6b.Colonialism in Southeast Asia is not only about the restructuring of local society for the sole aim of economic progress, and not always with tragic consequences.

The western powers believed that they were obliged to propel Southeast Asia from its primitivism and also to liberate the inhabitants of the region from the clutches of other western powers, whom were deemed to be oppressed by other western colonialists. The 'White Man's Burden' was an altruistic goal aimed to improve the welfare of the Southeast Asian inhabitants.

Take up the White Man's burden

Send forth the best ye breed

Go bind your sons to exile

To serve your captives' need

Rudyard Kipling

For instance, as succession disputes among the Malay royal family and the Larut Wars among the Chinese secret societies were severely disrupting social stability in Malaya, the British felt that it was their duty to restore law and order, by intervening in the political affairs of Malaya. In the East Indies, the Dutch implemented the Cultivation System in 1830, which essentially was a virtual state monopoly of production and sale. Under this scheme, the Governor-General Johannes van den Bosch, compelled peasants to grow specific crops, specifically coffee, sugar and indigo and these crops were to be auctioned in Europe by the Netherlandsche Handel Maatschappij. The use of force on peasants was prevalent and as the years went by, the Cultivation System became essentially a system of economic coercion (taxation). Although the Cultivation System proved a success whereby it contributed to approximately 1/3 of Holland's revenue, it was characterised by monopoly in production and sale, coercion and the containment of the domestic economy was in discordance with the emergence of economic liberalism in the nineteen century. Hence, other western powers, such as the British felt they were duty-bound to prevent further economic exploitation of the inhabitants of the East Indies by the Dutch.

It is undeniable that colonialism brought about an economic transformation in Southeast Asia and the indigenous people benefited from it, in one way or another. For instance, smallholder rubber in Malaya and Sumatra proved a great commercial success. Witnessing that the highly capitalised Western-owned rubber plantations yielded enormous profits, the peasants of Malaya and Sumatra began to plant rubber trees in western Malaya and in eastern and southern Sumatra. By 1940, 715,000 hectares of Sumatra were under smallholder rubber. The rubber industry gradually prospered and the rubber export trade flourished, implying that there was a rise in the living standards of the peasants as their incomes increased. In Sumatra, peasants' incomes doubled or even tripled within a very short period of time and the sudden influx of disposable cash meant that these peasants could build nicer dwellings, build mosques and even purchase lucrative commodities.

Colonialism in Southeast Asia brought about positive political impact on the region. Government activity now required a new style of administration, which is exemplified by clear, distinct, formal and impartial institutions, clearly defined bureaucratic function, standard procedures and huge amounts of paper. Western-styled education and administrative skills were now necessary to for entry into the government service, which is a contrast to the old administrative system, which relied on connections and kickbacks. For instance, In French Indochina, specifically Vietnam, knowledge of the French language became a prerequisite for admission to the mandarinate in Tonkin and Annam and in Siam, instead of ascribed rankings, modern education was the ladder to promotions within government service.

To conclude, although some people claim that colonialism in Southeast Asia is about the restructuring of local society for the sole aim of progress, and often results in tragic consequences, I beg to differ.