Sarawak PoD 1949 - A TL

It would be pretty smart of them to do so though perhaps racism would be one of the key barriers against it. Maybe having a Brooke prince or two marrying into the Eurasian Indos of Indonesia (perhaps maybe inviting a couple thousand over to settle in the country after the latter gets its independence?)

Sure, that would be a problem initially, but by say OTL 2012 I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem
 
Sarawak!!! Sarawak!!!

Dirga... Hayu!!!
Dirga... Hayu!!!

:D:D:D

As a Sarawakian... I'm Happy...:D:D

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As a prize, take this...
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:D:D:D
 
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A little bit off there... A bit only...

It would be pretty smart of them to do so though perhaps racism would be one of the key barriers against it. Maybe having a Brooke prince or two marrying into the Eurasian Indos of Indonesia (perhaps maybe inviting a couple thousand over to settle in the country after the latter gets its independence?)

You'll be surprised to hear this... Unlike our certain Austrian corporal (I won't mention names...:rolleyes::D) Charles Brooke was firmly believes that mixed race generation (He doesn't care you are Eurasian or mixes of other races...) was key factor in uniting this state... And well suited as administrator of the state as the race barrier had been breached... Another good leftover from good old days... Hell... He also fathered a Eurasian, Ezra Brooke(Its official)...

I think it's either Robert Pringle or Benedict Sandin mention it in their books...
 
You'll be surprised to hear this... Unlike our certain Austrian corporal (I won't mention names...:rolleyes::D) Charles Brooke was firmly believes that mixed race generation (He doesn't care you are Eurasian or mixes of other races...) was key factor in uniting this state... And well suited as administrator of the state as the race barrier had been breached... Another good leftover from good old days... Hell... He also fathered a Eurasian, Ezra Brooke(Its official)...

I think it's either Robert Pringle or Benedict Sandin mention it in their books...

Ah I didn't know that. Then things will be very interesting for Sarawak then. I am anticipating for more updates then.
 
Yeah... Hope it'll be better than a clusterfuck state run by an old geezer...:mad:
Sorry for my language...

Well I wasnt planning to kill it - Its definatly going to be better than that - it will be quite a long time before Anthony dies though :D

Regarding the whole issue of the Brooke marrying natives - it is going to happen but as Anthony was nearly kicked out for marrying the european sister of a government official - it may take a while.
 
Well I wasnt planning to kill it - Its definatly going to be better than that - it will be quite a long time before Anthony dies though :D

Regarding the whole issue of the Brooke marrying natives - it is going to happen but as Anthony was nearly kicked out for marrying the european sister of a government official - it may take a while.

Good to hear...:)
 
Attlee and Abdillah

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Newpaper of the banning of the Rajah Muda from entering Sarawak - such was his support that the British feared open insurgency should be arrive in the country. Noticeable is the lies of the colonial office towards the bottom, in fact those supporting the british were the minority. Many in Britain felt that the dominance of the Malays in the Council Negri and among nationalists meant the rest of the country did not support them - they were wrong.

An important part of these unfolding events lay many miles away in London. The post war government was that of Clement Attlee. They had made great progress in conquering many of the plagues left by the conflict. Recently however they had taken losses in the 1950 general election dispite an increase in the popular vote. This was held to be wealthy voters objecting to his strongly working class emphasis and thinking a conservative government would make them more prosperous. He was focused on keeping his party unified and working with a slim majority - as you can imagine Sarawak was not top of his mind.


Clement Attlee - British Prime Minister (1945-1954)

By 1950 the british empire appeared to be on the decline, outclassed by both America and the USSR. Attlee avoided loosing face by withdrawing from Palestine just as things began to erupt in a withdrawal popular with the public however it resulted in a mess that has yet to heal. His government had followed policies of decolonisation that had resulted in the independance of India,Burma and Ceylon along with other eastern colonies - Attlee recognised that to attempt to keep them would be impossible given their realtive strength and numbers. It also saw the genesis of the Commonwealth through the spread of dominion status . The Sarawakians argued that this should be extended to them as well. Much emphasis was placed on using the remaining colonies to help Britains desperate bank balance with development schemes and investment. Many in Sarawak feared they would be exploited and have their assets shipped to Britain.

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1950 protests in Kuching area. By March control was only kept through occupation by colonial police and troops of urban areas and through the resources of the crown colony of North Borneo opperating from Labuan. The YMA which the british had set up to increase support of colonialism had instead become a hotbed of nationalist furvor and the base from which extremist elements had begun to immerge. Indeed the YMA had formed a group called "Rukun" or pillar as they claimed to be a pillar of freedom and independance. They were nearly para-military, organised mass youths who took control of areas of towns across Sarawak and preventing British civil control from acting effectively. Additionally things were complicated by the arrival in late 1949 of refugees from China after the victory of communism, they feared that the Rukun would establish a communist state and called on Britain to prevent this.

The sudden increase in the level of opposition in Sarawak had led to questions being asked of the Colonial Office, the government even agreed to a proposal from the Council Negri that a delegation be sent to talk about the crisis. At the same time the Brookes had begun formal proceedings against the sale of Sarawak and the issue began to become known in Britain.

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The start of formal proceedings that would leed to an invitation for Anthony Brooke to come to Britain.

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Arrival of Anthony Brooke - Rajah Muda and head of the Sarawak delegation - in Britain.

On March 13 the official Sarawak delegation arrived in Britain. Referred to by Churchill as "a motley affair" they were 9 strong. The british government had been unwilling to allow the Rajah to attend because he was under MI5 watch and basically trapped in his house in Singapore however given the state of Sarawak they were forced to accpet the demands that he be able to attend. The Post war Britain they arrived in was a grim place - in spite of great advances made by the Attlee administration they were forced in austerity measures and loss of wealth. In such drab surrondings the arrival of an exotic party to Westminister - covered in Sarawak flags as they were - caused great attention.

Abang Abdillah gave his now famous speech outside Westminister in which he compared the suffering of the people of Sarawak to that of Singapore during the war. Many saw in him another Ghandi. His eloquant speeches made front page news and the issue shot up the public awareness, the majority of people felt sympathy for the Sarawakian cause and support for the tradition of the Brooke rule. The Colonial office issued statements against this but they appeared clumsy and barbaric.


Clement Attlee and King George VI awaiting the arrival of Anthony Brooke - 1950.

A key moment of the entire affair was when - against the advice of the Colonial office - Anthony Brooke was invited to tea with the royal family. George VI was known to be a generous and warm hearted ruler, he also was strongly agaisnt racism and authoritarianism - having called South African bodyguards "the Gestapo". Brooke suggested both in referance to the harsh repression of the Colonial Office in Sarawak. The two men were said to get on brilliantly, both talking about their wartime experinces. Anthony Brooke met and apparently "charmed" the young princess Elizabeth who had just arrived back from a royal tour of Australia and New Zealand and was appaled at the treatment of the people of Sarawak. As a result of this royal pressure began to mount of Attlee and the Colonial Office.

From the modern perspective one could perhaps see that Sarawak to Attlee had become an issue of annoyance, fighting for public opinion and support he became unwilling to risk supporting the Colonial Office to repress another Eastern colony that was causing trouble. Better instead to negotiate and see if a solution favourable to Britain could be extracted at minimal cost. It was suggested that Sarawak should be made a dominion with the rights of the Brookes enshrined in a new constitution and self rule granted.
 
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A fine update you written there, sir! :D

Thank you.

An comments or advice on style anyone ? Is it generally okay ?

Afraid these are the boring bits at the start - should hopefully get more enjoyable once independance is declared and history starts to change more. Anyone notice the butterfly Ive already included ? :D
 
It would be pretty smart of them to do so though perhaps racism would be one of the key barriers against it. Maybe having a Brooke prince or two marrying into the Eurasian Indos of Indonesia (perhaps maybe inviting a couple thousand over to settle in the country after the latter gets its independence?)
Problem with that though is that wouldn't it still be marrying out (of Sarawak), even if to a part native? You would also need to be very careful about bringing in outsiders and giving the impression of official favouritism, especially if they become successful, IIRC isn't that partly what lead to the somewhat recent troubles in Fiji?
 
Kuching Calling

The official negotiations between the Sarawak delegation and British government took place throughout April but perhaps the key parts of the entire affair were the private conversations within 10 Downing Street, between Attlee and Anthony Brooke. They agreed that the situation in Sarawak was not sustainable and that Brooke rule would be the best cure. However Attlee wanted assurances that British interests would be protected and the economic wealth of Sarawak would not be cut off from British companies. The Rajah was focused not only on regaining his throne but also in prtecting the potention nation from hostile enemies with British support. Eventually a deal was struck. Attlee would push an act through parliament that would give Sarawak independance as a dominion in the British Commonwealth with Rajah Brooke as head of state. Britain would garrison Sarawak in the case of warfare or civil insurgency subject to the call of the Rajah.

Part of the reason that the government was willing to negotiate was that they feared that the mass support of nationalism in Sarawak would become a breeding ground for extremism, possibly communist extremists as they were fighting in Malaya. The Sarawak armed forces - the Rangers - were engaged in Malaya as part of the commonwealth forces, Attlee made Anthony Brooke agree that Sarawak would keep them in the war and would sign an alliance with Britain against foriegn motivated actions. Sarawak was seen as crucially important because of its high population of ethnic chinese and its central position in the vunerable South China Sea area.

The Sarawak Reform Act was debated in parliament through summer, it enjoyed majority Labour and Liberal support along with some dissenting Conservatives who approved of the changes. However the right of the Labour party led by Hugh Gaitskill objected to the withdrawel of profitable direct british control. Anthony Eden and Churchill were notable opponents of the bill but they were out of touch with general public opinion which by now was strongly behind the people of Sarawak. Attlee experinced a rise in support and was seen as showing compassion and realism. The Act was passed in November on the 10th.

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Formal ceremony In Kuching of the transfer of authority in Sarawak from the Colonial Office to the new government of Anthony Brooke. The memorial had previously been a centre of demostration and nationalist speaking during the times now called by the british "Berkeroncong" or "The rumblings".

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Offices of the Council Negri in Kuching after transfer from british officials - soon to be renamed Government House. Notable are the cars outside - from the restoration onwards they became increasingly common. Particually when Sarawak Leyland was established.


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March in support of the act. Many such events took place during November.

Immense rejoucing took place across the country. Thousands of people flooded the streets in support of Anthony and the new Council Negri based government. Although anti-british feeling had been running high the majority of people obeyed the calls for peace of the civil service and kept to noisy celebration. An important and damaging changes was the exodus of influential british residents to Straits Settlements such as Singapore - their wealth would be sorely missed.

The Act as a formal document made Sarawak a dominion of the British Commonwealth. It granted them internal government to be controlled by the Council Negri although the final form of government would be a democratic monarchy with a new constitution. Britain recognised the Rajah as the righteous monarchy of the Sarawakian people and head of the stateon the understanding that he rocognised King George as head of the commonwealth. Much of the british interests and priveledges were protected along with the ceding of the Sarawak claim to Labuan which became an independant Crown Colony. Attlee invested in a new armed forces base on the island.

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Governers flag of Sarawak - these hated symbols of oppression were mostly destroyed during the transition. This example is from the Sarawak Museum.

It was in December that Anthony Brooke and the Sararwak delegation returned in triumph from London. When they reached Kuching the population turned out on mass to demostrate their support for independance. The crowning of Anthony was one of the biggest events ever to grace the streets of the capital. They were swept clean and the burnt out buildings hastily demolished near the procession route. Abang Abdillah stood at the steps of Government House and announced it was " A glorious day for our united peoples", refering to the multi-ethnic peoples of the Kingdom of Sarawak which was once again free. The delegation was met by the military parade of the Sarawak Rangers - returned by the act to Sarawakian control and in full ceremonial dress.

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Astana Palace - Seat of the Brooke family and site of the crowning of Rajah Anthony Walter Dayrell Brooke, the fourth white Rajah of Sarawak. It had been used as an administrative centre during "The Rumblings" as it became more difficult for the Colonial Office to keep control - its use as the seat of the Governers made it deeply unpopular.

The Kingdom of Sarawak was free once more.
 
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TL Map of the South China Sea area just after Sarawak regains independance, it fairly butterfly free at the moment but that will change.

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How does this affect the Malayan Emergansi, Konfrontasi and other conflicts in the region?

Well I havent quite got there yet but the Malayan Emergency isnt going to be hugely effected, however the Konfrontasi will not exist in its OTL form and instead will be a larger conflict, Indochina and the Phillipines will also be affected. I havent mentioned it yet but I am butterflying british and imperial politics a little - I shall explain later - and making a much stronger commonwealth that will get its hands dirty elsewhere.

The South China Sea area is going to become quite different mainly because of the absence of SEATO and instead a much more multi-polar arrangment.
 
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Who said its boring? You?

Thank you.

An comments or advice on style anyone ? Is it generally okay ?

Afraid these are the boring bits at the start - should hopefully get more enjoyable once independance is declared and history starts to change more. Anyone notice the butterfly Ive already included ? :D

Boring? No!!!:mad::D

I had made up a list of possible Sarawakian PM.... Enjoy...:D

1. Abang Haji Abdillah
2. J.S. Tinker (Tinkau)
3. Stephen Kalong Ningkan
4. James Wong Kim Min
5. Edmund Langgu Anak Saga
6. Haji Abdul Rahman Ya'akub
7. Edwin Dundang Anak Bugak
8. George Chan Hong Nam
9. Dr. Alfred Jabu Anak Numpang (He's got real PhD)
10. Robert Lau Hoi Chew
11. Baru Bian :)p)

So, that old geezer must not get near the seat. Ever. :mad:
 
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Boring? No!!!:mad::D

I had made up a list of possible Sarawakian PM.... Enjoy...:D

1. Abang Haji Abdillah
2. J.S. Tinker (Tinkau)
3. Stephen Kalong Ningkan
4. James Wong Kim Min
5. Edmund Langgu Anak Saga
6. Haji Abdul Rahman Ya'akub
7. Edwin Dundang Anak Bugak
8. George Chan Hong Nam
9. Dr. Alfred Jabu Anak Numpang (He's got real PhD)
10. Robert Lau Hoi Chew
11. Baru Bian :)p)

So, that old geezer must not get near the seat. Ever. :mad:

Thank you :D

Sadly Abang is all ready - in the nicest possible way - overdue death :D. Seeing as you clearly know what your talking about could you possibly suggest a nationalist politician who could be the first PM ?

Also the new constitution is going to ban the monarchy from holding political power or seats - so you dont need to worry.
 
Somebody said what?

Well I havent quite got there yet but the Malayan Emergency isnt going to be hugely effected, however the Konfrontasi will not exist in its OTL form and instead will be a larger conflict, Indochina and the Phillipines will also be affected. I havent mentioned it yet but I am butterflying british and imperial politics a little - I shall explain later - and making a much stronger commonwealth that will get its hands dirty elsewhere.

The South China Sea area is going to become quite different mainly because of the absence of SEATO and instead a much more multi-polar arrangment.

War?!!:eek: Well, better establish Sarawak Armed Forces ASAP. Things gonna get ugly... Especially from the hands of Soekarno... Can't imagine watching the sight of General Kanang Anak Langkau...:D:D

Besides, as a Dominion, Sarawak have a right to establish their own armed forces...
 
Also small taster of possible directions for this TL - the Sarawak army. Initially formed from the Sarawak Rangers it is going to expand into a efficient, highly trained small army. As you may be aware the Rangers were already employed as jungle experts in Malaya.

EDIT - Here you go !

Please ignore generals names at bottom.

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Another 3...

Thank you :D

Sadly Abang is all ready - in the nicest possible way - overdue death :D. Seeing as you clearly know what your talking about could you possibly suggest a nationalist politician who could be the first PM ?

Also the new constitution is going to ban the monarchy from holding political power or seats - so you dont need to worry.

Datu Patinggi Haji Muhammad Kassim, John Nichol Anak Kassim* (not related), Tra Zehnder(If you want a woman).

* He could also be a Sarawak Constabulary first Inspector General...
 
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