Mat Salleh Rebellion

a series of major armed disturbances against the British North Borneo Chartered Company administration in North BorneoRebellion against British North Borneo Chartered Company in North Borneo

The Mat Salleh Rebellion was a series of major armed disturbances against the British North Borneo Chartered Company administration in North Borneo, now the Malaysian state of Sabah. It was instigated by Datu Muhammad Salleh (also known as Mat Salleh), a local chief from the Lingkabo district and Sugut River. He led the rebellion between 1894 until his death in Tambunan in 1900. The rebellion then continued on for another five years until 1905. His father was Datu Balu, a traditional leader in Inanam and a Suluk or Tausug. He had three siblings: Ali, Badin and Bolong. and enjoyed relative autonomy. There, Datu Bulu assumed a local leadership position along part of the Sugut River on the eastern coast of North Borneo. Later in his life, Mat Salleh married a Sulu princess named Dayang Bandang. and intelligent man, with a commanding personality and presence. He was well respected and his great tactical skills were renowned among the local communities.

Before the arrival of the British North Borneo Chartered Company, central authority in Sabah was weak. Part of it was governed by Brunei and part by the Sulu government. This gave local chiefs and traditional elites relative autonomy to practice influence and power to regulate trade in the area and serve the responsibility of protecting the local inhabitants from excessive exploitation by foreign traders. It aimed to transform North Borneo into a producer of various agricultural products, predominantly tobacco. Apart from the introduction of cash crop farming, the Company also imposed new taxation laws and set up administrative centres. Some of the changes brought about by them were:
Introduction of new taxes, including a levy on rice, the staple food of the population. set up in September 1882 as a collection station for jungle and local produce. This station also served as a "stopping place" for European officials plying between Kudat and Labuan. Mat Salleh denied his and his followers’ involvement in it and resisted arrest. was offered for his capture. A chance shot from a Maxim Gun had hit Mat Salleh in the left temple, killing him instantly. Also killed in the battle were about 1000 of Mat Salleh's followers who fought from the neighbouring villages of Lotud Tondulu, Piasau, Kitutud, Kepayan and Sunsuron. It was, however, another five years before the remnants of Mat Salleh's men surrendered, were killed or captured by the Company, resulting in the end of the rebellion in 1905.

The Mat Salleh memorial was opened in 1999 at the exact site where he was killed at Kampung Tibabar in Tambunan, as a tribute to remember Mat Salleh, who stood up and led a rebellion against the Company's rule. It was demolished in 2015. The memorial, which resembled a fort, was surrounded by a garden. It housed Mat Salleh's photograph and some photos of his weapons and paraphernalia from the rebellion he led. A bronze plaque, set apart some metres from the building, still stands there and reads:

After the memorial was opened, an article published in The New Straits Times on 9 March 2000 reported Sabah museum director and Tambunan local, Joseph Pounis Guntavid, as suggesting that "a search and study on Mat Salleh's actions strongly indicated that he was not a rebel but a warrior who went against foreign rule, fighting for North Borneo ‘self government’ Mat Salleh initiated patriotism that led the people to fight for self rule until Sabah gained her independence through Malaysia on 16 September 1963". Mat Salleh, however, is not always seen as a hero. Many writers of this rebellion see Mat Salleh as a lone crusader or an opportunist solely interested in restoring his precolonial social position of power. To the British North Borneo Chartered Company, he was a rebel and troublemaker, while to his supporters, he was a fierce and skilled warrior, a reputation which remains today.