Penglibatan Orang Cina dalam Sektor Perladangan Getah di Kedah 1909-1941 (Chinese Involvement In The Rubber Plantation Sector In Kedah 1909-1941)

Abstract

cassava production, since before the arrival of the British. However, the rubber started to be brought in after the British intervention in 1909, prompting many European and Chinese investors to open rubber plantations on a large scale. Until the beginning of the Second World War in 1941, the production of rubber cultivation overgrew. This paper aims to investigate the extent of the role and contribution of the Chinese in the Kedah rubber plantation sector from 1909 to 1941. This research highlights the method of content analysis as a key data collection method on the history of the Chinese in Kedah through The National Archives of Malaysia for data analysis on the function and contribution of the rubber cultivation field. The results of the study found that the Chinese were involved in developing the rubber plantation sector since the beginning rubber was introduced in 1909. Besides, they are also entrepreneurs and owners of rubber plantations. Up to 1930, the acreage of rubber plantations owned by the Chinese in Kedah exceeds another race such as Malay and India. Chinese workers were also brought in to further boost the rubber plantation sector. The Chinese also established associations among rubber entrepreneurs to look after the welfare of each other. Subsequently, several policies involving rubber cultivation were introduced by the British such as the introduction of ownership licenses and the sale of rubber. As a result, the significant involvement of the Chinese in the rubber plantation sector has increased the economic output of the state of Kedah.