Datu Patinggi Abang Haji Abdillah (13 October 1862 – 21 November 1946) was a Malaysian politician in

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the M ...

who participated in the movement opposing cessation to the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

. He was the son of Datu Bandar Abang Haji Mohammad Kassim; who served as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Kuching under the

White Rajah The White Rajahs were a dynastic monarchy of the British Brooke family, who founded and ruled the Raj of Sarawak, located on the north west coast of the island of Borneo, from 1841 to 1946. The first ruler was Briton James Brooke. As a reward f ...

's administration. He was also the grandson of Datu Bandar Abang Haji Bolhassan and a descendant of Datu Patinggi Ali who fought to achieve Sarawak's independence from

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...

. After the death of his father in

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

, in 1921, he was given the title Datu Muda. In 1924, he became the Datu Bandar and then in 1937 he was given the title Datu Patinggi.

Anti-cession movement

Abdillah stated his support for the

anti-cession movement of Sarawak The anti-cession movement of Sarawak ( ms, Gerakan Anti-Penyerahan Sarawak) was a movement in Sarawak to fight against the British attempt to govern Sarawak as a crown colony rather than a protectorate ruled by the White Rajahs. The movement l ...

as such:

''"My people and I would never agree with the cession of Sarawak to the British Crown!...We cherish the independence of this state where we were born..."''

''"Saya dan rakyat tidak bersetuju dengan penyerahan Sarawak kepada Tanah Jajahan Mahkota British!...Saya dan rakyat mencintai kemerdekaan negeri ini, tanah tumpah darah saya..."''

In a meeting with British officials, he protested the cession of Sarawak to the

; claiming that the cession was illegal as it was not accepted by majority of the

Bumiputra ''Bumiputera'' or ''Bumiputra'' ( Jawi: ) is a term used in Malaysia to describe Malays, the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia, and various indigenous peoples of East Malaysia (see official definition below). The term is sometimes controver ...

. Abdillah was a major proponent of reinstating

Anthony Walter Dayrell Brooke Anthony Walter Dayrell Brooke (10 December 1912 – 2 March 2011) was appointed the Rajah Muda of Sarawak (heir apparent; Malay: ''Yang Amat Mulia Tuan Rajah Muda Sarawak'') on 25 August 1937, by his uncle, Rajah Charles Vyner Brooke, Vyner of Sa ...

as the fourth

of Sarawak. However, the cession occurred and he resigned from the State Supreme Council in response. He then started to oppose the British government in his speeches; however, Abdillah opposed the use of violence to prevent cessation. All government officials in Sarawak, European and Asian alike, were sent Circular no.9, which stated that they would be fired if any of them continued to support the anti-cession movement. Perhaps following the footsteps of Datu Patinggi, many of the

officials resigned from their posts. Abdillah continued to oppose the cession of Sarawak to Britain until his death in 1946.

Death and legacy

As a community leader, Abdillah worked to establish good relations between the

Dayaks The Dayak (; older spelling: Dajak) or Dyak or Dayuh are one of the native groups of Borneo. It is a loose term for over 200 riverine and hill-dwelling ethnic groups, located principally in the central and southern interior of Borneo, each wi ...

and Malays. Unfortunately, after his death the anti-cession movement lost its momentum and quickly became disorganised without a leader. The violent techniques used by some anti-cessionists activists, such as

assassinating Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...

colonial officials, decreased support for the movement. Britain ruled Sarawak until the formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963. A school was built in his name to honour, Kolej Datu Patinggi Abang Haji Abdillah.

References

Bibliography

* ''Malaysia History Textbook for Form 3 (Buku Teks Sejarah TIngkatan 3) Published by: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Abdilah, Abang Haji 1862 births Malaysian rebels Raj of Sarawak History of Sarawak Malaysian politicians Recipients of the Order of the Star of Sarawak 1946 deaths People from British Borneo

Anti-cession movement

Death and legacy

See also

References

Bibliography