Spurned by a strange confusion about one of AE's maps, how could we get a CSA that controls Malaysia as a colony.
Maybe I'm not creative enough, but I don't see a way to do it with Malaysia. I can do it with Indonesia, though.
Since the CSA sees itself as a successor to the USA, it makes sense that the Monroe Doctrine is still in effect. In the late 1890's, the Dutch attempt to expand their influence in the Caribbean as Spain's power wanes. The reason would have to be a bit ASB. The CSA sees it as an attack and declares war. They take the Antilles.
At the same time, Confederate agents stir up trouble in Indonesia. The inhabitants start fighting for independence. This keeps the Dutch forces occupied mainly there. Once the Confederates finish mopping up in the Caribbean, they attack the Dutch in Indonesia. They assist the locals in their fight. Once the Dutch leave, the Confederate military government announces that it is the de facto government until such time as the Indonesians can create one of their own. They never get their own government set up until after the Imperial Japanese army forces the Confederates out in the summer of 1941, six months after they conquered the nation of Hawaii, ensuring that the navies of North America would be too far away to bother them.