Hmm, I see. Unless - IIRC, Johor was one of the Unfederated Malay States before WW2. Now, assuming a 19th-century POD where the Anglo-Dutch treaties (or a revision later on between that and 1929) allow Singapore to hold most of the Riau Islands (thereby creating a city-state about the size of Hong Kong, with the eventual urban sprawl coming from that), followed by the creation of the Straits Settlements - could it be possible that at an early stage during the Straits Settlements' existence, Johor could then be persuaded to join the Straits Settlements (as well as retaining Christmas Island and the Cocos [Keeling] Islands instead of those two becoming part of Australia - not to mention retaining Labuan), thereby no longer making Johor an Unfederated Malay State but federated with the rest of the Straits Settlements? Yes, the Sultan would be a factor, but one that could be dealt with early on (say by trying to convince him that it would be in his best interest - probably coaxing it with having the Straits Settlements' capital in JB, perhaps), but then the big concern is that it thus becomes a Johor-wank under the name of the "Straits Settlements".