Kingdom of Sarawak - Government

Government

The three White Rajahs of Sarawak were:

• Sir James Brooke (1841–1868)
• Sir Charles Anthony Johnson Brooke (1868–1917)
• Sir Charles Vyner Brooke (1917–1946)

When James Brooke first arrived in Sarawak it was governed as a vassal state of the Sultanate of Brunei. When he assumed control of the original area around Kuching in the 1840s much of the system of government was based on the ineffective Bruneian model. James set about reforming the government and eventually creating a civil service known as the Sarawak Service which recruited European, mainly British officers to run district outstations. He invited the Anglican Mission to set up church and schools, the diocese of Borneo with its own Archbishop. Particularly, the mission through Father McDougall set up the St. Thomas Anglican School in 1848, still the oldest established European school in Southeast Asia. Thus, the residents became exposed to and trained in many British and European methods and culture. However, James retained many of the customs and symbols of neighbouring Malay monarchies and combined them with his own style of absolute rule. James Brooke was very particular in ensuring the local customs and beliefs of local indigenous races like the Dayaks, Ibans, etc. were maintained and respected. As the Rajah, he had the power to introduce laws and also acted as chief judge in Kuching. He selected his successor, his nephew, Charles Brooke who became the Second Rajah. Charles Brooke was responsible for acquiring more land from the Sultan Brunei which basically led to the land size of Sarawak today.

He was succeeded by Charles Vyner Brooke as the Third Rajah. While the manner of his departure was controversial, Charles Vyner nonetheless instituted significant political reforms, including ending the absolute rule of the Rajah in 1941 ahead of the Japanese invasion by granting new powers to the Council Negri.