Malay peasants and land laws
Rattan was one of the forest products traditionally collected for both local use and for the export trade. The canes are being sorted, straightened, stripped and prepared for delivery.
By introducing the recording of land ownership, the British authorities hoped to encourage Malay farmers to settle; they also wanted to identify unclaimed land available for commercial crops. As a result, the Malays faced difficulty in collecting forest products, an important traditional source of income, from land they did not own. The Malay Reservation Enactment of 1913, which was aimed at reserving land for Malays, also did not have the desired effect and kept the land price lows.
- Information in the full article includes
- Malay peasants
- Change due to land legislation
- Land codes