Of Rajahs and Hornbills: A timeline of Brooke Sarawak
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Selamat Hari Raya Eidilfitri to all celebrating!
If Sarawak does happen to receive Sabah in the peace treaty, they should start considering a more central capital. Sandakan is located near 1400kms away from Kuching. Then again, there is no better location then Kuching itself save the Bay of Brunei and its excellent natural harbour. Maybe Labuan as an administrative capital while Kuching remains the royal residence?
If Sarawak does happen to receive Sabah in the peace treaty, they should start considering a more central capital. Sandakan is located near 1400kms away from Kuching. Then again, there is no better location then Kuching itself save the Bay of Brunei and its excellent natural harbour. Maybe Labuan as an administrative capital while Kuching remains the royal residence?
Intriguing, I wonder if this will impact modern Sulu claims on Sabah anyhow.
That’s going to be the biggest challenge Rajah Clayton will face throughout his reign; the world is no longer the vast wilderness it was during his granduncle’s time, and more intractable forces have grown that can prevent Sarawak from expanding further. The nature of Sarawakian kingship is also changing; the old ways of leadership through strength and stability are still strong in Borneo, but the locals themselves are slowly venturing into the outside world and are beginning to think differently about things, not to mention the awareness of colonialism and the intrusion of outside forces into everyday life.
Dealing with this will be a different sort of battle than his father’s. James Brooke established Sarawak, Charles Brooke expanded it, but Clayton Brooke now has to face the challenge of governing the realm with what he has. The fact that the world is changing but old ideas are still held strong will add to the challenge.
Luckily, his experience in Sabah will provide some pointers on what should be done. The locals are mostly thankful that someone out there is listening to them, though not every Dusun has a warm view of outside forces coming in and ordering about the place. The work is also helping Clayton process his new role and his father and brother’s deaths, which is a better thing than what mental health is available for the time. He’ll remember his Sabahan sojurn, and might even learn a few things from it.
I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that both of them will have disagreements on what to do. Lily and Clayton have very divergent ideas concerning the nature of Sarawak, and it will shape the kingdom in more ways than one.
Quit snooping into my head! Those ideas were supposed to be a surprise!
If Sabah is incorporated into the kingdom at a later time, offering it as a title to the heir is one good option, and the Brookes have cribbed a few aspects of British kingship in the past.
And just my luck to forget Gawai Dayak and Kaamatan on a timeline about Sarawak and Sabah. *facepalm*. Happy Gawai Dayak and Kaamatan to all!!
Brunei is at a turning point, for sure. There are too many variables to ensure a smooth time in the months (or years) ahead, and its fate is also dependant on the whims of its neighbours and the peoples within them.
Needless to say, a lot is going to happen in the coming updates.
The U.S. as a whole in this timeline:
For just a quick breeze-through: the United States is currently neutral, though there are increasing voices for the government to get involved in one side or another. Britain is indeed their most important trading partner, but they do still retain their friendship with France; among other things, the Statue of Liberty was still built in New York as a gift from the French.
I will only say this: the distance from Kuching to Bandar Charles and Sandakan will enforce a certain separation of Sabahan identity from Sarawak, which may or may not be a good or bad thing.
Though the idea of Labuan being the administrative capital is… interesting...
Let’s just say Sulu is that creepy and disagreeable person who shows up at a party and never. leaves.
To my mind, a central capitol is important for a landlocked country. Any nation with plenty of coastline and pretensions of being a naval power or a close alliance to a major one will benefit hugely from a coastal capitol in a good natural harbour or naval lynchpin. Since Sarawak somehow obtaining Singapore is more than unlikely and Brunei itself off the cards as per the posts from the future, there's not that many nice harbours to choose from
A new capital seems unlikely to me. Developing anther city would be a big drain on the budget and I think Clayton's reign will have more focus on spending to bring Sarawak as a whole into, or at least closer, to the 20th century.
The War may have been won but the price was terrible and showed how poorly matched the Sarawak military is to modern warfare in a straight up fight. Rajah Clayton and others I think will acknowledge Sarawak can scarcely afford another victory like this, much less a crushing defeat as the gap grows.
So for the Rajahs I think their legacies could shape up like this:
James The Founder
Charles The Conqueror
Clayton The Modernizer
Of course I'm not sure just how far Clayton might get. He might make some great breakthroughs but the truly sweeping changes coming after him with his role having been more to set up the foundations others will build upon.
And naturally first we have both rebuilding, and wars still to come, as the fallout from the war plays out in Borneo.
The War may have been won but the price was terrible and showed how poorly matched the Sarawak military is to modern warfare in a straight up fight. Rajah Clayton and others I think will acknowledge Sarawak can scarcely afford another victory like this, much less a crushing defeat as the gap grows.
So for the Rajahs I think their legacies could shape up like this:
James The Founder
Charles The Conqueror
Clayton The Modernizer
Of course I'm not sure just how far Clayton might get. He might make some great breakthroughs but the truly sweeping changes coming after him with his role having been more to set up the foundations others will build upon.
And naturally first we have both rebuilding, and wars still to come, as the fallout from the war plays out in Borneo.
I think its more like;
James the Founder
Charles the Builder
Clayton the Concilliator
Just dropping in from a place with bad cell coverage to say I am enjoying all the Brooke titles you have all whipped up!
And as for a new capital, bear in mind that Sarawak's oceanic and riverine nature would err any government (if they wanted) to choose a site that not only offers deep anchorage, but also offer the best acess to the oulying archipelagos and the biggest river systems throughout the kingdom. It's one thing to deal with a lowland Dayak conflict, but another when it's a tribal war in the deep highlands with only the headwaters to guide you.
And as for a new capital, bear in mind that Sarawak's oceanic and riverine nature would err any government (if they wanted) to choose a site that not only offers deep anchorage, but also offer the best acess to the oulying archipelagos and the biggest river systems throughout the kingdom. It's one thing to deal with a lowland Dayak conflict, but another when it's a tribal war in the deep highlands with only the headwaters to guide you.
Wartime Borneo (2/?): A Sulu imam, more Bruneian rumbles, and highland stirrings...
On the banks of the Limbang River, Brunei Sultanate, 4 April 1906
“…Yes.” Came the reply, and the visitor’s brow wrinkled further in distaste. “The sultan is now asking for more than what we can earn. There are already fights on this over in Belait and Tutong, and it will not be long before the local Pengirans travel up here to seek your share.”
The gathering of the Lun Bawang village grew agitated at the words. Gasps and murmurs filled the longhouse’s verandah, the high roof doing its work splendidly in keeping out the midday sun at the expense of reflecting back the mass of words spoken beneath them; the sour emotions of the crowd infusing the air with anxiousness and bad faith.
Gamit rubbed his forehead at the downstream visitor’s implications. “And here I thought it was the crazy preacher’s the problem. The Orang Itali were trouble enough, and our rice is still not yet in full bloom. Paying taxes is an impossibility for us at this point.”
“Actually,” continued Akid the Malay trader. “I think the crazy preacher might be connected with all of this.”
The gathering fell silent. Outside, a light wind rustled the canopy trees.
Akid spoke further. “I may be wrong here, and Allah help me if I am in error, but ever since the imam from Sulu came into Bandar Brunei, things have been… odd. Different, lately. Some nobles are being replaced, and so are some of the holy people; the Syarifs and Syariffas. From what I have heard, our new sultan seems to be quite taken with our newcomer, and the imam has preached vehemently about uniting this land under my faith to resist foreign rule-”
(“Yes-yes-yes, and now the Orang Itali are now replaced by the Orang Ingris.” An elderly Lun Bawang man beside Gamit whispered in his ear. “So much for that.”)
“-and he has requested the sultan to raise enough money so that prayer houses can be built, that weapons can be bought. So that learned men can be enticed from afar to teach the...” Akid looked around “…unbelieving. I think the imam has more power than you think, and I think our higher taxes are going to make his dreams come true.”
Gamit prodded on. “But hasn’t he known of our ancient pact? Or has the sultan forgotten to tell Ecik Imam who exactly protects the hinterlands of Bandar Brunei? We who still guard the Limbang River when everyone else has left for Sarawak or stood down or turned away from their faiths? I refused to accept the faith of the Itali people, nor the Ingris. I am not disrespecting you, but what makes this man think I shall now accept his?”
For all its worth, Akid was not offended. He looked unsure.
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Nita Julaihi , Salahdodin: The Man and The World, (Brunei Press: 1979)
…The Sultanate of Sulu was an unequal realm.
While this was true of all traditional polities in Southeast Asia, the court of Sulu held social views about the region that were dimmer than most. Despite the recent attempts by their historians to whitewash the past and say their neighbour peoples were ‘different, not less’, the many texts and tales scattered across the Sundaland archipelago speak a different story. While the state did engage in peaceful international trade, ‘different and less’ formed the pillar of her naval reach, whether it be loot taken from regional pirate raids or indigenous slaves taken from Sabah and the Philippines.
Along with this rapaciousness came a racial and religious prejudice that was baked into the ruling class and – to a lesser extent – the Tausug people of Jolo as a whole. The biggest example of this was their relations with the Sama-Bajau people; while trade, relations, and marital relationships did occur between the subgroup and the Sulu polity, they were never seen as fully equal in the eyes of the latter unless the subgroup settled, practiced ‘true’ Islam, and become acculturated into the dominant Tausug group. To the largely settled, orthodox-minded Sulu administration (though still syncretic to outsiders), the seafaring peoples of Borneo were ‘lesser Muslims’. Shouldn’t proper Muslims be dissuaded from venerating oceanic spirits? Shouldn’t proper people settle down instead of travelling with the waves? And shouldn’t proper Muslims be less merciful to the animists that live amongst themselves? [1]
Their views on the indigenous peoples of Borneo and Mindanao were just as nuancedly dim: good to trade with (in the best of times), or to take with (otherwise), but never seen in the same level as themselves.
It was in this mind-set that Salahodin Abulkayr grew up in, but his incendiary worldviews also came from another source: that of his turbulent adolescence.
Born to religious parents in late 1876, Salahodin grew up in a dying Sulu Sultanate. He was only a few months old when the Spanish Philippine navy bombarded Jolo Island and the capital therein, igniting the wooden city of his birth into a blazing inferno [2]. The subsequent capitulation and occupation saw his family relocating to Maguindanao, seeking a more peaceful existence. Unfortunately, Salahodin’s teenage years saw the Spanish pacification of Mindanao and his family bore some of the violence first-hand. His father, Salo Abdulwahid, was interned thrice by colonial authorities for “inciting severe opposition”, while their village of Parang was overrun repeatedly by Spanish troops, Philippine recruits from the north, and indigenous auxiliaries – known later as the Lumad peoples.
Photograph of a captured Muslim Moro undergoing a conversion to Catholic Christianity, circa 1897. Such actions would have been seen as outrageous for the young Salahodin.
And it was the latter group that struck a chord with the adolescent Salahodin. Up until then, he regarded the natives of the land with the same indifference as most others from Sulu, so the appearance of Bukidnon and Manobo groups holding rifles to aid the Spanish must have been a shock to him [3]. The fact that some of them were converted to Catholicism was even more so for it added a religious bite to local conflicts, forcefully severing local ties between various communities. Unsurprisingly, the several other Mindanao tribes allied with local Muslim lords were quick to repay their foes in kind. Because of all this, Salahodin quickly kept his head low to avoid arrest or suspicion from either side. But the idea of native, religiously-allied auxiliaries never truly left him.
In 1902, the 26-year old imam (religious teacher) returned back to Jolo to set up a madrassa or religious school. It wasn’t long till the Spanish were aroused when word spread of a radical preacher who advocated racial and religious unity to resist their ‘conquerors’. Later hopping from island to island to avoid capture, Salahodin espoused resistance across the archipelago, orating his ideas of forming bonds with indigenous tribes and convert them into the Islamic faith to fight the Spanish. His message was somewhat controversial, not least because it was spoken in a land where indigenous acceptance was a sordid issue. But it was also a land where anti-Spanish guerrilla attacks still occurred and where radical ideas were being searched about by the common-folk and the incensed Datus. By 1905, his khutbahs became well-known throughout the Sulu archipelago.
1905 was also when the Great War arrived to Borneo. Despite their distance from global politics, the Spanish Philippines were alarmed at the prospect of world war and feared the chance of a conflict spillover from the ruckus in Sabah. Unsurprising then that Manila immediately sent multiple battalions south to safeguard Sulu and Mindanao from getting any ideas. In October, Salahodin was finally captured whilst sailing to Mindanao, where he would be later sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment at the lakeside town of Dansalan [4]. He escaped the very next month with local help.
The stint in prison changed him. Now wary of the Spanish, he squirreled away to Sulu and hunkered down for a while, or at least he tried until the local garrisons there began looking for him. With foes nipping on his heels, Salahodin made a desperate choice and sailed northwest to Paragua [5], landing on a town that bared a hallmark of the changes in nearby Borneo: Brooke’s Point. The port had once been a sleeping village until a certain adventurer-Rajah named James Brooke sailed there to strike a peace deal between the locals and pirates [6]. From then on, the village slowly grew as it traded with the ever-expanding kingdom, especially with the Sarawakian-Sabahan hub of Bandar Charles. By the time Salahodin Abulkayr landed in November 29th, it was among the largest towns in southern Paragua.
The locals told just as much to him, as well as how Sarawak was born and how they named the town out of respect for the Rajah. However, that simply rekindled Salahodin’s sense of injustice; one tale recounts how he publicly swore that the White Rajahs would fall and Borneo be returned “to the faithful and the righteous”. In all, he barely stayed a fortnight in Brooke’s Point before departing for the one state that could be receptive to his message; that was hit the most by the Brooke family’s imperious expansionism: Brunei…
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Fatimah Ebrahim, British Brunei, (Macmillan Workshop: 1991)
…March 1906 dawned with a gigantic surprise to many Bruneians when they were told that produce, coin, and rice taxes would be more than doubled, compared to last year’s. [A]
Officially, Bandar Brunei espoused that their exit from being an Italian protectorate has burdened the state to fund itself, especially to improve local roads and ports. Many dismissed the statements as lies; such infrastructural needs were already maintained by British and Sarawakian aid over the last few months, and besides, if Brunei were in such dire straits then shouldn’t the palace court increase taxes the moment the Italians left?
Indeed, the arrival of Salahodin to the Bruneian court was akin to flinging a match on a lake of petrofluid. The palace was stung by the death of their long-time sultan, at the rejection of their protection pleas by their Ottoman aspirants, by the overwhelming presence of the British and the powerful Brooke family, and above all, by the indifference of the world when the tiny sultanate was trampled in a global war. [7] Once, Bandar Brunei ruled sovereign over all of coastal Borneo and beyond. Now, it could not even defend itself in the Great Game of Sundaland geopolitics.
So it may not be a surprise that the new Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin IV found the Sulu imam’s words of social and religious unity a powerful one. Salahodin held a fiery core of anti-colonialism from his days in Sulu and Maguindanao, and he used it in full force to influence the court. In Friday khutbahs, he espoused how Brunei could no longer give up more land without wiping itself from existence, and that a powerful show of strength through religious unity could, at least, “make the great nations see that we are not dust under their feet.” For this, he advocated the Islamization and purification of Brunei’s indigenous peoples, arguing that their history of switching sides and foreign support, “is a powerful threat to Brunei until they are included into the ummah.”
Alongside this, Salahodin also pushed the royal court to deepen diplomatic links to Aceh and acquire armaments from there, positing how an armed Brunei would be tougher to be pushed around. This was when first signs of courtly friction appeared, as many older nobles argued that such aggression would only induce Sarawak and the British to see Brunei more as a threat to be eliminated. Sadly, the recent turmoil has convinced many more that strong action was needed for the sultanate’s protection, and so Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin IV raised taxes on March 1906 to fund the endeavour – the issue of oil royalties from Seria was still deadlocked with the inflexible petroleum corporations.
To say that the locals were unamused was an understatement. The increase in taxes led to heated fights between villagers and local lords, while the Dayaks of the Limbang River were incensed that their steadfast loyalty to the sultanate – throughout the turbulence, colonialism, and carving-ups – was being repaid by Islamization and the encouragement to abandon old folkways. It was not for nothing that the chieftain Gamit Datan of the Lun Bawang people described the situation as “the biggest motivation to side with Sarawak than anything else.”
But in all this, neither the local Malays, Dayaks, the fractious palace court, or even Salahodin and Omar Ali Saifuddin expected the simmering tensions deep within north-central Borneo…
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The highlands of north-central Borneo, mid-May 1906
“…so that’s one more longhouse within this valley now-”
“This is insane!! This place can no longer hold any more new groups, and yet we hear more are coming in from the northeast by the season! We cannot accept any more settlements, lest there be war over what is left of the lands!”
“So what do we do then, let them all starve!?”
“Fight, you idiot!! We have lived in this valley for generations, and our ancestors would cry for us to defend our rice and our streams! How would they say if we simply say ‘oh yes, you-and-you can take the far side of the hills and all the game and beasts that lie there?’ Our grandfathers would have struck the entire longhouse the moment they have heard of such!’
“You are mad!”
“Says the man who hasn’t lopped off a single head!!”
“QUIET, BOTH OF YOU!!! Unless you want to be sent and meet your ancestors early!! Balang, no matter how generous we are, this valley can not hold anyone and everyone who is fleeing from whatever lies beyond the northeast! Ipoi, even if we win one battle, the number of people coming in shall ensure such war that we shall all be whittled down and be destroyed by the following harvest!”
“Again, so what do you think we should do? Nothing?”
“-Perhaps it is time.”
“…’’
“What are you saying, O augur?”
“…I am sure we have all heard of the strange new foreigners who now rule the place where the land meets the saltwaters. I have observed many changes in the birdsongs and the stars, besides the tales our newcomers have brought with them. The Askari and their weapons are fearsome, but they are not without their foes. I feel it is time to ask the lowlanders to the west for guidance and aid.”
“Wait! Do we even know that they know of us? And even if we may seek their aid, who among us can actually understand them?”
“...perhaps no one. But we must try.”
“Why?”
“... This has become more than just us now.”
____________________
Notes:
Recovery. New Job. New hours. Not enough time to write as much as I did. I’m not entirely happy with this update, as I was planning on writing out the climax between the Sarawak-Brunei-mountainfolk tensions here. But with my long day work and the timeline now weeks behind schedule, it’s better to have it simply finished-up rather than be perfect.
A. Old Brunei’s system of taxation would be right at home to people studying the European and Asian medieval era. There was the typical coin taxes on international trade, but if for say, you’re a person in a region of Brunei that is famous for pearls, then the state would exact a tax in the form of a set amount of pearls to be sent to the capital. Whatever product or resource that a region has in abundance, it would be that that would be demanded as taxes to Brunei.
During their glory days, the central palace sent out officials and nobles throughout the entirely of coastal Borneo and the Philippines, exacting taxes in everything from rice, wild rubber, pearls and coral, and forestry resources, giving the sultanate a level of wealth and sophistication that was envied throughout the post-Malaccan Malay world. Bruneian Kuching/Sarawak used to actually be famous for its hill rice (grown by the Bidayuh people, no less) and was taxed in such before the discovery of antimony in the 1800’s.
[1] The prejudice and difficulties of the Sama-Bajau in being accepted by Sulu were learnt from these papers. In general, there seemed to be a trend in settled peoples being distrustful of their nomadic counterparts, whether in Borneo or elsewhere. In fact, Brunei was actually more accommodating of the subgroup than Sulu, with some Sama-Bajau ascending into the state nobility. The latter’s influence has also laid its mark today with the many settled Bajau communities of western Sabah, which was started under Bruneian rule.
[2] See post #527 for the circumstances regarding the Spanish bombardment of Jolo.
[3] See post #954 for more detail on the conflict between the Spanish Philippines and Sulu-Maguindanao.
[4] Dansalan = modern-day Marawi. Yes, that Marawi.
[5] Paragua = modern-day Palawan.
[6] Oh yes, Brooke’s Point is a real town in Palawan today, and it was named so because James Brooke brokered a deal with the local people. In OTL, it was the Americans who named the place as such. ITTL, the townsfolk chose the name by themselves.
[7] See the previous update on Brunei.
[2] See post #527 for the circumstances regarding the Spanish bombardment of Jolo.
[3] See post #954 for more detail on the conflict between the Spanish Philippines and Sulu-Maguindanao.
[4] Dansalan = modern-day Marawi. Yes, that Marawi.
[5] Paragua = modern-day Palawan.
[6] Oh yes, Brooke’s Point is a real town in Palawan today, and it was named so because James Brooke brokered a deal with the local people. In OTL, it was the Americans who named the place as such. ITTL, the townsfolk chose the name by themselves.
[7] See the previous update on Brunei.
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I find it understandable of how the imam's turbulent upbringing affected his viewpoints, but it doesn't give much sympathy on that guy. Only a stick in the mud would refuse to learn how his enemies would do well in their administrative regions, doesn't really give any care or respect on the locals, and stubbornly convince the new Sultan to stay with an ally that barely cares about the kingdom's plight. The imam knows how to bring fire and brimstone in his speeches, but he's certainly not a politician with much pragmatism on him.
Thank you for bringing in a new chapter! I must've been binge reading on Ship Shape and Bristol Fashion and reading up on random Wikipedia and TV Tropes pages to give me that feeling that the Brunei Sultanate wants to do something and go down on a road that sounds like something that I can only suspect...
Thank you for bringing in a new chapter! I must've been binge reading on Ship Shape and Bristol Fashion and reading up on random Wikipedia and TV Tropes pages to give me that feeling that the Brunei Sultanate wants to do something and go down on a road that sounds like something that I can only suspect...
If this fanatical fool is as highly acclaimed and trusted as he is, I cannot see the few remaining native tribes which still pay tribute to Brunei not joining Sarawak. If Brunei survies, it seems to be heading to being just a micronation with no actual resources.
I wonder how the Dutch will feel about chunks of the central highlands declaring for Sarawak, if that is the path this seems to lead to.
I wonder how the Dutch will feel about chunks of the central highlands declaring for Sarawak, if that is the path this seems to lead to.
So this Great War, like ours, will have local aftershocks - a brewing religious civil war in Brunei and irredentist conflict in north Borneo. It could easily become more general in scope; for one thing, I doubt that Salahodin will be satisfied with purifying just Brunei, and a religious movement tied to anti-colonial sentiment could easily catch fire in the Dutch-occupied regions.
Salahodin is a character that is both righteous and foolish, as well as horribly paternalistic past the point of decency. Inheriting old prejudices and living a turbulent life made him realize the brutality of colonialism, but it also created a condescending view of indigenous folks that amounts to nothing more above than "lost people who need the guidance of Islam - to be cannon fodder." His dad being locked up thrice didn't help with his moral senses.
Brunei isn't absolved of this either. The palace court had been hinging on Ottoman help since even before the Italians came, and having their pleas rejected - while independent Aceh, Johor, and (to an extent) Riau-Lingga having their own Turkish links - is a really bitter pill to swallow, so they're not entirely giving up even though the Porte doors have now definitively closed. The sultanate essentially became the state-level example of people and hoping on impossible odds.
I must note that despite being in the borders of Sarawak and Dutch Borneo, the deep interior of the island was still unexplored during the early 1900's, and parts of the central highlands were literally inaccessible to outsiders till WWII. Make of that what you will.
Why of course. Why would it be otherwise his section of the update is titled "Salahdodin: The Man and The World" ?
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Sounds like several well known infamous individuals in history that we know of. When he does bring about trouble, I think the Brunei Sultanate and his court would be the unfortunate victims to witness that Salahodin has brought back to them something that he bit off more than he could chew and hoping that they can deal with it.
What is hilarious down the line here might be that if one looks at it in a different context, Salahodin is the greatest ally that Sarawak and/or Britain will ever have and is an effective imam that brought the differing tribes in Borneo under Sarawak's sphere or influence
Imam: here is my plan.....
Sultan:. Ooo! Great idea! Let's go from being an annoyance to Sarawak and irrelevant to Britain, to being an eroding ulcer to Sarawak and a visible nuisance to Britain! As an additional benefit, it pisses off half of our most loyal populace! Let's do it!!
I'm not saying he wouldn't go for it, it's just that it's suicide. Probably painful suicide.
Sultan:. Ooo! Great idea! Let's go from being an annoyance to Sarawak and irrelevant to Britain, to being an eroding ulcer to Sarawak and a visible nuisance to Britain! As an additional benefit, it pisses off half of our most loyal populace! Let's do it!!
I'm not saying he wouldn't go for it, it's just that it's suicide. Probably painful suicide.
Im having trouble guessing if this is the Sarawak occupation, or something ive missed.
The most mind-boggling thing of it all was that Brunei's decision to raise revolt-making taxes was an actual policy they enacted in that very decade.
By 1901, Brunei was a monetary hellpit that swallowed every loan and stipend the royal court could wrangle. The loss of so many territories had effectively cut off many sources of revenue, forcing Bandar Brunei to use their remaining forestry assets as collateral for Chinese loans, which quickly ran out.Why was the state a money sink? Because the infrastructure of Bandar Brunei, the local ports, and the sheer cost of administration swallowed up enormous amounts of cash. The sultan’s own household itself was another money sink with around 172 people to feed, house, clothe, and care for, not to mention the dozens of palace nobles with their own large families, and this is discounting the staff! By the 1900’s, Brunei was so deep in debt that Sarawak was effectively financing the state’s very existence, giving the royal court stipends and loans of up to 10,000 Dollars, which only shackled Brunei closer to the Brookes.
To even pay all these debts without relinquishing their sovereignty or independence, Brunei had no choice but to raise taxes to astronomical heights; in Belait alone, the Pengiran Bendahara (High Minister) collected 3-years’ worth of coin taxes alone from the locals, whom were so outraged they literally murdered their tax collectors and flew the Sarawak flag over the town! Rebellions later broke out in the Belait and Tutong districts in 1901 and 1903 over high taxation, and Charles Brooke offered the sultan to buy the rebellious regions outright. Hundreds of families were recorded moving over from Brunei to Sarawak simply because taxes were lower across the border.
Things got so bad that over in Singapore, the Governor-General and his officers were seriously considering to let Brunei go and let it be annexed to Sarawak outright. The only reason they didn’t was their fear of the United States swooping in and adding Brunei to their own commonwealth of the Philippines. If there was ever a time for the sultanate to be extinguished from history, it would be in the early 1900’s.
ITTL, the circumstances are different, but the root problems are still there. Brunei’s reduced territories are straining their tax collections, and the royal court is bursting full with large families to feed and maintain, not to mention the other money sink that was the city infrastructure. They had made it through the Italian era because the latter propped the royal court with generous stipends, but that’s now gone with the Great War, and while the Sarawak-British forces are helping out with the roads and ports, Bandar Brunei is leery of being financially shackled again. Salahodin the imam is espousing for a united and defensive sultanate, but with the oil royalties of Seria a deadlocked issue, the only way for the state to acquire enough money to buy armaments from Aceh – without falling into debt – is… by increasing local taxes.
This whole thing could be seen as comical, if it weren't so hopelessly depressing. Brunei really was a state that tried everything it could to sustain itself, only for it to dig deeper and deeper holes for itself over time. If it were not for the discovery of oil in the 1920’s, there’s a high chance Brunei wouldn’t have made it till today at all.
I made that portion to be intentionally vague, so don't worry if you're guessing over it. The deep interior of Borneo is a really mountainous realm, so any mention of news from the coasts - if they could even make it from the coasts - would sound as if it was played on the world's longest game of telephone. Some places are easily traversable with semi-nomadic tribes in easy contact with one another, while other places were so isolated they are still hard to get through even today. The tribe that was in argument has heard of some disturbance down on the coasts, but they are near-clueless as to what's happening in the outside world.
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You mean everything but cutting parasitic nobles off from government revenue?