Author/Authors :
Bin Mohd Rosli, Mohamad Khairul Anuar university of malaya - Fakulti Sastera dan Sains Sosial - Jabatan Sejarah, Malaysia , Bin Mohd Rus, Ahmad Kamal Ariffin university of malaya - Fakulti Sastera dan Sains Sosial - Jabatan Sejarah, Malaysia
Abstract :
An interesting development in the history of the Federated Malay States (FMS) concerns the production and supply of electricity power. It was widely considered as a new source of energy to meet the electrical needs of both economic sectors and the general public. The supply of electrical utility in the federation commenced at the end of the 19th century, but its significant growth only really began with the involvement of government and, to some extent, private companies. This article, thus, discusses the development of electric supply facility in the FMS, up to the year 1941, so as to evaluate the extent to which the government had played influential roles in that regard. By perusing a wide range of primary sources such as the Colonial Office Records (C.Os. 273, 576 and 716, particularly), state government files and annual reports, there are substantial evidences to suggest that both entities – private companies and the government – did play vital roles in providing electric supply to a variety of customers in the polity. Private agencies attempted and managed to build power plants mainly to facilitate mining activities in certain areas. The government, on the other hand,also had major electric manufactories constructed. But it quickly gained commanding voice in the industry with the formulation of electricity legislatures and importantly, the establishment of the Electrical Department. This department had enabled a much wider and more comprehensive electricity supply, unlike private agencies which were only able to cover limited areas. All of these clearly show the more prominent roles of the government in matters relating to the supply of electricity in the FMS.
