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Some lessons from the
White Rajahs of Sarawak: Identifying and strengthening local
capacities for peace in the deep South of Thailand
Otto F. von Feigenblatt
Doctoral Student, Nova Southeastern University, 1420 High
Point Way SW Apt. B, Delray Beach, Florida 33445, USA.
E-mail:
vonFeigenblatt@hotmail.com.
Accepted 13 November, 2009 |
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The
present paper explores some of the lessons that can be
learned from the reigns of the first two Rajahs of the Brook
dynasty of Sarawak. They ruled over a realm populated by
Malays, Dyaks, Chinese and Europeans with great wisdom and
skills. Rajahs James Brooke and Charles Brooke both
identified important local capacities for peace and
strengthened them so as to keep their multiethnic state
together. Comparing and contrasting the rule of a British
dynasty in Southeast Asia during the colonial period to the
post-colonial colonialism of the Thai State in the Deep
South shows that some characteristics of traditional
colonial rule as exercised by the White Rajahs of Sarawak
were more likely to lead to sustainable peace and
development than the excesses of post-colonial nationalism.
Key
words:
Sarawak, colonialism, capacities for peace, development,
ethnic conflict. |
