Perak () is a
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
of
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
on the west coast of the
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula (Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area ...
. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of
Kedah
Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area ...
to the north,
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
to the northwest,
Kelantan
Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode").
Kelantan is located in the ...
and
Pahang
Pahang (;Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a ...
to the east, and
Selangor
Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...
to the south.
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
's
Yala and
Narathiwat
Narathiwat ( th, นราธิวาส, ) is a town (thesaban mueang) in southern Thailand and capital of Narathiwat Province. The town is in the Mueang Narathiwat District and was established in 1936. As of 2008, the population was 40,521. ...
provinces both lie to the northeast. Perak's capital city,
Ipoh
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Ipoh in Perak
, pushpin_map = #Malaysia#Asia#Earth
, pushpin_mapsize = 275px
, pushpin_map_caption = Ipoh in Malaysia
, coordinates ...
, was known historically for its
tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn (from la, stannum) and atomic number 50. Tin is a silvery-coloured metal.
Tin is soft enough to be cut with little force and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, t ...
-mining activities until the price of the metal dropped, severely affecting the state's economy. The royal capital remains
Kuala Kangsar
The Kuala Kangsar (Perak Malay: ''Kole Kangso'') is the royal town of Perak, Malaysia. It is located at the downstream of Kangsar River where it joins the Perak River, approximately northwest of Ipoh, Perak's capital, and southeast of ...
, where the palace of the
Sultan of Perak
The Sultan of Perak (سلطان ڤيراق) is one of the oldest hereditary seats among the Malay states.
When the Sultanate of Malacca empire fell to Portugal in 1511, Sultan Mahmud Syah I retreated to Kampar, Sumatra, and died there in ...
is located. As of 2018, the state's population was 2,500,000. Perak has
diverse tropical
rainforest
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...
s and an
equatorial climate
A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southeas ...
. The state's
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...
s belong to the
Titiwangsa Range
The Titiwangsa Mountains ( Malay: ''Banjaran Titiwangsa,'' بنجرن تيتيوڠسا, ), also known as ''"Banjaran Besar"'' (Big Range) by locals, is the chain of mountains that forms the backbone of the Malay Peninsula.
The northern section o ...
, which is part of the larger
Tenasserim Range
The Tenasserim Hills or Tenasserim Range ( my, တနင်္သာရီ တောင်တန်း, ; th, ทิวเขาตะนาวศรี, , ; ms, Banjaran Tanah Seri/Banjaran Tenang Sari) is the geographical name of a r ...
connecting
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
,
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
and Malaysia. Perak's
Mount Korbu
Mount Korbu () is a mountain in Hulu Kinta, Perak, Malaysia, about 25 km from Ipoh. It is the highest peak in the state of Perak , located on the Titiwangsa Mountains, the southernmost section of the Tenasserim Hills.
Mount Korbu is also the ...
is the highest point of the range.
The discovery of an ancient skeleton in Perak supplied missing information on the migration of ''
Homo sapiens
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
'' from mainland
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
through
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
to the
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Au ...
continent. Known as Perak Man, the skeleton is dated at around 10,000 years old. An early
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
or
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
kingdom, followed by several other minor kingdoms, existed before the
arrival of Islam. By 1528, a Muslim sultanate began to emerge in Perak, out of the remnants of the
Malaccan Sultanate
The Malacca Sultanate ( ms, Kesultanan Melaka; Jawi script: ) was a Malay sultanate based in the modern-day state of Malacca, Malaysia. Conventional historical thesis marks as the founding year of the sultanate by King of Singapura, Paramesw ...
. Although able to resist Siamese occupation for more than two hundred years, the Sultanate was partly controlled by the
Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
-based
Aceh Sultanate
The Sultanate of Aceh, officially the Kingdom of Aceh Darussalam ( ace, Keurajeuën Acèh Darussalam; Jawoë: كاورجاون اچيه دارالسلام), was a sultanate centered in the modern-day Indonesian province of Aceh. It was a major ...
. This was particularly the case after the Aceh lineage took over the royal succession. With the arrival of the
Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
(VOC), and the VOC's increasing conflicts with Aceh, Perak began to distance itself from Acehnese control. The presence of the English
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
(EIC) in the nearby
Straits Settlements
The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Headquartered in Singapore for more than a century, it was originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Comp ...
of Penang provided additional protection for the state, with further Siamese attempts to conquer Perak thwarted by British expeditionary forces.
The
Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824
The Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824, also known as the Treaty of London, was a treaty signed between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands in London on 17 March 1824. The treaty was to resolve disputes arising from the execution of the Anglo-D ...
was signed to prevent further conflict between the British and the Dutch. It enabled the British to expand their control in the Malay Peninsula without interference from other foreign powers. The
1874 Pangkor Treaty provided for direct British intervention, with Perak appointing a British
Resident
Resident may refer to:
People and functions
* Resident minister, a representative of a government in a foreign country
* Resident (medicine), a stage of postgraduate medical training
* Resident (pharmacy), a stage of postgraduate pharmaceuti ...
. Following Perak's subsequent absorption into the
Federated Malay States
)Under God's Protection
, capital = Kuala Lumpur1
, religion = Islam
, legislature = Federal Legislative Council
, type_house1 = State level
, common_languages =
, title_leader = Monarch
, leader1 ...
(FMS), the British reformed administration of the sultanate through a new style of government, actively promoting a
market-driven economy
A market economy is an economic system in which the decisions regarding investment, production and distribution to the consumers are guided by the price signals created by the forces of supply and demand, where all suppliers and consumers are ...
and maintaining law and order while combatting the
slavery
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
widely practised across Perak at the time. The three-year
Japanese occupation in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
halted further progress. After the war, Perak became part of the temporary
Malayan Union
The Malayan Union was a union of the Malay states and the Straits Settlements of Penang and Malacca. It was the successor to British Malaya and was conceived to unify the Malay Peninsula under a single government to simplify administratio ...
, before being absorbed into the
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya ( ms, Persekutuan Tanah Melayu; Jawi script, Jawi: ) was a federation of what previously had been British Malaya comprising eleven states (nine Malay states and two of the British Empire, British Straits Settlements, P ...
. It gained full independence through the Federation, which subsequently became Malaysia on 16 September 1963.
Perak is ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse. The state is known for several traditional dances: ''bubu'', ''dabus'', and ''labu sayong'', the latter name also referring to Perak's unique traditional
pottery
Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...
. The head of state is the Sultan of Perak, and the head of government is the ''
Menteri Besar
In Malaysia, the Menteri Besar ( Jawi:منتري بسر; literally ''First Minister''), colloquially referred to as MB, is the head of government of each of nine states in Malaysia with hereditary rulers. For four states without a monarch, the t ...
''. Government is closely modelled on the
Westminster parliamentary system, with the state administration divided into administrative districts. Islam is the
state religion
A state religion (also called religious state or official religion) is a religion or creed officially endorsed by a sovereign state. A state with an official religion (also known as confessional state), while not secular state, secular, is not n ...
, and other religions may be practised freely.
Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
are recognised as the official languages of Perak. The economy is mainly based on
services
Service may refer to:
Activities
* Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty
* Civil service, the body of employees of a government
* Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a pu ...
and
manufacturing
Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a r ...
.
Etymology
There are many theories about the origin of the name Perak.
Although not used until after 1529, the most popular etymology is "
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
" (in
Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
: ''perak''). This is associated with
tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn (from la, stannum) and atomic number 50. Tin is a silvery-coloured metal.
Tin is soft enough to be cut with little force and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, t ...
mining from the state's large
mineral
In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. ( ...
deposits, reflecting the Perak's position as one of the world's largest sources of tin.
The first Islamic kingdom established in the state was of the lineage of the
Sultanate of Malacca
The Malacca Sultanate ( ms, Kesultanan Melaka; Jawi script: ) was a Malay sultanate based in the modern-day state of Malacca, Malaysia. Conventional historical thesis marks as the founding year of the sultanate by King of Singapura, Paramesw ...
.
Some local historians have suggested that Perak was named after Malacca's ''
bendahara
Bendahara ( Jawi: بنداهارا) is an administrative position within classical Malay kingdoms comparable to a vizier before the intervention of European powers during the 19th century. A bendahara was appointed by a sultan and was a heredit ...
'',
Tun Perak
Bendahara Paduka Raja Tun Perak (died 1498) was the fifth and most famous bendahara, a Malay rank similar to a prime minister, of the Sultanate of Malacca. He served under four sultans ( Sultan Muzzafar Shah, Sultan Mansur Shah, Sultan Alauddin ...
.
In maps prior to 1561, the area is marked as ''Perat''.
Other historians believe that the name Perak derives from the Malay phrase "''kilatan ikan dalam air"'' (the glimmer of
fish
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...
in water), which looks like silver.
Perak has been translated into
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
as (''Dār al-Riḍwān''), "abode of grace".
History
Prehistory
![Gua Tambun5](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Gua_Tambun5.jpg)
Among the prehistoric sites in Malaysia where artefacts from the
Middle Palaeolithic
The Middle Paleolithic (or Middle Palaeolithic) is the second subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. The term Middle Stone Age is used as an equivalent or a synonym for the Middle Paleoli ...
era have been found are Bukit Bunuh, Bukit Gua Harimau, Bukit Jawa, Bukit Kepala Gajah, and Kota Tampan in the
Lenggong Archaeological Heritage Valley. Of these, Bukit Bunuh and Kota Tampan are
ancient lake
An ancient lake is a lake that has consistently carried water for more than one million years. Many have existed for more than 2.6 million years, the full Quaternary period. Ancient lakes continue to persist due to plate tectonics in an active ri ...
side sites, the geology of Bukit Bunuh showing evidence of
meteoric impact
An impact event is a collision between astronomical objects causing measurable effects. Impact events have physical consequences and have been found to regularly occur in planetary systems, though the most frequent involve asteroids, comets or me ...
.
The 10,000-year-old skeleton known as
Perak Man was found inside the Bukit Gunung Runtuh cave at Bukit Kepala Gajah. Ancient tools discovered in the area of Kota Tampan, including
anvil
An anvil is a metalworking tool consisting of a large block of metal (usually forged or cast steel), with a flattened top surface, upon which another object is struck (or "worked").
Anvils are as massive as practical, because the higher th ...
s,
cores,
debitage
In archaeology, debitage is all the material produced during the process of lithic reduction – the production of stone tools and weapons by knapping stone. This assemblage may include the different kinds of lithic flakes and lithic blades, b ...
, and
hammerstone
In archaeology, a hammerstone is a hard cobble used to strike off lithic flakes from a lump of tool stone during the process of lithic reduction. The hammerstone is a rather universal stone tool which appeared early in most regions of the wo ...
s, provide information on the migrations of ''
Homo sapiens
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
''.
Other important
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...
sites in the country include Bukit Gua Harimau, Gua Badak, Gua Pondok, and
Padang Rengas
Padang Rengas ( Jawi: ڤادڠ رڠاس; ) is a small town in Kuala Kangsar District, Perak, Malaysia.
It has a police station, railway station, rural health centre, market and Schools ~ SJK(C) Khiu Min, SK Tun Dr. Ismail, SK Perempuan & SMK T ...
, containing evidence of human presence in the
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic (Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic is often used synonymous ...
Hoabinhian
Hoabinhian is a lithic techno-complex of archaeological sites associated with assemblages in Southeast Asia from late Pleistocene to Holocene, dated to c.10,000–2000 BCE. It is attributed to hunter-gatherer societies of the region and their ...
era.
![Perak Axe (BM)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Perak_Axe_%28BM%29.JPG)
In 1959, a British artillery officer stationed at an inland army base during the
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces o ...
discovered the
Tambun rock art
Tambun rock art, is a series of Neolithic-era cave paintings at the Gunung Panjang limestone hill in Tambun, on the outskirts of Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. The paintings were discovered on a rocky overhang in 1959 by 2/Lt R. L. Rawlings of the 2nd Bat ...
, identified by archaeologists as the largest
rock art
In archaeology, rock art is human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type also ...
site in the Malay Peninsula. Most of the paintings are located high above the cave floor, at an elevation of .
Seashell
A seashell or sea shell, also known simply as a shell, is a hard, protective outer layer usually created by an animal or organism that lives in the sea. The shell is part of the body of the animal. Empty seashells are often found washe ...
s and
coral
Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...
fragments scattered along the cave floor are evidence that the area was once underwater.
The significant numbers of statues of
Hindu deities
Hindu deities are the gods and goddesses in Hinduism. The terms and epithets for deities within the diverse traditions of Hinduism vary, and include Deva, Devi, Ishvara, Ishvari, Bhagavān and Bhagavati.
The deities of Hinduism have evolved ...
and of the
Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...
found in
Bidor
Bidor (Chinese: 美羅) is a town and mukim in Batang Padang District, southern Perak, Malaysia.
Geography
Bidor is located 59 km southeast from state capital Ipoh and 116 km northwest of Kuala Lumpur.
It is south of Tapah, north of ...
, Kuala Selensing, Jalong, and Pengkalan Pegoh indicate that, before the
arrival of Islam, the inhabitants of Perak were mainly
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
or
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
. The influence of Indian culture and beliefs on society and values in the Malay Peninsula from early times is believed to have culminated in the semi-legendary
Gangga Negara
Gangga Negara is believed to be a lost semi-legendary Malay-Hindu kingdom mentioned in the Malay Annals that covered present day Beruas, Dinding and Manjung in the state of Perak, Malaysia with Raja Gangga Shah Johan as one of its kings. Res ...
kingdom.
The ''
Malay Annals
The ''Malay Annals'' (Malay: ''Sejarah Melayu'', Jawi: سجاره ملايو), originally titled ''Sulalatus Salatin'' (''Genealogy of Kings''), is a literary work that gives a romanticised history of the origin, evolution and demise of the gr ...
'' mention that Gangga Negara at one time fell under
Siamese rule, before Raja Suran of Thailand sailed further south down the Malay Peninsula.
Sultanate of Perak
By the 15th century, a kingdom named Beruas had come into existence.
Inscriptions found on early
tombstones of the period show a clear
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
ic influence, believed to have originated from the Sultanate of Malacca, the east coast of the Malay Peninsula, and the rural areas of the
Perak River
The Perak River ( ms, Sungai Perak; ) is the second longest river in Peninsular Malaysia after Pahang River in Pahang, Malaysia. A number of towns are on the banks of the river including the royal town of Kuala Kangsar. Most of the settlements in ...
.
The first organised local government systems to emerge in Perak were the Manjung government and several other governments in Central and Hulu Perak (Upper Perak) under Raja Roman and Tun Saban.
With the spread of Islam, a sultanate subsequently emerged in Perak; the second oldest Muslim kingdom in the Malay Peninsula after the neighbouring
Kedah Sultanate
The Kedah Sultanate (كسلطانن قدح) is a Muslim dynasty located in the Malay Peninsula. It was originally an independent state, but became a British protectorate in 1909. Its monarchy was abolished after it was added to the Malayan Unio ...
. Based on ''Salasilah Raja-Raja Perak'' (Perak Royal Genealogy), the Perak Sultanate was formed in the early 16th century on the banks of the Perak River by the eldest son of
Mahmud Shah, the 8th
Sultan of Malacca
The Malacca Sultanate ( ms, Kesultanan Melaka; Jawi script: ) was a Malay sultanate based in the modern-day state of Malacca, Malaysia. Conventional historical thesis marks as the founding year of the sultanate by King of Singapura, Paramesw ...
.
He ascended to the throne as Muzaffar Shah I, first sultan of Perak, after surviving the
capture of Malacca by the
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
in 1511 and living quietly for a period in
Siak on the island of
Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
. He became sultan through the efforts of Tun Saban, a local leader and trader between Perak and Klang.
There had been no sultan in Perak when Tun Saban first arrived in the area from
Kampar in Sumatra.
Most of the area's residents were traders from Malacca and
Selangor
Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...
, and from Siak, Kampar, and
Jambi
Jambi is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the east coast of central Sumatra and spans to the Barisan Mountains in the west. Its capital and largest city is Jambi. The province has a land area of 50,160.05 km2, and a sea area of 3, ...
in Sumatra. Among them was an old woman, Tok Masuka from
Daik
Daik ( Jawi: ; ) is the main village (''kelurahan'') on the island of Lingga of Lingga Regency, in the Riau archipelago in Indonesia. It is located at .
History
Daik was the capital of the Lingga Sultanate for almost 100 years, from 1819 to 191 ...
, who raised a Temusai child named Nakhoda Kassim.
Before her death, she called on the ancestors of
Sang Sapurba Sri Maharaja Sang Sapurba Paduka Sri Trimurti Tri Buana, (1245–1316) also known as Sri Nila Pahlawan, is a figure in the Malay Annals, highly revered as the legendary great ancestor of some of the major dynasties of the Malay world: Singapura, Mal ...
to take her place, to prevent the royal lineage from disappearing from the Malay Peninsula. Tun Saban and Nakhoda Kassim then travelled to Kampar, where Mahmud Shah agreed to their request and named his son the first Sultan of Perak.
Perak's administration became more organised after the Sultanate was established. In democratic Malacca, government was based on the
feudal system
Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structur ...
.
With the opening up of Perak in the 16th century, the state became a source of tin ore. It appears that anyone was free to trade in the commodity, although the tin trade did not attract significant attention until the 1610s.
![Aceh Sultanate en](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Aceh_Sultanate_en.svg)
Throughout the 1570s, the
Sultanate of Aceh
The Sultanate of Aceh, officially the Kingdom of Aceh Darussalam ( ace, Keurajeuën Acèh Darussalam; Jawoë: كاورجاون اچيه دارالسلام), was a sultanate centered in the modern-day Indonesian province of Aceh. It was a major ...
subjected most parts of the Malay Peninsula to continual harassment.
The sudden disappearance of Perak's Sultan Mansur Shah I in mysterious circumstances in 1577 gave rise to rumours of abduction by Acehnese forces.
Soon afterwards, the late Sultan's widow and his 16 children were taken as captives to Sumatra.
Sultan Mansur Shah I's eldest son, Raja
Alauddin Mansur Syah
Sultan Alauddin Mansur Syah (died 1585 or 1586) was the eighth Sultan of Aceh in northern Sumatra. He ruled Aceh from 1579 to 1585 or 1586 and was known as a pious Muslim ruler with cultural interests. His reign also saw some military expansion o ...
, married an Acehnese princess and subsequently became Sultan of Aceh. The Sultanate of Perak was left without a ruling monarch, and Perak nobles journeyed to Aceh in the same year to ask the new Sultan Alauddin for a successor.
The ruler sent his younger brother to become Perak's third monarch. Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin Shah ruled Perak for seven years, maintaining the unbroken lineage of the Malacca dynasty.
Although Perak did fall under the authority of the Acehnese Sultanate, it remained entirely independent of Siamese control for over two hundred years from 1612,
in contrast with its neighbour, Kedah, and many of the Malay sultanates in the northern part of the Malay Peninsula, which became
tributary state
A tributary state is a term for a pre-modern state in a particular type of subordinate relationship to a more powerful state which involved the sending of a regular token of submission, or tribute, to the superior power (the suzerain). This tok ...
s of Siam.
When Sultan Sallehuddin Riayat Shah died without an heir in 1635, a state of uncertainty prevailed in Perak. This was exacerbated by a deadly
cholera epidemic
Seven cholera pandemics have occurred in the past 200 years, with the first pandemic originating in India in 1817. The seventh cholera pandemic is officially a current pandemic and has been ongoing since 1961, according to a World Health Organizat ...
that swept through the state, killing many royal family members.
Perak chieftains were left with no alternative but to turn to Aceh's Sultan
Iskandar Thani
Iskandar Thani Alauddin Mughayat Syah (1610 – 15 February 1641) was the thirteenth sultan of Aceh, following the powerful Iskandar Muda. Iskandar Thani was the son of the 11th sultan of Pahang, Ahmad Shah II, who was brought to Aceh in the con ...
, who sent his relative, Raja Sulong, to become the new Perak Sultan Muzaffar Shah II.
Aceh's influence on Perak began to wane when the
Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
(VOC) arrived, in the mid–17th century.
When Perak refused to enter into a contract with the VOC as its northern neighbours had done, a blockade of the Perak River halted the tin trade, causing suffering among Aceh's merchants.
In 1650, Aceh's Sultana
Taj ul-Alam
Sulṭāna Taj ul-Alam Safiatuddin Syah (1612 – 23 October 1675; born Putri Sri Alam) was the fourteenth ruler of Aceh. She was the daughter of the sultan Iskandar Muda and the wife of his successor, Iskandar Thani. She became sulṭāna u ...
ordered Perak to sign an agreement with the VOC, on condition that the tin trade would be conducted exclusively with Aceh's merchants.
By the following year, 1651, the VOC had secured a monopoly over the tin trade, setting up a store in Perak.
Following long competition between Aceh and the VOC over Perak's tin trade, on 15 December 1653, the two parties jointly signed a treaty with Perak granting the Dutch exclusive rights to tin extracted from mines located in the state.
![Dutch Fort Pulau Pangkor 2007 020 pano](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Dutch_Fort_Pulau_Pangkor_2007_020_pano.jpg)
Although Perak nobles had destroyed the earlier store structure, on orders from the Dutch base in
Batavia
Batavia may refer to:
Historical places
* Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands
* Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...
, a
fort
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
was built on
Pangkor Island
Pangkor Island ( ms, Pulau Pangkor) is an island in Manjung District, Perak, Malaysia. It has a population of approximately 25,000. Nearby islands include Pangkor Laut Island, Giam Island, Mentagor Island, Simpan Island, and Tukun Terindak Islan ...
in 1670 as a warehouse to store tin ore mined in Perak.
This warehouse was also destroyed in further attacks in 1690, but was repaired when the Dutch returned with reinforcements.
In 1699, when the regional dominant Sultanate of Johor lost its last Malaccan dynasty sultan,
Sultan Mahmud Shah II, Perak now had the sole claim of being the final heir of the old Sultanate of Malacca. However, Perak could not match the prestige and power of either the Malacca or Johor Sultanates.
The early 18th century started with 40 years of civil war where rival princes were bolstered by local chiefs, the Bugis and Minang, all fighting for a share of tin revenues. The Bugis and several Perak chiefs were successful in ousting the Perak ruler, Sultan Muzaffar Riayat Shah III in 1743.
In 1747, Sultan Muzaffar Riayat Shah III, now only holding power in the area of Upper Perak, signed a treaty with Dutch Commissioner Ary Verbrugge under which Perak's ruler recognised the Dutch monopoly over the tin trade, agreed to sell all tin ore to Dutch traders, and allowed the Dutch to build a new warehouse fort on the Perak River estuary. With construction of the new warehouse near the Perak River (also known as Sungai Perak), the old warehouse was abandoned permanently and left in ruins.
When repeated
Burmese invasions resulted in the
destruction and defeat of the Siamese
Ayutthaya Kingdom
The Ayutthaya Kingdom (; th, อยุธยา, , IAST: or , ) was a Siamese kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. The Ayutthaya Kingdom is conside ...
in 1767 by the Burmese
Konbaung dynasty
The Konbaung dynasty ( my, ကုန်းဘောင်ခေတ်, ), also known as Third Burmese Empire (တတိယမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်) and formerly known as the Alompra dynasty (အလောင်းဘ ...
, neighbouring Malay tributary states began to assert their independence from Siam.
To further develop Perak's tin mines, the Dutch administration suggested that its 17th Sultan, Alauddin Mansur Shah Iskandar Muda, should allow in
Chinese miners. The sultan himself encouraged the scheme in 1776, requesting that additional Chinese workers be sent from
Dutch Malacca
Dutch Malacca (1641–1825) was the longest period that Malacca was under foreign control. The Dutch ruled for almost 183 years with intermittent British occupation during the Napoleonic Wars (1795–1815). This era saw relative peace with littl ...
.
The
Fourth Anglo-Dutch War
The Fourth Anglo-Dutch War ( nl, Vierde Engels-Nederlandse Oorlog; 1780–1784) was a conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Dutch Republic. The war, contemporary with the War of American Independence (1775-1783), broke out over ...
in 1780 adversely affected the tin trade in Perak, and many Chinese miners left. In a move which angered the Siamese court, neighbouring Kedah's Sultan
Abdullah Mukarram Shah
Paduka Sri Sultan Abdullah Mukarram Shah ibni al-Marhum Sultan Muhammad Jiwa Zainal Adilin Mu'adzam Shah II (died 1 September 1797) was the 20th Sultan of Kedah. His reign was from 1778 to 1797. In 1780, he ordered the fortress of Kota Kuala Ba ...
then entered into an agreement with the English
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
(EIC),
ceding Penang Island
Penang Island ( ms, Pulau Pinang; zh, 檳榔嶼; ta, பினாங்கு தீவு) is part of the state of Penang, on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It was named Prince of Wales Island when it was occupied by the British Ea ...
to the British in 1786 in exchange for protection.
Siam regained strength under the
Thonburi Kingdom
The Thonburi Kingdom ( th, ธนบุรี) was a major Thai people, Siamese kingdom which existed in Southeast Asia from 1767 to 1782, centered around the city of Thonburi, in Siam or present-day Thailand. The kingdom was founded by Taksin ...
, led by
Taksin
King Taksin the Great ( th, สมเด็จพระเจ้าตากสินมหาราช, , ) or the King of Thonburi ( th, สมเด็จพระเจ้ากรุงธนบุรี, ; ; Teochew dialect, Teochew: Dên ...
, after freeing itself from Burmese occupation. After repelling another
large-scale Burmese invasion, the
Rattanakosin Kingdom (
Chakri dynasty
The Chakri dynasty ( th, ราชวงศ์ จักรี, , , ) is the current reigning dynasty of the Kingdom of Thailand, the head of the house is the king, who is head of state. The family has ruled Thailand since the founding of the ...
) led by
Rama I
Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok Maharaj (, 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), personal name Thongduang (), also known as Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom and the first monarch of the reigning Chakri dynasty of Siam (now Tha ...
, as the successor of the Thonburi Kingdom, turned its attention to its insubordinate southern Malay subjects, fearing renewed attacks from Burma along the western seaboard of the Malay Peninsula.
Attention to the south was also needed because of disunity and rivalries among the various southern tributary sultanates, stemming from personal conflicts and a reluctance to submit to Siamese authority.
One example of this resistance was the
Sultanate of Pattani
This article includes a list of successive Islamic state, Islamic states and History of Islam, Muslim dynasties beginning with the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (570–632 CE) and the early Muslim conquests that Spread of Islam, spread Isla ...
under Sultan Muhammad, who refused to aid Siam during the Siamese war of liberation. This led Rama I's younger brother,
Prince Surasi, to attack Pattani in 1786. Many Malays were killed, and survivors were taken to the Siamese stronghold in
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
as
slave
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
s.
Siam's subjugation of Pattani served as a direct warning to the other Malay tributary states, particularly Kedah, they too having been forced to provide thousands of men, and food supplies, throughout the Siamese resistance campaign against the Burmese.
In 1795, the Dutch temporarily withdrew from Malacca for the duration of the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
in Europe. Malacca's authority was transferred to the British
Resident
Resident may refer to:
People and functions
* Resident minister, a representative of a government in a foreign country
* Resident (medicine), a stage of postgraduate medical training
* Resident (pharmacy), a stage of postgraduate pharmaceuti ...
.
When war ended, the Dutch returned to administer Malacca in 1818.
In 1818, the Dutch monopoly over the tin trade in Perak was renewed, with the signing of a new recognition treaty.
The same year, when Perak refused to send a ''
bunga mas
The bunga emas dan perak ( "golden and silver flowers", th, ต้นไม้เงินต้นไม้ทอง ), often abbreviated to bunga mas ( Jawi: "golden flowers"), was a tribute sent every three years to the king of Ayutthaya ( ...
'' tribute to the Siamese court,
Rama II of Siam
Phra Phutthaloetla Naphalai ( th, พระพุทธเลิศหล้านภาลัย, 24 February 1767 – 21 July 1824), personal name Chim ( th, ฉิม), also styled as Rama II, was the second monarch of Siam under the Chakri ...
forced Kedah to attack Perak. The Sultanate of Kedah knew the intention behind the order was to weaken ties between fellow Malay states,
but complied, unable to resist Siam's further territorial expansion into inland Hulu Perak. Siam's tributary Malay state, the
Kingdom of Reman
The Kingdom of Reman or Kingdom of Rahman ( ms, Kerajaan Reman; Jawi: كراجأن رمان; ; ) was a landlocked semi-independent Malay kingdom established in northern Malay Peninsula.
It was one of seven regions of Pattani Kingdom, an auto ...
, then illegally operated tin mines in Klian Intan, angering the Sultan of Perak and provoking a dispute that escalated into civil war. Reman, aided by Siam, succeeded in controlling several inland districts.
In 1821, Siam invaded and
conquered the Sultanate of Kedah, angered by a breach of trust.
The exiled Sultan of Kedah turned to the British to help him regain his throne, despite Britain's policy of non-engagement in expensive minor wars in the Malay Peninsula at the time, which the EIC upheld through the
Governor-General of India
The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 1 ...
.
Siam's subsequent plan to extend its conquests to the southern territory of Perak
failed after Perak defeated the Siamese forces with the aid of mixed
Bugis
The Bugis people (pronounced ), also known as Buginese, are an ethnicity—the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi (the others being Makassar and Toraja), in the south-western province of Sulawe ...
and Malay reinforcements from the
Sultanate of Selangor.
As an expression of gratitude to Selangor for assisting it to defeat Siam, Perak authorised Raja Hasan of Selangor to collect
tax
A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...
es and
revenue
In accounting, revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of goods and services related to the primary operations of the business.
Commercial revenue may also be referred to as sales or as turnover. Some companies receive reven ...
in its territory. This power, however, was soon misused, causing conflict between the two sultanates.
British protectorate
![SultanAbdullahPerak](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/SultanAbdullahPerak.jpg)
Since the EIC's establishment of early British presence in Penang, the British had maintained another trading post in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, avoiding involvement in the affairs of the nearby Malay sultanate states.
In 1822, the British authority in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
sent British diplomat
John Crawfurd
John Crawfurd (13 August 1783 – 11 May 1868) was a Scottish physician, colonial administrator, diplomat, and author who served as the second and last Resident of Singapore.
Early life
He was born on Islay, in Argyll, Scotland, the son of S ...
to Siam to negotiate trade concessions and gather information with a view to restoring the Sultan of Kedah to the throne. The mission failed. In 1823, the Sultanates of Perak and Selangor signed a joint agreement to block the Dutch tin monopoly in their territories.
EIC policy shifted with the
First Anglo-Burmese War
The First Anglo-Burmese War ( my, ပထမ အင်္ဂလိပ်-မြန်မာ စစ်; ; 5 March 1824 – 24 February 1826), also known as the First Burma War, was the first of three wars fought between the British and Burmese ...
in 1824, Siam then becoming an important ally.
Through its Governor,
Robert Fullerton
Sir Robert Fullerton (16 January 1773 – 6 June 1831) was a Scottish colonial administrator who served as the first Governor of the Straits Settlements, appointed by the East India Company.
Early life
He was born in Edinburgh the son of William ...
, Penang tried to convince the main EIC authority in India to continue helping the Sultan of Kedah to regain his throne. Throughout 1824, Siam aimed to expand its control towards Perak and Selangor. The dispute between the British and Dutch formally ceased when Dutch Malacca in the Malay Peninsula was exchanged with
British Bencoolen
British Bencoolen was a possession of the British East India Company (EIC) extending about 300 miles along the southwestern coast of Sumatra and centered on the area of what is now Bengkulu City. The EIC established a presence there in 1685, and ...
in Sumatra, both parties agreeing to limit their sphere of influence through the signing of the
1824 Anglo-Dutch Treaty. In July 1825, an initial negotiation was held between Siam, represented by tributary state the
Kingdom of Ligor, and the EIC.
The King of Ligor promised that Siam would not send its armada to Perak and Selangor, so resolving the issue of its attacks. The British renounced any aspiration to conquer Perak or interfere in its administration, promising to prevent Raja Hasan of Selangor from making trouble in Perak, and to try to reconcile the differences between Selangor and Ligor.
A month later, in August 1825,
Ibrahim Shah of the Sultanate of Selangor signed a friendship and peace treaty with the EIC, represented by John Anderson, ending the long feud between the governments of Selangor and Perak.
Under the treaty, Selangor gave assurances to the British that it would not interfere in the affairs of Perak; the border between Perak and Selangor was finalised; and Raja Hasan of Selangor was to be immediately exiled from Perak, paving the way for peace between the two Malay states and the resolution of the power struggle between the British and Siam.
![The Author's first ride in Perak](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/The_Author%27s_first_ride_in_Perak.png)
In 1826, the Kingdom of Ligor broke its promise and attempted to conquer Perak. A small British expeditionary force thwarted the attack. The Sultan of Perak then ceded to the British the area of Dindings and Pangkor (the two now constitute
Manjung District
The Manjung District, formerly Dindings, is a district in the southwestern part of the state of Perak, Malaysia. The district is well known for Pangkor Island, an attraction in Perak and the home of the Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM), Lumut Naval Ba ...
) so that the British could suppress
pirate
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
activity along the Perak coast where it became part of the
Straits Settlements
The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Headquartered in Singapore for more than a century, it was originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Comp ...
.
The same year, the British and Siam concluded a new treaty. Under the
Burney Treaty
The treaty between Kingdom of Siam and Great Britain commonly known as the Burney Treaty was signed at Bangkok on 20 June 1826 by Henry Burney, an agent of British East India Company, for Britain, and King Rama III for Siam. It followed an earlie ...
, signed by British Captain
Henry Burney
Henry Burney (27 February 1792 – 4 March 1845) or Hantri Barani ( th, หันตรีบารนี) in Thai, was a British commercial traveller and diplomat for the British East India Company. His parents were Richard Thomas Burney (1768 ...
and the Siamese government, the British undertook not to intercede in the affairs of Kedah despite their friendly relations with Kedah's ruler, and the Siamese undertook not to attack either Perak or Selangor.
The discovery of tin in Larut and rapid growth of the tin ore trade in the 19th century saw an increasing influx of Chinese labour. Later, rivalry developed between two Chinese
secret societies
A secret society is a club or an organization whose activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence a ...
. This, coupled with internal political strife between two faction of Perak's local Malay rulers, escalated into the Larut Wars in 1841. After 21 years of liberation wars, neighbouring Kedah finally freed itself from full Siamese rule in 1843, although it remained a Siamese tributary state until 1909.
By 1867, the link between the Straits Settlements on the Malay coast and the British authority in India was broken, with separate administration and the transfer of the respective territories to the Colonial Office.
The Anglo-Dutch Treaties of 1870–71 enabled the Dutch to consolidate control over Aceh in Sumatra. This later escalated into the Aceh War.
Internal conflicts ensued in Perak. In 1873, the ruler of one of Perak's two local Malay factions, Raja Abdullah Muhammad Shah II of Perak, Abdullah Muhammad Shah II, wrote to the Governor of the British Straits Settlements, Andrew Clarke (British Army officer, born 1824), Andrew Clarke, requesting British assistance.
This resulted in the Pangkor Treaty of 1874, Treaty of Pangkor, signed on Pangkor Island on 20 January 1874, under which the British recognised Abdullah as the legitimate Sultan of Perak.
In return, the treaty provided for direct British intervention through the appointment of a Resident who would advise the sultan on all matters except religion and customs, and oversee revenue collection and general administration, including maintenance of peace and order. The treaty marked the introduction of a Resident (title), British residential system, with Perak going on to become part of the
Federated Malay States
)Under God's Protection
, capital = Kuala Lumpur1
, religion = Islam
, legislature = Federal Legislative Council
, type_house1 = State level
, common_languages =
, title_leader = Monarch
, leader1 ...
(FMS) in 1895. It was also a shift from the previous British policy of non-intervention in Perak's affairs.
James W. W. Birch was appointed as Perak's first List of British Residents of Perak, British Resident. His inability to understand and communicate well with the locals, ignorance of Malay customs, and disparagement of the efforts of the Sultan and his dignitaries to implement British tax control and collection systems caused resentment. Local nationalist Lela Pandak Lam, Maharaja Lela and the new monarch, Sultan Abdullah Muhammad Shah II, opposed him, and the following year, in 1875, Birch was assassinated through a conspiracy of local Malay dignitaries Seputum, Pandak Indut, Che Gondah, and Ngah Ahmad.
The assassination angered the British authority, and the perpetrators were arrested and executed. The Sultan and his chiefs, also suspected of involvement in the plot, were exile, banished to the History of Seychelles#British rule, British Seychelles in the Indian Ocean in 1876.
![Women tin miners in Perak, late 19th century](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Women_tin_miners_in_Perak%2C_late_19th_century.jpg)
During his exile, the Sultan had use of a government-owned residence at Union Vale in Victoria, Seychelles, Victoria, Mahé, Seychelles, Mahé. The other exiled chiefs were given allowances, but remained under strict surveillance. The Sultan and his chiefs were temporarily relocated to Félicité Island for five years, before being allowed to return to Victoria in 1882 when turmoil in Perak had subsided. The Sultan led a quiet life in the Seychellois community, and had communications access to State House (Seychelles), Government House.
After many years, the Sultan was pardoned following petitioning by the Seychellois and correspondence between W. H. Hawley of Government House, Mauritius, and Secretary of State for the Colonies Henry Holland, 1st Viscount Knutsford, Henry Holland. He was allowed to return to the Malay Peninsula, and spent most of his later life in the Straits Settlements of Singapore and Penang before returning to Kuala Kangsar (town), Kuala Kangsar in Perak in 1922.
British Resident in Perak Hugh Low proved an effective administrator, preferring to adopt a generous approach that avoided confrontation with local leaders. As a result, he was able to secure the co-operation of many rajas and village ''penghulu'' with his policy rather than resorting to force, despite giving transport infrastructure little attention during his term.
In 1882, Frank Swettenham succeeded Low for a second term as the Resident of Perak. During his mandate, Perak's rail and road infrastructure was put in place. Increasing numbers of labourers were brought from India, principally to work as railway and municipal coolies.
The British introduced several changes to the local political structure, exerting influence on the appointment of the Sultan and restricting the power of his chiefs to Malay local matters. The Sultan and his chiefs were no longer entitled to collect taxes, but received a monthly allowance from the state treasury in compensation.
British intervention marked the beginning of Perak's transition from a primarily Malay society to a multi-ethnic population. The new style of government worked to promote a market economy, market-driven economy, maintain law and order, and combat
slavery
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
, seen by the British as an obstacle to economic development and incompatible with a capitalist economy.
Under the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909, Anglo-Siamese Treaty, signed in Bangkok in 1909, Siam ceded to United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Great Britain its northern Malay tributary states of Kedah, Kelantan Sultanate, Kelantan, Perlis, and Terengganu Sultanate, Terengganu and nearby islands. Exceptions were the Patani region, which remained under Siamese rule, and Perak, which regained the previously lost inland territory that became the Hulu Perak District.
The treaty terms stipulated that the British, through their government of the FMS, would assume responsibility for all debts owed to Siam by the four ceded Malay states, and relinquish British extraterritoriality, extraterritorial rights in Siam.
Second World War
![Japanese Type 97 Te-Ke tanks during the Battle of Kampar, 1941](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Japanese_Type_97_Te-Ke_tanks_during_the_Battle_of_Kampar%2C_1941.jpg)
There had been a Overseas Japanese, Japanese community in Perak since 1893, managing the bus service between the town of Ipoh and Batu Gajah, and running brothels in Kinta District, Kinta.
There were a number of other Japanese-run businesses in Ipoh, including dentists, photo studios, laundry, laundries, tailors, barbers, and hotels. Activity increased as a result of the close relationship created by the Anglo-Japanese Alliance.
Early in July 1941, before the beginning of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, a Sri Lankan Malays, Ceylonese Malay policeman serving under the British administration in Perak raised an alert. A Japanese business owner living in the same building had told him that Armed Forces of the Empire of Japan, Japanese troops were on their way, approaching not around Singapore from the sea, as expected by the British, but from Kota Bharu in Kelantan, with bicycle infantry and rubber boats.
The policeman informed the British Chief Police Officer in Ipoh, but his claim was laughed off.
By 26 December 1941, the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) had arrived in Ipoh, the capital, moving southwards from Thailand. The following day they went on to Taiping, Perak, Taiping, leaving destruction and heavy casualties in their wake.
The British forces, retreating from the north of the Malay Peninsula under Lieutenant-General Lewis Heath, had moved a further to the Perak River (Sungai Perak), damaging the route behind them to slow the Japanese advance.
With the approval of Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival, the British mounted a defensive stand near the river mouth and in Kampar, Perak, Kampar, leaving the towns of Ipoh, Kuala Kangsar and Taiping unguarded.
Most civil administrations were closed down, the European administrators and civilians evacuating to the south.
By mid-December, the Japanese had reached Kroh in the interior of Perak, moving in from Kota Bharu in Kelantan. The Japanese arrived both from the east and by boat along the western coast.
Within 16 days of their first landings, they had captured the entire northern part of the Malay Peninsula. The British were left trying to blockade the main road heading south from Ipoh. While the defending troops briefly slowed the Japanese at the Battle of Kampar and at the mouth of the Perak River, the Japanese advance along the trunk road, followed up with bombing and water-borne incursions, forced the British to retreat further south.
The Japanese occupied all of Malaya and Singapore. Tokugawa Yoshichika, a scion of the Tokugawa clan whose ancestors were ''shōguns'' who ruled Japan from the 16th to 19th centuries, proposed a reform plan. Under its terms, the five kingdoms of Johor Sultanate#Modern Johore Sultanate, Johor, Terengganu, Kelantan, Kedah-Penang, and Perlis would be restored and federated. Johor would control Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, and Malacca. An area in southern Johor would be incorporated into Japanese occupation of Singapore, Singapore for defence purposes.
![Sikh infantry during the Battle of Kampar, taken between 1941-1942](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Sikh_infantry_during_the_Battle_of_Kampar%2C_taken_between_1941-1942.jpg)
In the context of the military alliance between Japan and Thailand and their joint participation in the Burma campaign against the Allied forces, in 1943 the Empire of Japan restored to Thailand the former Malay tributary states of Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis, and Terengganu, which had been ceded by the then-named Siam to the British under the 1909 treaty. These territories were then administered as Thailand's Si Rat Malai, Four Malay States ( th, สี่รัฐมาลัย), with Japanese troops maintaining an ongoing presence.
Perak suffered under harsh military control, restricted movement, and tight surveillance throughout the Japanese occupation and until 1945.
The press in occupied Malaya, including the English-language occupation-era newspaper ''The Perak Times'', was entirely under the control of the Dōmei Tsushin, Dōmei News Agency (''Dōmei Tsushin''), publishing Japanese propaganda during World War II, Japanese-related war propaganda. The Dōmei News Agency also printed newspapers in Malay, Tamil language, Tamil, Chinese language, Chinese, and Japanese. The indigenous Orang Asli stayed in the interior during the occupation. Much of their community was befriended by Malayan Communist Party#World War II, Malayan Communist Party guerrillas, who protected them from outsiders in return for information on the Japanese and their food supplies.
Strong resistance came mainly from the ethnic Chinese community, some Malays preferring to collaborate with the Japanese through the Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM) movement for Malayan independence. But Malay support also waned with increasingly harsh Japanese treatment of civilians during the occupation. Two Chinese guerrilla organisations operated within Perak in northern Malaya. One, the Overseas Chinese Anti-Japanese Army (OCAJA), was aligned with the Kuomintang. The other, the Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA), was closely associated with the Chinese Communist Party. Although both opposed the Japanese, there were clashes between the two groups.
Sybil Kathigasu, a Eurasian (mixed ancestry), Eurasian nurse and member of the Perak resistance, was tortured after the Japanese ''Kenpeitai'' military police discovered a clandestine shortwave radio set in her home. John Davis, an officer of the British commando Force 136, part of the Special Operations Executive (SOE), trained local guerrillas prior to the Japanese invasion at the 101 Special Training School in Singapore, where he sought Chinese recruits for their commando teams.
Under the codename Operation Gustavus, Davis and five Chinese agents landed on the Perak coast north of Pangkor Island on 24 May 1943. They established a base camp in the Segari Hills, from which they moved to the plains to set up an intelligence network in the state.
In September 1943, they met and agreed to co-operate with the MPAJA,
which then provided Force 136 with support and manpower. This first intelligence network collapsed, however, when many of its leaders, including Lim Bo Seng, were caught, tortured and killed by the Japanese ''Kenpeitai'' in June 1944.
On 16 December 1944, a second intelligence network, comprising five Malay SOE agents and two British liaison officers, Major Peter G. Dobree and Captain Clifford, was parachuted into Padang Cermin, near Temenggor Lake Dam in Hulu Perak under the codename Operation Hebrides. Its main objective was to set up wireless communications between Malaya and Force 136 headquarters in Kandy, British Ceylon, after the MPAJA's failure to do so.
Post-war and independence
![The British Reoccupation of Malaya SE6126](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/The_British_Reoccupation_of_Malaya_SE6126.jpg)
Despite the Japanese surrender to the Allies of World War II, Allied forces in 1945, the Malay state had become unstable. This was exacerbated by the emergence of nationalism and a popular demand for independence as the British Military Administration (Malaya), British Military Administration took over from 1945 to 1946 to maintain peace and order, before the British began introducing new administrative systems under the
Malayan Union
The Malayan Union was a union of the Malay states and the Straits Settlements of Penang and Malacca. It was the successor to British Malaya and was conceived to unify the Malay Peninsula under a single government to simplify administratio ...
.
The four neighbouring Malay states held by Thailand throughout the war were returned to the British. This was done under a proposal by the United States, offering Thailand admission to the United Nations (UN) and a substantial American aid package to support its economy after the war. The MPAJA, under the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM), had fought alongside the British against the Japanese, and most of its members received awards at the end of the war. However, party policy become radicalised under the authority of Perak-born Chin Peng, who took over the CPM administration following former leader Lai Teck's disappearance with the party funds.
Under Chin's authority, the MPAJA killed those they considered to have been Japanese collaborators during the war, who were mainly Malays. This sparked ethnic conflict, racial conflict and Malay retaliation. Killer squads were also dispatched by the CPM to murder European plantation owners in Perak, and Kuomintang leaders in Johor. The Malayan government's subsequent declaration of a state of emergency on 18 June 1948 marked the start of the
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces o ...
.
Perak and Johor became the main strongholds of the communist movement. In the early stages their actions were not co-ordinated, and the security forces were able to counter them.
Earlier in 1947, the head of the Perak's Criminal investigation department#Malaysia, Criminal Investigation Department, H. J. Barnard, negotiated an arrangement with the Kuomintang-influenced OCAJA leader Leong Yew Koh. This resulted in most OCAJA members being absorbed into the national Special Constabulary, and fighting against the MPAJA's successor, the Malayan Races Liberation Army, Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA).
The Kinta Valley, one of the richest tin mining areas in Malaya, accounted for most of the country's tin exports to the United States. To protect it from the communists, on 1 May 1952, the Perak Chinese Tin Mining Association established the Kinta Valley Home Guard (KVHG). Often described as a private Chinese Army, most of the KVHG's Chinese members had links to the Kuomintang. Many of the Kuomintang guerrillas were absorbed from the Lenggong area, where there were also members of Chinese secret societies whose main purpose was to defend Chinese private property against the communists.
Throughout the first emergency the British authorities and their Malayan collaborators fought against the communists. This continued even after the proclamation of the independence of the
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya ( ms, Persekutuan Tanah Melayu; Jawi script, Jawi: ) was a federation of what previously had been British Malaya comprising eleven states (nine Malay states and two of the British Empire, British Straits Settlements, P ...
, on 31 August 1957. As a result, most of the communist guerrillas were successfully pushed across the northern border into Thailand.
Malaysia
In 1961, the Prime Minister of the Federation of Malaya, Tunku Abdul Rahman, sought to unite Malaya with the British colonies of Crown Colony of North Borneo, North Borneo, Crown Colony of Sarawak, Sarawak, and Crown Colony of Singapore, Singapore. Despite growing opposition from the governments of both Indonesia and the Philippines, and from communist sympathisers and nationalists in Borneo, the Federation came into being on 16 September 1963. The Indonesian government later initiated a "policy of Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation, confrontation" against the new state. This prompted the British, and their allies Australia and New Zealand, to deploy armed forces, although no skirmishes arising from the Indonesian attacks occurred around Perak. In 1968, a Communist insurgency in Malaysia (1968–89), second communist insurgency occurred in the Malay Peninsula. This affected Perak mainly through attacks from Hulu Perak by the communist insurgents who had previously retreated to the Thai border. The Perak State Information Office launched two types of psychological warfare to counter the increasing communist propaganda disseminated from the insurgents' hide-out. The campaign against the second insurgency had to be carried out as two separate efforts, because communist activities in Perak were split into two factions. One faction involved infiltrators from across the Thai border; the other was a communist group living among local inhabitants.
With the end of British rule in Malaya and the subsequent formation of the Federation of Malaysia, new factories were built and many new suburbs developed in Perak. But there was also rising radicalisation, radicalism among local Malay Muslims, with increasing Islamisation initiated by several religious organisations, and by Islamic preachers and intellectuals who caught the interest both of Malay royalty and commoners. Good relations with the country's rulers resulted in Islamic scholars being appointed as palace officers and dignitaries, teachers, and religious judges, contributing to the further spread of Islam. Islam is thus now seen as a major factor that shaped current attitudes to standing up for Malay rights.
Geography
![Limestone hills of Tambun near the Tibetan Temple](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Limestone_hills_of_Tambun_near_the_Tibetan_Temple.jpg)
Perak has a total land area of , and is situated in the west of the Malay Peninsula on the Strait of Malacca.
Its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) extends into the Strait. It is the second largest Malaysian state on the Malay Peninsula, and the fourth largest in Malaysia. The state has of coastline, of which are affected by coastal erosion. Mangrove forests grow along most of Perak's coast, with the exception of Pangkor Island, with its rich flora and fauna, where several of the country's forest reserves are located. There is extensive swampland along the coastal alluvium, alluvial zones of the west coast between central Perak and southern Selangor. Perak has an overall total forest cover of , including of tropical forest, forest lands, of mangroves, and another of forest plantations. A total of of forest has been gazetted by the state government as forest reserve, scattered across 68 areas throughout the state. Perak's geology is characterised by eruptive masses, which form its hills and
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...
s. The state is divided by three mountain chains into the three plains of Kinta, Larut and Perak, running parallel to the coast.
The
Titiwangsa Range
The Titiwangsa Mountains ( Malay: ''Banjaran Titiwangsa,'' بنجرن تيتيوڠسا, ), also known as ''"Banjaran Besar"'' (Big Range) by locals, is the chain of mountains that forms the backbone of the Malay Peninsula.
The northern section o ...
passes through Perak. Its highest point, the
Mount Korbu
Mount Korbu () is a mountain in Hulu Kinta, Perak, Malaysia, about 25 km from Ipoh. It is the highest peak in the state of Perak , located on the Titiwangsa Mountains, the southernmost section of the Tenasserim Hills.
Mount Korbu is also the ...
, is located in the district of Kinta near the border with the state of Kelantan. Alluvium covers much of the plains, with detached masses of sedimentary rock appearing at rare intervals.
![Wohin auswandern malaysia Taiping Lake Gardens 4](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Wohin_auswandern_malaysia_Taiping_Lake_Gardens_4.jpg)
An extensive network of rivers originates from the inland mountain ranges and hills.
Perak's borders with the states of Kedah, Penang and Selangor are marked by rivers, including the Bernam River, Bernam and Kerian Rivers. Perak has 11 major river basins of more than . Of these, the
Perak River
The Perak River ( ms, Sungai Perak; ) is the second longest river in Peninsular Malaysia after Pahang River in Pahang, Malaysia. A number of towns are on the banks of the river including the royal town of Kuala Kangsar. Most of the settlements in ...
basin is the largest, with an area of , about 70% of the total area of the state. It is the second largest river basin on the Malay Peninsula, after the Pahang River basin. The Perak River is the longest river in the state, at some , and is the Malay Peninsula's second longest after the Pahang River. It originates in the mountains of the Perak-Kelantan-
Yala border, snaking down to the Strait of Malacca. Other major rivers include the Beruas, Jarum Mas, Kurau, Larut, Manjung, Sangga Besar, Temerloh, and Tiram Rivers.
Perak is located in a tropical geography, tropical region with a typically hot, humid and wet tropical rainforest climate, equatorial climate, and experiences significant rainfall throughout the year. The temperature remains fairly constant, between . Humidity is often above 80%. Annual rainfall is about , the central area of the state receiving an average of of rain. The state experiences two monsoon seasons: the northeast and southwest seasons. The northeast season occurs from November to March, the southwest from May to September, and the transitional months for the monsoon seasons are April and June. The northeast monsoon brings heavy rains, especially in the upper areas of Hulu Perak, causing floods. Little effect of the southwest monsoon is felt in the Kinta Valley, although coastal areas of southern Perak occasionally experience thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong, gusting winds in the predawn and early morning.
File:Mount Korbu.jpg, Mount Korbu
Mount Korbu () is a mountain in Hulu Kinta, Perak, Malaysia, about 25 km from Ipoh. It is the highest peak in the state of Perak , located on the Titiwangsa Mountains, the southernmost section of the Tenasserim Hills.
Mount Korbu is also the ...
with surrounding vegetation
File:Mirror Lake in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.jpg, Mirror Lake in Ipoh
File:Forest Brook in Tapah Hills, Perak, Malaysia.jpg, Forest Brook in Tapah Hills
File:Twilight in Lumut Beach, Perak, Malaysia.jpg, Twilight in Lumut Beach
Biodiversity
![Belum Rainforest Resort Outdoor Walkway, Perak, Malaysia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Belum_Rainforest_Resort_Outdoor_Walkway%2C_Perak%2C_Malaysia.jpg)
The jungles of Perak are highly Biodiversity, biodiverse. The state's main natural park, Belum-Temengor, Royal Belum State Park, covers an area of in northern Perak. It contains 18 species of frog and toad, 67 species of snake, more than 132 species of beetle, 28 species of cicada, 97 species of moth, and 41 species of dragonflies, dragonfly and damselflies, damselfly. The park was further gazetted as National Heritage Site by the federal government in 2012, and was inscribed on the List of World Heritage Sites in Malaysia#Tentative list, World Heritage Site tentative list of UNESCO in 2017. Royal Belum State Park also hosts an estimated 304 bird species, including bird migration, migratory species, in addition to birds endemic to the three forest reserve areas of Pangkor Island. Ten hornbill species are found within the area, including large flocks of the plain-pouched hornbill. Mammal species include the ''Seladang'', Asian elephant, and Malayan tiger. The area is also notable for harbouring high concentrations of at least three ''Rafflesia'' species. The Pulau Sembilan (Nine Islands) State Park in western Perak covers an area of . Its coral reefs are home to coral reef fish species. In addition, 173 freshwater fish species have been identified as native to the state. Another natural attraction, the tin-mining ponds in Kinta District, was gazetted as a state park in 2016. The Kinta Nature Park, Perak's third state park, covers an area of .
![Kuhl's Flying Gecko (Ptychozoon kuhli) (8744026399)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Kuhl%27s_Flying_Gecko_%28Ptychozoon_kuhli%29_%288744026399%29.jpg)
The government of Perak has stated its commitment to protecting its forests to ensure the survival of endangered species, endangered wildlife species, and to protect biodiversity. The Perak Forestry Department is the state body responsible for forest management and preservation. In 2013, the state planted some 10.9 million trees under the "26 Million Tree Planting Campaign: One Citizen One Tree", associated with global Earth Day.
Widespread conversion and reclamation of mangroves and mudflats for economic and residential purposes has caused the rapid decline of shore birds, 86% of the reduction on the Malay Peninsula having occurred on Perak's coasts. Poaching in forest reserve areas has caused a stark decline in mammal populations. The Perak State Park Corporation estimates that there were only 23 Malayan tigers left within the state's two forest reserves of Royal Belum and Temenggor in 2019. The state government of Perak has also been blamed in part for destroying forest reserves for the lucrative timber, wood and palm oil businesses. Records since 2009 reveal that more than of permanent forest reserves have been degazetted in the state, the latest occurring within the Bikam Permanent Forest Reserve in July 2013. A number of business activities permitted by the state government have caused environmental damage, including to many of Perak's rivers, which require extensive water treatment because of severe pollution.
Between 1982 and 1994, the state government was embroiled in a 1982 Bukit Merah radioactive pollution#Background, radioactive environmental pollution controversy over the deaths of seven residents who suffered from birth defects and leukaemia resulting from exposure. The factory involved was only closed and cleaned up following lengthy court action by affected residents and increasing international pressure. No responsibility has been accepted by the associated companies, the state government, or the federal government. Although Perak has the highest number of mangrove reserves of the Malay Peninsula states, with 19 reserves in the mangroves of Matang, growing uncontrolled clearance of mangroves for aquaculture projects and residential areas is causing significant coastal erosion in addition to the damage resulting from climate change.
Politics
Government
![Istana Iskandariah Bukit Chandan Kuala Kangsar](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Istana_Iskandariah_Bukit_Chandan_Kuala_Kangsar.jpg)
Perak is a constitutional monarchy, with a ruler elected by an electoral college composed of the major chiefs. The Sultan of Perak, Sultan is the constitutional head of Perak. The current Sultan of Perak is Nazrin Shah of Perak, Nazrin Shah, who acceded to the throne on 29 May 2014. The main royal palace is the Istana Iskandariah, Iskandariah Palace in Kuala Kangsar. Kinta Palace in Ipoh is used by the sultan as an occasional residence during official visits.
Other palaces in Ipoh include the Al-Ridhuan Palace, Cempaka Sari Palace, and Firuz Palace.
The state government is headed by a ''
Menteri Besar
In Malaysia, the Menteri Besar ( Jawi:منتري بسر; literally ''First Minister''), colloquially referred to as MB, is the head of government of each of nine states in Malaysia with hereditary rulers. For four states without a monarch, the t ...
'' (Chief Minister), assisted by an 11-member Perak State Executive Council, Executive Council (Exco) selected from the members of the Perak State Legislative Assembly. The 59-seat Assembly is the legislative branch of Perak's government, responsible for making laws in matters regarding the state. It is based on the Westminster system. Members of the Assembly are elected by citizens every five years by universal suffrage. The Chief Minister is appointed on the basis of his or her ability to command a majority in the Assembly. The majority (33 seats) is currently held by Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH).
Prior to the major British overhaul of Perak's administration,
slavery
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
was widely practised along with a type of corvée labour system, called ''kerah''. The chief of a given area could call on his citizens to work as forced labour without pay, although under normal circumstances food was still provided.
The system was created to ensure the maintenance of the ruling class. It was often described as onerous and demanding, as there were times when the call to duty, and its duration, interfered with citizens' individual work.
The slaves were divided into two classes: debt bondage, debtor-bondsmen and ordinary slaves. The debtor-bondsmen had the higher status, being ranked as free men and acknowledged as members of their masters' society. In contrast, the ordinary slaves had no prospect of status redemption. As Islam does not allow enslavement of fellow Muslims, the ordinary slaves came mainly from non-Muslim groups, especially the Orang Asli, Batak people, Batak, and African people, Africans purchased by Malays on Hajj, pilgrimage in Mecca.
State administration issues and subsequent 2009 constitutional crisis
The opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition won Perak in the Malaysian general election, 2008, 2008 general election. Although the Democratic Action Party (DAP) had won the most seats of the opposition parties, Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) was appointed ''Menteri Besar'' of the state. This happened because the state constitution states that the ''Menteri Besar'' must be a Muslim, unless the Sultan specially appoints a non-Muslim to the office.
As the DAP did not have any Muslim assemblymen in Perak at that time, the ''Menteri Besar'' had to come from one of its two allied parties, the People's Justice Party (Malaysia), People's Justice Party (PKR) or the PAS.
However, the national ruling party, Barisan Nasional (BN), gained control over the state government administration when three PR assemblymen, Hee Yit Foong (Jelapang (state constituency), Jelapang), Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi (Behrang (state constituency), Behrang), and Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu (Changkat Jering (state constituency), Changkat Jering) defected to the BN as independent assemblymen during the crisis, on 3 February 2009. A statement from the office of the Sultan of Perak urged the PR ''Menteri Besar'' to resign, but also refused to dissolve the State Legislative Assembly, which would have triggered new elections. Amid multiple protests, lawsuits and arrests, a new BN-led Assembly was sworn in on 7 May. The takeover was then ruled illegal by the High Courts (Malaysia), High Court in Kuala Lumpur, on 11 May 2009, restoring power to the PR.
The following day, the Court of Appeal of Malaysia suspended the High Court ruling pending a new Court of Appeal judgment. On 22 May 2009, the Court of Appeal overturned the High Court's decision and returned power to the BN. Many opposition party supporters believed that the crisis was effectively a "power grab", in which the democratically elected government was ousted through the political machinations of the more dominant national ruling party.
Departments
* Perak State Finance Office
* Perak Irrigation and Drainage Department
* Perak State Forestry Department
* Perak Social Welfare Department
* Perak Syariah Judiciary Department
* Perak Public Works Department
* Perak State Islamic Religious Affairs Department
* Perak Public Service Commission
* Perak State Agriculture Department
* Office of Lands and Mines Perak
* Perak State Mufti Office
* Perak Town and Country Planning Department
* Department of Veterinary Services of Perak
Statutory bodies
* Perak Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council
* Perak State Public Library Corporation
Administrative divisions
Perak is divided into 12 Districts of Malaysia, districts (''daerah''), 81 ''mukims'', and 15 local governments.
There are district officers for each district and a village headperson (''ketua kampung'' or ''penghulu'') for each village in the district. Before the British arrived, Perak was run by a group of relatives and friends of the Sultan who held rights to collect taxes and duties.
The British developed a more organised administration following Perak's integration into the
Federated Malay States
)Under God's Protection
, capital = Kuala Lumpur1
, religion = Islam
, legislature = Federal Legislative Council
, type_house1 = State level
, common_languages =
, title_leader = Monarch
, leader1 ...
(FMS). The FMS government created two institutions, the State Council and the Malay Administrative Service (MAS).
The two institutions encouraged direct Malay participation and gave the former ruling class a place in the new administrative structure. Most of the Sultan's district chiefs removed from authority at that time were given new positions in the State Council, although their influence was restricted to Malay social matters raised in council business. The Sultan and the district chiefs were compensated for their loss of tax revenue with a monthly allowance from the state treasury.
The role of the local ''penghulus'' changed considerably when they were appointed no longer by the Sultan but by the British Resident. Colonial land policy introduced individual landholding, thereby making land a commodity, and the ''penghulu'' were then involved in matters relating to this property.
The Perak State Council was established in 1875 to assist the British Resident in most administrative matters. It also brought together the Malay chiefs and Chinese leaders (''Kapitan Cina'') to deal with certain administrative issues relating to Perak's growing Malay and Chinese populations.
The State Council also helped provide education and training to assist Malays in qualifying for government positions. When the post of the FMS Resident was abolished, other European-held administrative posts were gradually occupied by local appointees. As in the rest of Malaysia, local government comes under the purview of state government.
On 26 November 2015, it was announced that the Batang Padang District sub-district of Tanjung Malim would become Perak's 11th district, to be called Muallim District, Muallim. Sultan Nazrin officiated at its formal creation on 11 January 2016. On 9 January 2017, the Sultan proclaimed Bagan Datuk District, Bagan Datuk the 12th district of the state. The proclamation marked the start of transformation for the district, one of the biggest coconut producers in Malaysia.
Economy
![Fishing village in Kuala Sepetang, Perak, Malaysia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Fishing_village_in_Kuala_Sepetang%2C_Perak%2C_Malaysia.jpg)
From the 1980s on, Perak began an economic transition away from the Primary sector of the economy, primary sector, where for decades income was generated by the tin mining industry. Early in 2006, the state government established the Perak Investment Management Centre (InvestPerak) to serve as the contact point for investors in the manufacturing and service (economics), services sectors. The state's economy today relies mainly on the Tertiary sector of the economy, tertiary sector. In 2017, the tourism industry contributed Malaysian ringgit, RM201.4 billion (14.9%) to the state gross domestic product (GDP).
Through the Eleventh Malaysia Plan (11MP), the state has set targets under its five-year 2016–2020 development plan, including economic development corridor targets for Southern Perak. Perak has several development corridors, with a different focus for each district. A 20-year masterplan was also formulated in 2017 to drive economic development in the state, with a development value of up to RM30 billion.
In the first quarter of 2018, the state received a total of RM249.8 million in investments. A year later, investments in the first quarter of 2019 had increased to RM1.43 billion. Perak ranks fifth after
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
, Kedah, Johor and Selangor in total value of investments. In 2018, investments of RM1.9 billion were planned for the implementation of a range of manufacturing projects and associated factory construction from 2019.
Since 2005, Perak has made efforts to remain the biggest agricultural producer in Malaysia. In 2008, the state sought to legalise the freshwater prawn farming, prawn-farming industry, mostly located in western Perak with some activity in Tanjung Tualang. In 2016, some 17,589 young people in Perak were involved in implementing a range of state initiatives in Perak's agriculture sector. In 2019, the Perak State Agriculture Development Corporation (SADC) launched the Perak AgroValley Project to increase the state's agricultural production. This initiative covers an area of in the Bukit Sapi Mukim Lenggong region. Most of Perak's abandoned tin mine lakes provide suitable environments for the breeding of freshwater fish. 65% of abandoned mines have been used for fisheries production, with 30% of the fish exported to neighbouring Singapore and Indonesia. To further improve agricultural productivity and meet increasing demand, the state plans to expand the permanent cultivation of vegetable farming, vegetables, floriculture, flowers, coconut, palm oil, durian, and mango, in different areas throughout Perak. The construction sector accounted for 5.6% of Perak's economic growth in 2015, dropping to 4.0% the following year. Development and public housing, housing projects represented the sector's major contribution to the state's economic growth.
Tourism
The tertiary sector is Perak's main economic sector. In 2018, the state was the second most popular destination for domestic tourism, domestic tourists in Malaysia, after the state of
Pahang
Pahang (;Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a ...
. Perak's attractions include the royal town of Kuala Kangsar and its iconic buildings, such as the Iskandariah Palace, Pavilion Square Tower, Perak Royal Museum, Sultan Azlan Shah Gallery, and Ubudiah Mosque. The British colonial legacy in Perak includes the Birch Memorial Clock Tower, Ipoh High Court, Ipoh railway station, Ipoh Town Hall and Old Post Office, Kellie's Castle, Majestic Station Hotel, Malay College Kuala Kangsar, Bukit Larut, Maxwell Hill (Bukit Larut), Perak Museum, Perak State Museum, Royal Ipoh Club, St. John Church, and Taiping Lake Gardens.
The historical events of the local Malay struggle are remembered in the Pasir Salak Historical Complex. There are also several historical ethnic Chinese landmarks, mainly in Ipoh, the capital. They include the Darul Ridzuan Museum building, a former wealthy Chinese tin miner's mansion; Han Chin Pet Soo, a former club for Hakka miners and haven of shadowy activities;
and the Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan.
![Road bridge passing the Royal Belum Rainforest, Perak, Malaysia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Road_bridge_passing_the_Royal_Belum_Rainforest%2C_Perak%2C_Malaysia.jpg)
The state also contains a number of natural attractions, including bird sanctuaries, caves, forest reserves, islands, limestone cliffs, mountains, and white sandy beaches. Among the natural sites are Banding Island, Belum-Temengor Forest Reserve, Kek Lok Tong Cave Temple and Zen Gardens,
Kinta Nature Park,
Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve, Mount Yong Belar,
Pangkor Island, Tempurung Cave, and Ulu Kinta Forest Reserve.
Recreational attractions include the Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat,
D. R Seenivasagam Recreational Park,
Gaharu Tea Valley Gopeng, Go Chin Pomelo Nature Park, Gunung Lang Recreational Park,
Kinta Riverfront Walk,
Kuala Woh Jungle Park,
Lang Mountain,
Lost World of Tambun, My Gopeng Resort,
Perak Herbal Garden,
Sultan Abdul Aziz Recreational Park, and Sungai Klah Hot Spring Park.
Infrastructure
![Downtown Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Downtown_Ipoh%2C_Perak%2C_Malaysia.jpg)
Perak has a 2016–2020 state government development plan. A Development Fund amounting to RM397,438,000 was approved by the State Legislative Assembly in 2016. The 2018 Budget allocated Perak a further RM1.176 billion, of which RM421.28 million was earmarked for development expenditure, and RM755.59 million for management costs. In addition to attracting investors, the state government is working to improve and build new infrastructure. The new government elected in 2018 announced its intention to continue development projects initiated by the previous government for all districts in Perak.
Energy and water resources
Electricity distribution in Perak is operated and managed by the Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB). The Temenggor Dam, Temenggor Power Station in Gerik has a capacity of 348 Megawatt, MW, the largest of the many hydroelectricity, hydroelectric plants in the state. Built by the British, Chenderoh Power Station, the state's oldest hydroelectric dam power station, has a capacity of 40.5 MW. Other hydroelectric power stations include the Sultan Azlan Shah Kenering Power Station (120 MW), Sultan Azlan Shah Bersia Hydroelectric Power Station (72 MW), Sungai Piah Lower Power Station (54 MW), and Sungai Piah Upper Power Station (14.6 MW). The 4,100 MW Manjung Power Plant, also known as the Sultan Azlan Shah Power Station, is a coal-fired power station located on an artificial island off the Perak coast. It is owned and operated by TNB Janamanjung, a wholly owned subsidiary of the TNB. The plant is considered one of the biggest Independent Power Producer (IPP) projects in Asia. The GB3 combined cycle power plant in Lumut, operated by Malakoff (power company), Malakoff, has a capacity of 640 MW.
The state's piped water supply is managed by the Perak Water Board (PWB), a corporate body established under the Perak Water Board Enactment in 1988. It serves over 2.5 million people, and is among the biggest water operators on the Malay Peninsula, after Selangor and Johor. Before the PWB was established, water services were initially provided by the Perak Public Works Department, and subsequently by the Perak Water Supply Department. The state's water supplies mainly come from its two major dams, the Air Kuning Dam in Taiping and the Sultan Azlan Shah Dam in Ipoh.
Telecommunications and broadcasting
Telecommunications in Perak was originally administered by the Posts and Telecommunication Department, and maintained by the British Cable & Wireless Communications, responsible for all telecommunication services in Malaya.
The first telegraph line, connecting the British Resident's Perak House in Kuala Kangsar to the house of the Deputy British Resident at Taiping, was laid by the Department of Posts and Telegraph in 1874. Further lines were then built to link all of the key British economic areas of the time, and in particular the British Straits Settlements territory. Following the foundation of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, in 1968 the telecommunications departments in Malaya and Borneo merged to form the Telecommunications Department Malaysia, which later became Telekom Malaysia (TM).
The state remains committed to full co-operation with the federal government to implement the latest telecommunications development projects in Perak.
Perak is set to become the first Malaysian state to introduce the National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP) for high-speed Internet in rural areas. Television broadcasting in the state is divided into terrestrial television, terrestrial and satellite television. There are two types of free-to-air television providers: MYTV Broadcasting (digital terrestrial) and Astro NJOI (satellite), while IPTV is accessed via Unifi TV through the UniFi fibre optic internet subscription service. The Malaysian federal government operates one state radio channel, Perak FM.
Transport
![Gloomy Sunset After The Rain in Kampar](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Gloomy_Sunset_After_The_Rain_in_Kampar.jpg)
Malaysia's North–South Expressway (Malaysia), North–South Expressway connects Perak with the other west coast Malaysian states and federal territories. Perak has two categories of road, as at 2016 totalling of Malaysian Federal Roads system, federal roads, and of Malaysian State Roads system, state roads. A new highway, the West Coast Expressway, is being built to link the coastal areas of the state and reduce the growing traffic congestion. Perak has a dual carriageway road network, and follows the left- and right-hand traffic, left-hand traffic rule. Towns provide public transport, including buses, taxis, and Grab (company), Grab services. Under the Eleventh Malaysia Plan (11MP), around 23 infrastructure projects, worth RM4.7 billion, have been implemented. These include 11 road projects for the state, involving allocations of RM1.84 billion for upgrade and expansion works carried out by the Malaysian Public Works Department, Public Works Department (PWD).
Ipoh railway station, on Jalan Panglima Bukit Gantang Wahab in the state capital, is the oldest station of Perak's rail network. It was built by the British in 1917, and upgraded in 1936. In 2019, an integrated development project was launched to upgrade the railway station and its surrounding areas. Boat services provide the main transport access to Pangkor Island, in addition to air travel. Sultan Azlan Shah Airport is Perak's main international airport, acting as the main gateway to the state. Other public airports include Pangkor Airport and Sitiawan Airport, and there are private or restricted airfields such as Jendarata Airport and the military Taiping Airport.
Healthcare
![Taiping General Hospital - panoramio](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Taiping_General_Hospital_-_panoramio.jpg)
Health services in Perak are administered by the Perak State Health Department ( ms, Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri Perak). The state's main government hospital is the 990-bed Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital, previously known as the Ipoh Hospital, which also incorporates the women's and children's hospital. Other hospitals include four specialist hospitals: Taiping Hospital, Teluk Intan Hospital, Seri Manjung Hospital, and the minor speciality Slim River Hospital; nine district hospitals: Batu Gajah Hospital, Changkat Hospital, Gerik Hospital, Kampar Hospital, Kuala Kangsar Hospital, Parit Buntar Hospital, Selama Hospital, Sungai Siput Hospital, Tapah Hospital; and one psychiatric hospital: Bahagia Ulu Kinta Hospital. Other public health clinics, 1Malaysia#1Malaysia clinics, 1Malaysia clinics, and rural clinics are scattered throughout the state. There are a number of private hospitals, including the Anson Bay Medical Centre, Apollo Medical Centre, Ar-Ridzuan Medical Centre, Colombia Asia Hospital, Fatimah Hospital, Ipoh Pantai Hospital, Ipoh Specialist Centre, Kinta Medical Centre, Manjung Pantai Hospital, Perak Community Specialist Hospital, Sri Manjung Specialist Hospital, Taiping Medical Centre, and Ulu Bernam Jenderata Group Hospital. In 2009, the state's doctor–patient ratio was 3 per 1,000.
Education
![UTAR's Grand Hall Lighted Up](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/UTAR%27s_Grand_Hall_Lighted_Up.jpg)
All primary and secondary schools are within the jurisdiction of the Perak State Education Department, under the guidance of the national Ministry of Education (Malaysia), Ministry of Education. Among the oldest schools in Perak are the King Edward VII School, Taiping, King Edward VII School (1883), the Anglo-Chinese School (1895), and St. Michael's Institution (1912). As of 2019, Perak had a total of 250 government secondary schools, six international schools (City Harbour International School, Fairview International School Ipoh Campus, Imperial International School Ipoh, Seri Botani International School, Tenby Schools Ipoh, and the Westlake International School), and nine Chinese independent high school, Chinese independent schools. There is one Japanese learning centre, located in the state capital, Ipoh. Sultan Idris Education University is the sole public university, and there are three private university, private universities: the Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), Quest International University, and Universiti Teknologi Petronas, as well as the campus branch of the University of Kuala Lumpur Malaysian Institute of Marine Engineering Technology (UniKL MIMET), and the University of Kuala Lumpur Royal College of Medicine Perak (UniKL RCMP). Other colleges include the Cosmopoint College, Maxwell College Ipoh, Olympia College Ipoh, Sunway College Ipoh, Syuen College, Taj College, Tunku Abdul Rahman College Perak Branch Campus, and WIT College Ipoh Branch. There are several polytechnics, including the Sultan Azlan Shah Polytechnic in Behrang, and Ungku Omar Polytechnic in Ipoh.
Demography
Ethnicity and immigration
The 2015 Malaysian Census reported the population of Perak at 2,477,700, making it the fifth most populous state in Malaysia, with a non-citizen population of 74,200.
Of the Malaysian residents, 1,314,400 (53.0%) are Malaysian Malays, Malay, 713,000 (28.0%) are Malaysian Chinese, Chinese, 293,300 (11.0%) are Malaysian Indian, Indian, and another 72,300 (2.9%) identified as other Bumiputera (Malaysia), bumiputera.
In 2010, the population was estimated to be around 2,299,582, with 1,212,700 (52.0%) Malay, 675,517 (29.0%) Chinese, 274,631 (11.0%) Indian, and another 62,877 (2.7%) from other bumiputera.
Once the most populous state during the British administration under the FMS, Perak has yet to recover from the decline of the tin-mining industry.
The associated economic downturn resulted in a massive manpower drain to higher-growth states such as
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
, Selangor, and Kuala Lumpur.
Perak's highest population density is mainly concentrated in the coastal and lowland areas. The Chinese and Indian population represents a higher percentage of the state's total population than in the neighbouring northern Malay states.
The presence of these groups was particularly significant after the British opened many tin mines and extensive rubber plantations in the mid-19th century. More than half of Perak's inhabitants in the 1930s were Chinese emigration, Chinese immigrants.
Perak's Indian community is mostly of Tamil Malaysian, Tamil ethnicity, although it also includes other South Indian communities such as the Malaysian Malayali, Malayalees, principally in Sitiawan, Sungai Siput, Trolak and Kuala Kangsar; the Malaysian Telugu, Telugus, in Teluk Intan and Bagan Datuk; and the Sikhs, scattered in and around Perak, predominantly in
Ipoh
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Ipoh in Perak
, pushpin_map = #Malaysia#Asia#Earth
, pushpin_mapsize = 275px
, pushpin_map_caption = Ipoh in Malaysia
, coordinates ...
and Tanjung Tualang.
Population density is relatively low in much of Perak's interior, where the indigenous Orang Asli are scattered, including in the northernmost border district of Hulu Perak.
The indigenous people originally inhabited most of Perak's coastal areas, but were pushed deeper into the interior with the arrival of increasing numbers of Javanese, Banjar, Mandailing, Rawa, Batak, Kampar, Bugis and Minangkabau immigrants in the early 19th century. The Orang Asli oral traditions preserve stories of Rawa and Batak atrocities and enslavement of the aboriginal population.
The current constitution defines Malays as someone who is Muslim and assimilated with Malay community Traditionally, the natives Malay mostly live in Lenggong, Gerik, Kinta District, Kinta, Bota and Beruas while the Javanese mostly lived in Hilir Perak, comprising Bagan Datuk, Batak Rabit, Sungai Manik, Teluk Intan, and a few other places along the Perak shores. The Mandailing and Rawa people were mostly in Gopeng, Kampar, Tanjung Malim, and Kampung Mandailing at Gua Balak. These people had mostly come from neighbouring Selangor, escaping the Klang War. The Buginese are found in Kuala Kangsar, especially in Kota Lama Kiri and Sayong. The few Minangkabau people in the state lived among the other ethnic groups with no distinct villages or settlements of their own. As of 2015, there were some 3,200 Malaysian Siamese in Perak, a legacy of the Siamese presence in the northern Malay states. There is also a scattered Acehnese people, Acehnese presence, dating back to the rule of the
Sultanate of Aceh
The Sultanate of Aceh, officially the Kingdom of Aceh Darussalam ( ace, Keurajeuën Acèh Darussalam; Jawoë: كاورجاون اچيه دارالسلام), was a sultanate centered in the modern-day Indonesian province of Aceh. It was a major ...
.
Religion
As in the rest of Malaysia,
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
is recognised as the
state religion
A state religion (also called religious state or official religion) is a religion or creed officially endorsed by a sovereign state. A state with an official religion (also known as confessional state), while not secular state, secular, is not n ...
, although other religions may be freely practised. According to the 2010 Malaysian Census, Perak's population was 55.3% Muslim, 25.4% Buddhist, 10.9% Hindu, 4.3% Christians, Christian, 1.7% Taoism, Taoist or followers of Chinese folk religion, 0.8% other religions or unknown, and 0.9% non-religious.
The census indicated that 83.7% of Perak's Chinese population identified as Buddhist, with significant minorities identifying as Christian (9.2%), Chinese folk religion adherents (5.8%), and Muslim (0.2%). The majority of the Indian population identified as Hindu (87.6%), with significant minorities identifying as Christian (6.01%), Muslim (2.67%), and Buddhist (1.0%). The non-Malay bumiputera community was predominantly irreligion (28.2%), with significant minorities identifying as Muslim (24.1%), and Christian (22.9%). Among the majority population, all Malay bumiputera identified as Muslim. Article 160 of the Constitution of Malaysia defines professing the Islamic faith as one of the criteria of being a Malay.
Languages
![Roadsign in Ipoh city centre (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Roadsign_in_Ipoh_city_centre_%28cropped%29.jpg)
As a multi-ethnic state, Perak is also linguistically diverse. The main Malay language dialect, Perak Malay, is characterised by its "e" (as in "red", ) and its "r", like the French language, French "r" (). It is commonly spoken in central Perak, more specifically in the districts of Kuala Kangsar District, Kuala Kangsar and Perak Tengah District, Perak Tengah.
Speakers of the northern Kedah Malay dialect are also found in the northern part of Perak, comprising Kerian, Pangkor Island, and Larut, Matang and Selama District, Larut, Matang and Selama districts. In the northeastern part of Perak (Hulu Perak), and some parts of Selama and Kerian, the Malay people speak another distinct Malay language variant known as ''Basa Ulu/Grik'' (named after Grik), which is most closely related to Kelantan-Pattani Malay in Kelantan and southern Thailand (Yawi) due to geographical proximity and historical assimilation.
In the southern parts of Perak (Hilir Perak and Batang Padang), and also in the districts of Kampar and Kinta and several parts of Manjung, the dialect spoken is heavily influenced by the southern Malay dialects of the peninsula such as Selangor, Malacca, and Johore-Riau Malay. It is also influenced by several languages of the Indonesian archipelago: Javanese language, Javanese, Banjar language, Banjar, Rawa (tribe), Rawa (a variety of Minangkabau language, Minangkabau), Batak languages, Batak (Mandailing language, Mandailing), and Buginese language, Buginese, as a result of historical immigration, civil wars such as the Klang War, and other factors.
Among Perak's various Chinese ethnicities, Malaysian Cantonese has become the lingua franca, although a number of Chinese dialect, dialects are spoken including Cantonese, Hakka, Standard Chinese, Mandarin, Teochew dialect, Teochew, Hokkien, and Fuzhou dialect, Hokchiu.
The Tamil community mainly speaks a Malaysian Tamil, Malaysian dialect of the Tamil language; the Malaysian Malayali, Malayalees speak Malayalam language, Malayalam; the Telugus speak the Telugu language; and the Sikhs speak Punjabi language, Punjabi.
Over time, Tamil language, Tamil became a lingua franca among Perak's different Indian communities as Tamil-speaking people became the majority in several west coast Malaysian states with higher Indian populations.
A small number of Sinhala language, Sinhala speakers also found in parts of the state capital, Ipoh.
Several Orang Asli languages are spoken within the state, all belonging to the Aslian languages, Aslian branch of the Austroasiatic languages. These languages are Lanoh language, Lanoh, Temiar language, Temiar, Jahai language, Jahai, Kensiu language, Kensiu, Kintaq language, Kintaq, and Semai language, Semai.
Members of the Siamese community mainly speak a Southern Thai language, Southern Thai variant, and are fluent in Malay, also having some knowledge of some of the Chinese dialects. With the multi-ethnic make-up of Perak's society, some people speak more than one language.
Culture
![Labu Sayong Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Malaysia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Labu_Sayong_Kuala_Kangsar%2C_Perak%2C_Malaysia.jpg)
Perak's multiculturalism, multicultural society reflects the influences of different ethnicities throughout its history. Several Malay art forms, such as embroidery and performances like ''dabus'', show apparent Arab culture, Arab cultural influence. The state's characteristic embroidery, ''tekat emas'' (gold embroidery), was once presented to royalty. Designs are based on floral, animal, and geometric motifs. ''Dabus'' has existed for some 300 years, and is inseparable from a ritual involving incantation. It was brought to Perak by traders from Sumatra, and practised by the Malay community in Lumut, Pasir Panjang Laut Village in Sitiawan, and Teluk Intan. The traditional Malay
pottery
Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...
handicraft called ''labu sayong'' is part of the art heritage of Kuala Kangsar. Its unique design is uninfluenced by foreign techniques.
''Labu sayong'' is associated with a dance called the ''sayong''. Another dance local to the Malays of Perak is the ''bubu'', known for 120 years, which originates from Tanjung Bidara Village on Tiga Parit Island.
Cantonese opera once flourished in the town of Ipoh, as the majority of Chinese there were Cantonese. The history of China, and particularly History of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, is recreated in Qing Xin Ling Leisure and Cultural Village (nicknamed Little Guilin) in Ipoh, with painted wooden structures around a lake set among limestone hills and caves. Another ethnic Chinese cultural location in Perak is Bercham, originally called ''Wo Tau Kok'' in Cantonese in the 1950s. The area was formerly a tin mining centre, which also become one of the relocation points for Malayan ethnic Chinese during the British era under the government's Briggs Plan to protect and distance them from communist influence. Perak's Malay, Chinese, and Indian communities, representing its three main ethnic groups, each have their own traditional arts and dance associations to maintain and preserve their respective cultural heritage.
Cuisine
![IpohWhiteCoffee](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/IpohWhiteCoffee..jpg)
As a melting pot of different cultures, Perak features various cuisines. ''Lemang'', a Malay delicacy made from glutinous rice cooked in a bamboo tube over a slow fire, is very popular in the state. It is mainly served during the festivities of Eid al-Fitr (''Hari Raya Aidilfitri'') and Eid al-Adha (''Hari Raya Haji''), along with ''rendang''.
The method of its preparation is believed to derive partly from the indigenous Orang Asli of Perak, explaining the origins of the dish. Another popular Malay delicacy is ''tempoyak'', a durian extract that is preserved and kept in a traditional urn. It is commonly mixed with bird's eye chillies, and eaten with other dishes.
Malaysian Chinese cuisine, Chinese cuisine is very common in Perak, because of the state's history of Chinese migration and trade relations over centuries. It was traditionally popular chiefly in Ipoh. Through over 2,000 years of contact with India, the Malaysian Indian cuisine, influence of Indian cuisine also spread in Perak.
The state is particularly known as a producer of the Bali pomelo (''limau bali''). This fruit was introduced by Hugh Low, Perak's fourth British Resident, who brought seedlings from the neighbouring Dutch East Indies and distributed them both in Penang and in Perak (mainly in Tambun). Other districts are also known for their agricultural production: Bidor for its guava, Hulu Perak (durian), Menglembu (peanut, groundnut), and Tapah (petai). Ipoh white coffee, a popular Malaysian drink, traces its origin to Ipoh.
Sports
![Perak football supporters, 2017 Malaysia Cup quarter-finals](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Perak_football_supporters%2C_2017_Malaysia_Cup_quarter-finals.jpg)
Perak became a part of Malaya since 1957, and its athletes have represented Malaya, and later Malaysia, at the Summer Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and Southeast Asian Games. The Perak State Youth and Sports Department was established in 1964 to raise the standard of sports in the state. Perak hosted the Sukma Games in 1994 and 2018 Sukma Games, 2018. The state has a number of sports complexes, located around Ipoh and in other districts. The state government allocates funds for sports development to each district-level sports association.
Ipoh's Perak Stadium is the main stadium for Perak FA. The team was formed in 1951, although the state had had a football team since 1921. Perak FA won the Malaysia FA Cup in 1990 and 2004; the Malaysia Cup in 1926, 1931, 1957, 1967, 1970, 1998, 2000, and 2018 Malaysia Cup, 2018; was runner-up in the Malaysia Super League in 2006–07 Malaysia Super League, 2006–07 and 2018 Malaysia Super League, 2018; and won the President Cup Malaysia in 2006–07, 2012 and 2014. The state women's football team was runner-up in the Tun Sharifah Rodziah Cup in 1977, 1979 and 1992. Another notable stadium in the state is Naval Base Stadium in Lumut, Perak, Lumut.
The annual field hockey tournament in Perak, the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, traced its roots to former state sultan named Azlan Shah of Perak, Azlan Shah, an avid fan of the sport. Perak was the first Malaysian state to introduce e-sports, in the Sukma Games. The state government is further targeting e-sports development with the increase in youth interest.
References
Further reading
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External links
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Perakat Perak Tourism
Perakat Lonely Planet
{{Authority control
Perak,
States of Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia
Strait of Malacca
Feudalism in Malaysia
Former British colonies and protectorates in Asia
English-speaking countries and territories
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