequent presence of all forms of lawlessness, piracy, slave-trading, kidnapping and head-hunting. ”

“ Since the Napoleonic wars, when the East Indian colonies were returned to Holland, the Dutch have gradually extended their rule in Borneo to include two-thirds of the island. In the remainder the British have consolidated their interests, and in 1906, the European occupation of Borneo was completed. The distribution of territory has roughly been placed thus: Dutch Borneo, seventy per cent; Sarawak and Brunei, twenty per cent; British North Borneo, ten per cent. ”

“ They entertain a high notion of their own importance, and are ever ready to resent with their krises the slightest affront which they may conceive has been put upon them.
In Borneo, they are found principally on the North-East Coast, and a good many have settled in British North Borneo under the Company's Government. They occasionally take contracts for felling jungle and other work of similar character, but are less disposed than the Brunai men to perform work for Europeans on regular wages. ”

“ Geography.—The state of North Borneo may roughly be said to form a pentagon of which three sides, the north-west, north-east and east are washed by the sea, while the remaining two sides, the south-west and the south, are bordered respectively by the Malayan sultanate of Brunei, and by the territories of the raja of Sarawak and of the Dutch government. The boundary between the company’s territory and the Dutch government is defined by the treaty concluded in June 1891, of which mention has already been made. ”

“ The only really fine natural harbour in the island of which any use has been made is that of Sandakan, the principal settlement of the North Borneo Company on the north coast.
Geology.—The geology of Borneo is very imperfectly known. The mountain range which lies between Sarawak and the Dutch possessions, and may be looked upon as the backbone of the island, consists chiefly of crystalline schists, together with slates, sandstones and limestones. All these beds are much disturbed and folded. ”

“ The population of North Borneo, as has been shewn, is very scanty, and the great object of the new Government should be [148] to attract population and capital to their territory. Java is often quoted as an island which, under Dutch rule, has attained great prosperity without any large immigration of Chinese or other foreigners. ”

“ In their eyes, at least, the British Administration has discharged its responsibilities to their satisfaction. It is against this background that we must consider the proposal for including North Borneo in the Federation of Malaysia. The total area of North Borneo is some 30,000 square miles, or about the size of Ireland. It is a mountainous country, and over 23,000 square miles, or 80 per cent. of the land area, is covered with forests, of which about 10,000 square miles is known to be productive or potentially productive. ”

“ With the exception of the northern extremity, which geographically as well as politically stands apart from the rest of the island, the whole of Borneo may be described as divided by the two principal mountain chains into four large watersheds. Of these, the north-western basin, the territory of Sarawak, is drained by the Rejang and Baram, as well as by numerous smaller rivers. Of the other three, which constitute Dutch Borneo, the north-eastern is drained by the Batang Kayan or Balungan river; the south-eastern by the Kotei and Banjermasin rivers ”

“ They are aware that in a few years at the most and possibly even sooner, other countries in East and South-East Asia might cast envious eyes on a prosperous country such as North Borneo with its rich undeveloped resources and small (but rapidly growing) population ”

“ The whole of the north, the northwest, and the center of Borneo is extremely mountainous. The greatest portion of the ancient kingdom of Borneo Proper is extremely elevated. That of Kiney Baulu, or St. Peterʼs Mount, in latitude 6° north, is perhaps one of the highest mountains known. The country about Sambas, Pontiana, and Sukadana is occasionally interspersed with a few ranges of hills, otherwise the land here might be deemed low. But to the southward, and more particularly to the east, in the Straits of Macassar, it is very low. ”

“ By itself, or even in association with Sarawak, North Borneo would find it very expensive to exist as an independent territory, and its voice in the councils of the world would be small. The peoples of Malaya and Borneo have cultural, economic and historical ties which make them fit naturally together as a group. Malaysia offers for them all the prospect of sharing in the destiny of what the British Government believes will be a great. prosperous and stable independent State within the Commonwealth. ”

“ Just as North Borneo and Sarawak, however, have recently thought it advantageous to conclude a free trade area agreement, so may a larger common market provided by Malaysia be expected to help to produce some economic advantages to all parts of the area. Since Merdelca there has been very extensive capital development in Malaya, which would no doubt continue in Malaysia and from which North Borneo would benefit. ”

“ The institution and amusement of head-hunting appears never to have been taken up and followed with so much energy and zeal in North Borneo as among the Dyaks of Sarawak. I do not think that it was as a rule deemed absolutely essential with any of our tribes that a young man should have taken at least a head or two before he could venture to aspire to the hand of the maiden who had led captive his heart. ”

“ The coolies are, as a rule, procured through Chinese cooly brokers in Penang or Singapore, but as regards North Borneo, the charges for commission, transport and the advances—many of which, owing to death, sickness and desertion, are never repaid—have become so heavy as to be almost prohibitive, and my energetic friend, Count Geloes, has set the example of procuring his coolies direct from China, instead of by the old fashioned, roundabout way of the extortionate labour-brokers of the Straits Settlements. ”

“ The peace and contentment among the natives here, mostly Malays, impresses one favourably. They are all very fond of their children and take good care of them. The crying of children is a sound that is rarely heard. It was my fortune to travel over two years in the Dutch Indies; it is gratifying to state that during that time I never saw a native drunk, cit her in Java or Borneo. My visits did not extend to the Muruts in the north of Borneo, who are known to indulge excessively in native rice brandy. ”

“ A few elephants are caught here, but the principal exports are rattans, wax, and camphor. The north-east coast of Borneo, as far as the entrance of the Sugut River, is rather flat, only a few low hills occasionally diversifying the scene; but no sooner do you round the point, and enter Labuk Bay, than it presents a different aspect: the low hills gradually swell into mountains, one range of which is remarkably [393] peaked—as jagged, from one view, as the edge of a saw. Kina Balu is visible along this coast, and from the eastern side the ascent appears feasible. ”

“ When North Borneo has gained its independence it will be in a better position to make a decision on this matter. In the meantime the British Government should concentrate the resources of the country on a more vigorous programme of education and do more to train the political leaders of the future. ”

“ This will be more evident if we consider that Borneo is as large as the Indo-Chinese Peninsula, or as the Indian Peninsula south of Bombay, and if either of these countries were separated from the continent by the submergence of the whole area north of them as far as the Himalayas, they would be found to contain quite as many peculiar genera and species as Borneo actually does now. ”

“ In range of latitude, in temperature and in rainfall, North Borneo presents many points of resemblance to Ceylon, and it was at first thought that it might be possible to attract to the new country some of the surplus capital, energy and aptitude for planting which had been the foundation of Ceylon's prosperity. ”

“ It is desirable to consider the Chinese separately, first because their position in North Borneo to-day is different in law from that of the indigenous peoples. Certain privileges are already reserved for natives, for example in regard to land, and special measures have been taken in recent years to ensure that better facilities are available for the education of natives, including priority for scholarships overseas. The Chinese have supported the need for these measures in view of the general backwardness of the indigenous peoples. ”

“ Malaya is at present engaged in carrying out an intensive and rapid pro- gramme of rural development which, with adaptations, seems well suited to the needs of North Borneo and is indeed based on principles similar to those which are being followed here. ”

“ In both territories Malay is the nearest approach to a "lingua franca", Islam is the religion of around a third of the population, and there are the cultural and historical links of the Malayan Archipelago. The commercial interests of North Borneo, however, particularly in the flourishing Chinese business communities of Sandakan and Tawau, lie more with Honk Kong and eastwards than with Singapore. Moreover, the indigenous races in the two territories are different, although there are naturally some races living on both sides of the boundary. ”

“ We are bound to record that, even more perhaps than in Sarawak, there are large sections of the population in the interior who have no real appreciation of the Malaysia proposals. This is partly due to the late publication of the North Borneo Government Paper, partly to the difficulties of communication, and partly to the general level of political consciousness. To these people, any change is necessarily to be looked upon with great suspicion. ”

“ In North Borneo, as in Sarawak, we were greatly impressed with the background of friendly race relations which clearly has existed in the past and which to a large degree still exists to-day. As we have said earlier, this atmosphere of racial harmony is very precious in a multi-racial country and one which must at all costs be preserved if the country is to have a happy and prosperous future. We should like here to draw attention to a most encouraging development. ”

“ On the 30th, at five in the morning, we saw the island of Borneo, bearing west-north-west; this part of the coast is high land: we saw, at the same time, from the mast-head, a small island, bearing west-north-west; this I took to be one of the small islands which are laid down to the southward of the Taba Islands, and near in upon the coast: at eight in the evening, we tacked, and in the night, the wind came from the land, but squally, with which we stood to the southward. This part of the coast of Borneo seems to be a projecting point, and is in the latitude of 1° 02' north ”

“ The party is against Malaysia and feared that a closer association between North Borneo and Singapore and Malaya would increase the risk of Communist infiltration. The party preferred to see a merger of the three Borneo territories, the United Nations develop the natural resources of the countries, and Britain and the United States of America protect them from the Communists or any outside threat. ”

“ From north to south these islands extend about a thousand miles, and from east to west about half that distance, with the Sulu or Mindoro Sea four hundred miles across it in either direction, nearly enclosed within them; for the north-east coast of Borneo is part of its boundary on the south. As the commander mentioned at dinner last evening, there are over two thousand islands in the group; and leaving out those rocks and shoals which are not big enough for a man to stand upon, there are twelve hundred of them. ”

“ In a series of meetings in London this week British and Malayan Ministers examined the proposal to create a 'Federation of Malaysia' which would embrace the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, North Borneo, Sarawak and Brunei. ”

“ A citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies born in Sarawak or North Borneo or naturalised in either territory before the date on which Malaysia comes into effect should by operation of law become a citizen of the Federation of Malaysia. We include in this category persons who were born in either or the territories before the dates on which they became British colonies. There is, however, one qualification that needs to be made. Some persons in this category might have severed all connexion with Borneo and the other territories that will form Malaysia. ”

“ Sara`wak (320) , a principality of North-West Borneo, fronting the Chinese Sea on the NW. and contiguous to Dutch Borneo; was granted as an independent Rajahship to Sir James Brooke by the sultan of Borneo in 1841, and governed by him and afterwards by his son, by whom it was put under British protection in 1888; is very fertile, and grows sugar, coco-nuts, rice, sago, rubber, tea, &c.; is rich in minerals, and mining is carried on of antimony, quicksilver, gold, and coal; capital Kuching (25) , on the Sarawak River. ”