Malcolm Stewart Hannibal McArthur

Malcolm Stewart Hannibal McArthur (1872-1934) was the first British resident and the de facto founder of modern Brunei. Without his contribution through the Report on Brunei 1904, which is considered the most important document in the country,[1] Brunei would have already been devoured by its external enemies and the modern neo-Sultanate may have never existed at all. He furthermore established the modern city of BSB, set up the police force, postal office, jail, and other institutions. He also fought hard against corruption among the scheming and squabbling nobilities, effectively strengthening the monarchial powers of the Sultanate. He also introduced common law in the land. It goes without saying, as Stamford Raffles is to Singapore, Malcolm S.H. McArthur is to Brunei Darussalam.

The son of General Charles McArthur and his wife Lucy Large, he was born in Medway, Kent. He was educated in Kelly College, Tavistock and Queen's college, University of Oxford.[2] 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).[3] He was dispatched to Brunei to make recommendations about the structure of the administration for the "dying sultanate". McArthur was appointed Acting Consul in April 1904, arrived to Brunei on 3 May and remained until 10 November.[4] Following his Report on Brunei in 1904 the British government decided to maintain Brunei as a separate administrative entity.[5] Malcolm retired in 1922, due to ill health, moving to Italy where he died in 1934

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

References
  1. http://bruneiresources.blogspot.com/2008/02/mcarthurs-1904-report-make-or-break-for.html
  2. 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.
  3. The London Gazette. Tho. Newcomb over against Baynards Castle in Thamse-street. 1895. p. 6903.
  4. Graham Saunders (5 November 2013). A History of Brunei. Taylor & Francis. pp. 107–117. ISBN 978-1-136-87401-7.
  5. Keat Gin Ooi (2004). Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor. ABC-CLIO. p. 868. ISBN 978-1-57607-770-2.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.