History History

First human traces (microlithic tools unearthed at Niah in 2017).

Farmers from Indochina reach the peninsula by land. They mix with the aboriginal populations and form the ethnic group of the Senoïs.

The Proto-Malays, probably coming from Yunnan in China, are spreading throughout the archipelago. They are repelled by the Deutero-Malays who came from Cambodia around 300 BC. The latter are said to be the direct ancestors of the Malays.

Indian kingdoms. As early as the 2nd century, the Indians shipped goods to be exchanged and set off south. They landed on the peninsula and "indianized" the local populations. They transmitted their religions (Buddhism and Hinduism), their social organization, and their language. They replace the local chiefs of the rajas of divine origin "with supernatural powers". The archaeological site of Gunug Jerai and its Hindu temples bear witness to this period.

The Srivijaya Empire. The mighty Srivijaya kingdom, founded in central Java, began the conquest of new territories. Its political and commercial influence extends as far as Cambodia. In Malaysia, it founds trading posts in Kelantan, Terengganu, Melaka and Kedah. At the end of the 13th century, the kingdom of Srivijaya collapsed, giving way to the kingdom of Modjopahit. At the same time, a Thai kingdom was created in the north of the country. China begins commercial relations with Southeast Asia. It is within this framework that Thai and Javanese fight for the possession of the peninsula. The Malaysians, for their part, turn to the Chinese for protection.

Foundation of the city of Melaka, on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula.

The Portuguese take Melaka.

The Dutch take Melaka from the Portuguese.

The British bought the island of Penang and set up a free port to break the Dutch hegemony.

The Chinese are fleeing their country in numbers to escape the galloping misery. They settle on the Malay Peninsula and work in the mines. They founded the city of Kuala Lumpur between 1820 and 1840.

Sir Stamford Raffles occupied the island of Singapore, which was then just a fishing village. He acquired trading rights in 1824 and made it the British economic and political centre in the region. As in Penang, the island is a free port and gradually it is populated by the Chinese.

Signing of the Anglo-Dutch treaty. The Dutch cede Melaka to the British in exchange for the town of Bencoolen in Sumatra. They completely abandon the Malay Peninsula. The British now hold the three most important ports in the region and have complete control of the Strait of Melaka.

The British explorer James Brooke landed in Kuching and helped the Sultan of Brunei to quell a revolt. In 1841, the sultan enthroned him as the White Rajah of Sarawak. He and his dynasty expanded their territory at the expense of Brunei, until the British seized the territory in 1946.

The British East India Company abandons the administration of the Colonies of the Straits in favour of the Colonial Office based in London.

Signing of the Treaty of Pangkor. The rivalry between the Chinese and the Malay for control of the mines forces the Sultan of Pangkor to request British protection. The signing of the treaty legitimizes the control of the British, who bring down the Malay sultanates one by one. They give them advice, reorganize their administration and de facto colonize the region.

The British Company of North Borneo is created to administer the Sabah region. It expands the territory, again at the expense of the Sultanate of Brunei.

North Borneo becomes a British protectorate and two years later Labuan is annexed to it.

The Sultanates of Pahang, Selangor, Perak and Negeri Sembilak form the Federated States of Malaysia under British rule. Their capital is Kuala Lumpur. The British bring in tens of thousands of Indians and Chinese to develop the country. The Malaysian mosaic is set up.

The Kingdom of Siam cedes the states of Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu to the British, but they retain some autonomy.

The Sultanate of Johor, in spite of its historical relationship of equality with the Crown, joins the 4 States inherited from the Kingdom of Siam, in the non-federated Malaysian States.

The Japanese take Kelantan by surprise. In January 1942, they reached Kuala Lumpur by bicycle and on February 15, it was still an army of bicycles that landed in Singapore.

The presence of the Japanese has given rise to a predominantly nationalist feeling among the Malaysian people. As for the Chinese, they are turning to communism. It was this new situation that the British Crown had to face when it recovered Malaysia at the end of the war.

The British are working for the independence of Malaysia. They propose the creation of a Malaysian Federation based on equal rights and integration of non-Malays. The Malay people, who refused to consider themselves equal with the Chinese and the Indians, were in revolt. They found the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) to create a political opposition.

The Communist Party of Malaysia went underground and started a guerrilla war against the colonial power. It has little support from the Chinese community. But the armed struggle will last 9 years and slow down the independence process.

Rich Chinese businessmen founded the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) to counter the local Communist Party and represent the community at the independence table.

The UMNO, the MCA and the Malayan Indian Congress (MIC) are forming a coalition for the parliamentary elections. They won all but one seat. This victory laid the foundation for a coalition, inclusive and multi-ethnic political system.

On 31 August, Merdeka (Independence) was proclaimed and the Federation of Malaysia was formed. The UMNO wins the most important portfolios. The sultans of each state occupy the throne in rotation.

Discovery of a 35,000-year-old female skull in Niah, Sarawak.

Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak join the Federation. Singapore's integration threatens to tip the Malaysian population into ethnic minorities. Tensions between the Chinese and Malay communities intensify. Brunei chooses to remain under British protectorate.

Singapore secedes.

Riots between Chinese and Malaysian communities cause hundreds of deaths in Kuala Lumpur. The government creates the concept of bumiputra ("sons of the soil") which gives special status to the Malay and aboriginal populations.

Dr. Mahathir Mohamad becomes Prime Minister. He puts in place a strong democracy accompanied by unbridled industrialization.

Brunei achieves independence on January¹.

Malaysia is severely affected by the global economic crisis. Mahathir refuses to comply with IMF demands to get his country out of the crisis.

The economic crisis is creating a serious political crisis. Anwar Ibrahim, Mahathir's heir-designate, criticizes the decisions taken by the Prime Minister to counter the currency crisis. He finds himself accused of sodomy and corruption and ends up in prison.

Abdullah Badawi is appointed Prime Minister and takes over as Mahathir's successor. He gets Anwar released.

Unable to deal with the corruption, Badawi is forced to resign. Najib Razak takes over. Faced with the rise of radical Islam and inter-ethnic tensions, he promotes a philosophy of Satu Malaysia, "One Malaysia", without much success.

The Man of Perak, a skeleton dating back to 11000 B.C. is discovered in the Lenggong Valley. The valley includes 4 sites that allow us to trace the history of the hominid from 1.83 million years ago to 300 BC. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

For the parliamentary elections, Malaysians have to choose between the still dominant but increasingly contested UMNO and opposition parties led by Anwar. UMNO narrowly won the elections and Najib Razak remained in office.

A gigantic case of corruption shakes the power. Malaysian leaders are suspected of having embezzled billions of ringgits from a hedge fund. Major protests lead to Najib's dismissal.

For the first time since independence, the opposition came to power. Pakatan Harapan (PH) won 113 of the 222 seats. It is in fact a party founded by Mahathir, who thus became the oldest incumbent Prime Minister in the world at the age of 92!