Malcolm Stewart Hannibal McArthur

Malcolm Stewart Hannibal McArthur (10 March 1872 – 20 February 1934)^[1] was the first British resident of Brunei.^[2] He played a key role in the talks that resulted in the signing of the 1905 and 1906 Agreement between Great Britain and Brunei as well as the implementation of the Residential system. The accomplishments he is most known for were his establishment of a tax system and a Western-style government in Brunei. He also started making arrangements to persuade the people of Kampong Ayer to relocate to homes on land,^[3] setting the groundwork for Brunei Town.^[4]

Malcolm McArthur
McArthur in c. 1890
1st British Resident to Brunei
In office January 1908 – April 1908
Monarch	Edward VII
Preceded by	Harvey Chevallier
Succeeded by	John Fortescue Owen
In office January 1906 – May 1907
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Harvey Chevallier
Personal details
Born	(1872-03-10)10 March 1872 Chatham, Kent, England
Died	20 February 1934(1934-02-20) (aged 61) Villa Belfiore, Lombardy, Kingdom of Italy (present day Italy)
Education	Kelly College Tavistock College
Alma mater	The Queen's College, Oxford
Occupation	Colonial administrator

Despite challenges in navigating Malay customs and traditions, McArthur's efforts, combined with the proactiveness of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III, led to significant improvements and prevented further annexations of Brunei's lands.^[5]

Early life and education

The son of General Charles McArthur and his wife Lucy Large, he was born in Chatham, Kent.^[6] He was educated in Kelly College, Tavistock College and The Queen's College, Oxford.^[7][8]

Strait Settlements

McArthur was appointed in 1895 in London after an open competition to Hong Kong and Strait Settlements civil service (later known as Malayan Civil Service).^[9][10][3] He joined the Strait Settlements in November 1895 and began his career as a cadet. Over the years, his roles changed quickly: in 1895, he was acting deputy registrar of deeds in Penang, where he passed his final Malay language exam in April; by January 1897, he was acting private secretary to the governor of Straits Settlements, Sir Charles Mitchell; in August of the same year, he became acting district officer of Balik Pulau. He was the third magistrate of Penang by 1898. In April of 1899, he was appointed acting second assistant colonial secretary.^[8]

In keeping with McArthur's rise, he was appointed district officer of Penang in January 1901 after serving as the government of Selangor's interim assistant secretary from April 1900 to January 1901. His flexibility is demonstrated by the fact that in 1902, he also held the positions of acting secretary to the high commissioner of the Federated Malay States in May and acting collector of land tax and registrar of deeds in Singapore. He took up positions in 1903 as assistant superintendent of Indian immigration in August, controller of requests in Singapore as acting commissioner in August, and second assistant colonial secretary in November.^[8]

Brunei

Early expedition

Brunei could use the Residential system, as suggested by North Borneo's Governor Ernest Woodford Birch. Sultan Hashim Jalilul Alam Aqamaddin's diplomatic efforts caused quite a stir since they irritated the British government, which felt that Brunei had been treated with a lack of responsibility.^[4] In light of these circumstances, McArthur was dispatched to Brunei in April 1904 as part of a special assignment with the Foreign Office, and to make recommendations about the structure of the administration for the "dying sultanate". He arrived to Brunei on 3 May and remained until 10 November.^[11] He was then appointed assistant consul in Brunei in October, having taken up an earlier position of assistant colonial secretary in April.^[8]

In order to get knowledge on commerce, the state of the tribal population, and the political landscape, McArthur spent six months in Brunei researching the archives, visiting the nobility, and exploring the neighbouring regions.^[12] Sincere in its intent, his report was critical of issues related to economic management as well as judicial and political administration.^[13] When he visited the areas of Belait and Tutong in 1904, he discovered that they were wealthier than he had anticipated.^[14]

Following his Report on Brunei in 1904 the British government decided to maintain Brunei as a separate administrative entity.^[15] Whitehall praised the McArthur Report as "by far the best that has ever been written", described it as "excellent", and commended it as "exhaustive and very useful".^[16] He also suggested the residential system for Brunei following a thorough examination of the circumstances.^[11] This persuaded Whitehall to establish a British residency, with McArthur as its first inhabitant, rather than giving Brunei to Sarawak.^[13]

Residential system

Evolution of Brunei's Governance

Bruneian Malays in 1915

McArthur was named HBM consul to Crown Colony of Sarawak and British North Borneo by November 1905. In 1906, McArthur was appointed colonial secretary in Crown Colony of Labuan.^[8] When the Residential system was implemented in 1906, Brunei was granted complete protection by Great Britain, which thwarted any further attempts by Raj of Sarawak to acquire the territory of the latter. In January 1906, McArthur, the main negotiator in the 1905 discussions with the sultan, was named Brunei's first British Resident and tasked with the rapid creation of a contemporary civil service and restructuring the state's income structure following Western models. By establishing an effective, impersonal civil service for the sake of state administration, the locals were able to start out somewhat. Early on, this resulted in the establishment of departments including public works, postal, customs, and agriculture.^[4]

Additional agencies, including the police, medical, and education departments, were added as state funds gradually increased. The state was first split administratively into five districts: Brunei, Muara, Tutong, Belait, and Temburong. Local Malay authorities known as judges were responsible for overseeing these regions. In order to oversee rice growing regions, village headmen and penghulu were designated and given authority and responsibilities akin to that of "peace officers." The 1906 Agreement ensured the monarchy's survival by guaranteeing its hereditary continuation, a matter of concern for Sultan Hashim, who sought reassurance from McArthur that the British had no intention of undermining the throne.^[4]

Development of Brunei Town

Kampong Ayer in 1912

Over the course of its history, Brunei Town had three major stages of growth. The third phase saw a move toward constructing the city on land, starting in 1906 and led by McArthur. His project attempted to solve issues with sanitation,^[17] which were most noticeable in Kampong Ayer, the water village where 8,000–10,000 people lived at the time the Residential system was implemented. Even though Kampong Ayer still had the sultan's palace, McArthur concentrated on establishing a colony on land,^[17] beginning with his own resident's office (Bubungan Dua Belas).^[18]

Free construction supplies were offered as a draw to entice Kampong Ayer residents to the new land settlement. His goals, however, were not fulfilled as only a small number of Chinese settlers relocated in 1910, despite a severe threat from McArthur that the government would be compelled to impose penalties if the residents did not leave by the end of 1911.^[4]

Later life and death

His tenure as residents in both Labuan and Brunei from January of that year would last until 1907.^[8] McArthur retired in 1922, due to ill health, moving to Italy. Although he married an Italian, his 1928 will makes no mention of their children.^[3] He died at Villa Belfiore, Gradone Riviera in 20 February 1934.^[1][19]

Works

• Malcolm Stewart Hannibal McArthur (1987). Report on Brunei in 1904 (PDF). Ohio University Center for International Studies, Center for Southeast Asian Studies. ISBN 978-0-89680-135-6.

Legacy

Jalan McArthur in 2023

The people of Brunei views McArthur's report as having considerably greater value since, without his prompt action and the outcome of his work, their now-prosperous nation would barely have survived. Only just a street name (Jalan McArthur)^[20] in Pusat Bandar (present day Bandar Seri Begawan) preserves McArthur's legacy and his act of colonisation.^[13]

References

1. British Malaya. Newton & Company. 1933. p. 242.
2. Henige, David P. (1970). Colonial Governors. p. 103.
3. Ooi, Keat Gin (14 December 2015). Brunei - History, Islam, Society and Contemporary Issues. Routledge. pp. 104, 868. ISBN 978-1-317-65998-3.
4. Sidhu, Jatswan S. (22 December 2009). Historical Dictionary of Brunei Darussalam. Scarecrow Press. pp. Ixiv, Ixvi, 32, 58, 95, 121, 145, 255. ISBN 978-0-8108-7078-9.
5. Masri, Zuliana. "Malayness in Gema Dari Menara (1968)." Southeast Asia: A Multidisciplinary Journal 20.2 (2020): 57-65.
6. Foster, Joseph (1893). Oxford Men, 1880-1892, with a Record of Their Schools, Honours and Degrees. J. Parker. p. 187.
7. Gran Bretaña Dominions Office; Dominions Office (Great Britain).; Gran Bretaña Colonial Office (1939). The Dominions Office and Colonial Office List ...: Comprising Historical and Statistical Information Respecting the Oversea Dominions and Colonial Dependencies of Great Britain... Waterlow & sons limited. p. 686.
8. Colonial Office List ...: Comprising Historical and Statistical Information Respecting the Colonial Dependencies of Great Britain. Waterlow & sons limited. 1908. p. 542.
9. The London Gazette. Tho. Newcomb over against Baynards Castle in Thamse-street. 1895. p. 6903.
10. Vienne, Marie-Sybille de (9 March 2015). Brunei: From the Age of Commerce to the 21st Century. NUS Press. p. 90. ISBN 978-9971-69-818-8.
11. Graham Saunders (5 November 2013). A History of Brunei. Taylor & Francis. pp. 107–117. ISBN 978-1-136-87401-7.
12. Ho, Hannah Ming Yit; Deterding, David (26 February 2021). Engaging Modern Brunei: Research on language, literature, and culture. Springer Nature. p. 4. ISBN 978-981-334-721-2.
13. James Francis Warren (1989). "Report on Brunei in 1904. By M. S. H. McArthur. Introduced and annotated by A. V. M. Horton. Southeast Asia Series 74. Athens: Ohio University Press, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, 1987, xiv, 283 pp. $13.50 (paper)". The Journal of Asian Studies. 48 (1): 225. doi:10.2307/2057752. ISSN 1752-0401. JSTOR 2057752.
14. Saunders, Graham (5 November 2013). A History of Brunei. Routledge. p. 95. ISBN 978-1-136-87394-2.
15. Ooi, Keat Gin (2004). Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor. ABC-CLIO. p. 868. ISBN 978-1-57607-770-2.
16. Hussainmiya, B. A. "Constitutional Practice in Brunei as Highlighted in the 1955 Memorandum of RH Hickling." Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (2006): 23-38.
17. Universiti Brunei Darussalam. "Kampong Ayer Houses". dscapplications.com. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
18. Universiti Brunei Darussalam. "Bubungan 12". dscapplications.com. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
19. "England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858–1995". www.ancestry.com. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
20. Atiyah, Jeremy (2002). Southeast Asia. Rough Guides. p. 76. ISBN 978-1-85828-893-2.

External links

• "Coming of the saviour" By Dr B. A. Hussainmiya

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Office established Harvey Chevallier	British Resident to Brunei January 1906 – May 1907 January 1908 – April 1908	Succeeded by Harvey Chevallier John Fortescue Owen