Quite often when two parties fight over whatever reason, a third party comes in to resolve the matter. But sometimes, that third party takes the opportunity to gain from the dispute. In today’s lesson we will examine what led to the Pangkor Treaty in 1874 and why the British were allowed to get actively involved in the administration of the state of Perak. Despite being a rich state for its tin resources, the state of Perak had been plagued by much unrest which disrupted its administration and proper running of its tin mines. This occurrence is referred to as the Larut Wars which took place between 1861 to 1874. The 2 key contributors for Larut Wars were... firstly, following the death of Sultan Ali, the Sultan of Perak at that time which caused a dispute between Raja Ismail and Raja Abdullah. Raja Abdullah was opposed to the appointment of Raja Ismail as the new Sultan as he felt he was the rightful successor. And the constant clashes between two Chinese secret societies known as the Ghee Hin and Hai San which caused considerably instability. To put an end to this, Raja Abdullah requested the help of the British. This was the golden opportunity the British were waiting for to take hold of the lucrative tin mining industry. After days of negotiations with all parties, the British finally reached a solution by devising the Pangkor Treaty which was agreed upon and signed by all parties. Among the conditions of the Treaty were... Sultan Abdullah would be declared rightful Sultan of the state with Raja Ismail as the Raja Muda. The state of Perak will accept a British official known as the Resident to have full powers to collect taxes. Perak’s first British Resident was to be Sir James W.W. Birch. Taxes collected in the state of Perak will be used to pay salaries of the Sultan, members of his administration as well as the appointed Resident and his assistant. Ngah Ibrahim, who played a role leading to the treaty would be appointed Minister in Larut and tasked with reviving peace. As such, with the signing of the Pangkor Treaty in 20 January 1874, it eventually set the pathway for the British to become more involved in other states like Negeri Sembilan, Selangor dan Pahang. Along with Perak, they would be known as the four Federated Malay States.