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but the word British is not included as part of his title, whereas in the other British Adviser," and in the Federated States it is Unfederated States the title is "British Resident.” The Sultan affects to regard the General Adviser in Johore not as a British Officer but as one of his own officers,, and this is, I believe, the reason why he objects to the Union Jack being flown at the residence of the General Adviser. He has also recently made the entirely perverse suggestion that Dr. Winstedt, the present General Adviser, ought to wear the Johore uniform and not the British uniform. Dr. Winstedt has explained to him the error of this suggestion, but the fact that the Sultan from time to time reverts to such an idea shows that he attaches importance to British" from the title of his General Adviser. This title is excluding the word

It seems to unique in Malaya and was copied, before the 1914 Treaty, from Siam. me that it is time to point out to the Sultan clearly and firmly that the General Adviser represents British authority in Johore, and that he is in no sense an officer of the Johore Government. I do not suggest that the Treaty should be altered at present, but I think the Sultan should be told officially that His Majesty's Government desires the Union Jack to be flown at the residence of the General Adviser in Johore Bahru. 5. For the present, in my opinion, it will be sufficient to take these two steps. It might perhaps be thought that the line of least resistance would be to defer action until there is a change of Ruler in Johore, and the present Sultan is succeeded on the throne by his son. It would, however, be very unfair to the Tengku Mahkota to postpone the change until he succeeds his father as Sultan; for the Malays, or at least such of them as are politically minded, would certainly attribute the fact of the change being so delayed to the strength of the present Sultan and the weakness of his successor. They would say that the privileges for which the father had contended so long and so successfully had been sacrificed by the son, and this might make the new ruler's position difficult at the outset of his reign. It is also, in my opinion, important that it should be made clear throughout the Malay Peninsula that all the Rulers of Malay States are on the same footing vis-à-vis His Majesty's Government, and that they are all alike under British protection.

6. I explained my view of this matter fully to Sir Samuel Wilson during his recent tour in Malaya.

13320/33 [No. 2].

No. 43.

I have, &c.,

C. CLEMENTI,

High Commissioner.

UNFEDERATED MALAY STATES (JOHORE).

THE SECRETARY OF STATE to THE HIGH COMMISSIONER. (Confidential.)

Downing Street, 3rd May, 1933.

SIR,

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Confidential despatch of the 17th December, 1932,* on the subject of relations with His Highness the Sultan of Johore.

2.

I do not dissent in principle from the views expressed in your despatch and in your carlier despatch of the 9th October, 1931,t to which you refer; but I doubt whether the moment is an opportune one for taking the initiative in raising points of controversy with the Sultan's Government. I recognize that there are questions upon which the attitude adopted by the Sultan is inadmissible, and in regard to which steps may have to be taken, at some appropriate moment, to regularize the position. For the moment, however, having regard to the general question of relations with the rulers of the Unfederated Malay States, and to the wider issues of policy which you have submitted for my approval, I think it advisable to avoid any action likely to be regarded as an attempt to assimilate the position of those rulers to that of the Sultans of the Federated States.

I have, &c.,

P. CUNLIFFE-LISTER.

* No. 42.

† No. 40.

18320/38 [No. 8].

116 -

No. 44.

UNFEDERATED MALAY STATES (JOHORE).

THE HIGH COMMISSIONER to THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received 18th December, 1933.) Government House,

(Confidential.)

SIR,

Singapore, 6th December, 1933. I HAVE the honour to inform you that the question of the political status of the Sultan of Johore has been revived by the request of His Highness to be excused from attendance at a Durbar, for which I issued invitations on the 27th September, and which I propose to hold in February, 1934, at Singapore, on the lines of the 1930 Durbar; the participants being the Rulers of the Malay States, both federated and unfederated, and the Colonial Secretary representing the Straits Settlements, under the chairmanship of myself. All the Malay Rulers, with the exception of the Sultan of Johore, have agreed to attend this Durbar.

2.

In a letter, a copy of which is enclosed, the Sultan of Johore gives the following reasons for what is in effect a refusal to attend :—

The status of my State is quite different legally, politically, and economi-

cally from that of the other Malay States, federated and unfederated.

<<

'Legally, I am a constitutional ruler and my people have received from me a declaration which follows the Magna Charta.

I am not, as are the other Rulers, an autocratic Malay sovereign possessed of the absolute rights defined recently by the Privy Council. My State is ruled as provided in its written Constitution and my Council cannot, therefore, be ignored. My presence (at the Durbar) would, in my view, be unconstitutional and might well bring me into collision with my Councils.

Politically, my relations with His Majesty the King are through the Governor only, which at once differentiates my position from that of the other States, whose relations are through the High Commissioner. While I was away from my State and without my knowledge or consent a notification was published in the "

Johore Government Gazette," as a result of the last Durbar, to the effect that Johore was placed upon the guidance of the High Commissioner by His Majesty the King. This was not done with my consent or that of the Johore Councils, and with the greatest respect I submit that it is a breach of the letter and spirit of the Treaty of 1885 and the Agreement of 1914.

I have always protested against any connexion with the High Commissioner's Office." 3. On receipt of this letter I wrote to the Sultan, promising to refer to you for authoritative answers to the above points, assuring him that the political status of Johore was not discussed at the last Durbar and explaining that the Durbar was merely a meeting for personal discussion between all the Rulers and myself concerning matters of common interest, and in no sense partook of the character of a legislative assembly in which binding decisions are taken. I attach a copy of this letter.

4. In reply the Sultan again addressed me on 31st October, quoting certain general expressions used by me at the 1930 Durbar, viz., that thus become part of the established machinery of Malayan Administration "

these meetings would (page 3 of the minutes) and "I shall hope to have a future Durbar perhaps next year- at which decisions can be taken "; and His Highness added that, after the Reportt of Sir Samuel Wilson (especially paragraphs 2 and 3 on page 13 and Clauses VIII and IX on page 34) "he had thought the Rulers would be consulted first as to whether any further Durbars should be held at all." He further added that " towards federation or any joint administration of Malaya as a whole would be dis- any tendency approved by his Councils," and again begged to be excused from attendance at the proposed Durbar. In the end, I understand from Dr. Winstedt, that, alone of the Malay States, Johore will consent to be represented only by its Mentri (Prime Minister) or perhaps send no representative at all.

5.

EC

I have every reason to believe that both the Sultan's letters. were drafted by Mr. Braddell, a Singapore lawyer and author of a pamphlet on of the Malay States," on which I addressed you in my Unfederated Malay States The Legal Status (Johore) Confidential despatch of 9th October, 1931,‡ and my Federated Malay States Confidential despatch of 7th April, 1932.§ I have also every reason to believe that

* Not reprinted.

† Cmd. 4276.

‡ No. 40.

$ No. 41.

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BLIC

PECORD OFFICE

༅། ། ། ཀ །

Reference

C.O.882/12

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- | COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO]

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