Why did The Straits Times make an effort to give wide coverage about the Natrah tragedy in 1950? Why did this newspaper deploy a strategy to publish letters from readers about Natrah within the specific period of time? What benefit is gained by this newspaper publishing comments and opinions from readers about Natrah? The answer lies in the fact that they were trying to maintain a support from the readers through the report of the Natrah report within the specific period of time. It is known this newspaper managed to spur its own polemic when the publication triggered the Natrah riots and causing casualties among the Muslims. Behind the publication, nevertheless, how reader’s reaction about Natrah? So, in the light of this issue, this article attempts to present how the report about Natrah of The Straits Times managed to influence the thinking and interest of the readers, particulary within the specific period of time. The strength of this article lays on its historical approach applied to interpret the intention and action in the History subject of the Natrah tragedy. This study contributes new findings and novel in its approach which situated from the reaction and thinking of the newspaper’s readers about Natrah.

Dasawarsa ini, banyak kajian berkaitan green imperialisme masih lagi terikat dengan kepentingan terhadap sektor ekonomi di Tanah Melayu. Malah stereotaip ini telah membuatkan penyelidikan sejarah berkaitan tema yang dinyatakan tidak dinamik dan masih terikat dengan naratif lapuk yang ketinggalan zaman. Malah penyelidikan berkaitan penglibatan wanita dalam aktiviti penanaman padi yang boleh dianalisis melalui kesan sosioekonomi yang merujuk kepada aspek kesejahteraan hidup masih kurang mendapat perhatian oleh para pengkaji. Sebelum ini, banyak kajian memfokuskan tentang isu kekeluargaan, domestik, pengaruh, adat dan agama atau lebih jelas sebagai female-friendly sahaja. Jarang sekali dikaji bentuk perubahan sosioekonomi dan faktor pendorong yang dialami oleh wanita Melayu walaupun mereka hanya memfokuskan kegiatan penanaman padi sebagai sumber ekonomi utama. Maka dengan itu, penyelidikan ini bertujuan untuk melihat sejauh mana kegiatan penanaman padi memberi perubahan terhadap sosioekonomi dalam kalangan wanita Melayu di Terengganu pada awal abad ke-20. Kajian ini menggunakan kaedah kualitatif yang melibatkan pengumpulan dan analisis data daripada sumber-sumber primer yang diperoleh daripada Arkib Negara Malaysia seperti CO 840/1 (Terengganu Administration Report, 1910-1930), CO 840/2 (Terengganu Administration Report 1931-1940), Fail Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri Terengganu dan Fail British Adviser Terengganu. Selain itu, sumber sekunder turut digunakan seperti jurnal, buku, bab buku dan majalah bagi mengukuhkan lagi kajian yang dijalankan. Hasil kajian membuktikan bahawa, melalui kegiatan penanaman padi yang dijalankan oleh wanita Melayu di Terengganu pada awal abad ke-20, ia memberi perubahan sosioekonomi terhadap golongan wanita di Terengganu. Hal ini dapat dilihat melalui aspek kesejahteraan hidup yang diperoleh oleh mereka melalui perolehan pendapatan, pemilikan tanah, peningkatan taraf kesihatan dan lain-lain lagi. Kata kunci: Padi; Kesejahteraan Hidup; Terengganu; Wanita Melayu; Tanah Melayu

The concern felt by Sultan Zainal Abidin III (1881-1918) (“the Sultan”) over the entry of a British agent in Terengganu pursuant to the agreement entered into between Terengganu and Great Britain on 22 April 1910 had led to the enactment of Itqân al-Mulûk bi Ta’dîl Al-sulûk, or the Law for the Self-Government of Terengganu, on 2 November 1911. The Sultan attempted to protect Terengganu from foreign interference despite having to abide by the terms of the said agreement, which required a British agent to be stationed in Terengganu. The establishment of the said law appears to be an attempt to maintain the dominance of the local government in Terengganu’s governmental system, and this move also affected its socio-economic development throughout the stated period. The interesting element about this law is the presence of a very strong Islamic influence, which shows that the Sultan strictly adhered to the teachings of Islam during his reign in Terengganu. This study aimed to analyse the extent to which the presence of British agents in Terengganu had influenced the actions and thinking of Sultan Zainal Abidin III in enacting and establishing Itqân al-Mulûk bi Ta’dîl Al-sulûk. It also aimed to examine how far Itqân al-Mulûk bi Ta’dîl Al-sulûk played a role in empowering the political and socio-economic sectors in Terengganu during the specified period and the extent to which the teachings of Islam embedded within it were used to protect and preserve the sovereignty of Terengganu against British intervention at the time. This research adopted a qualitative method that involved the collection and analysis of data from primary sources obtained from the Terengganu State Museum and the National Archives of Malaysia, such as the Manuscript of Itqân al-Mulûk bi Ta’dîl Al-sulûk, CO 840/1 (Terengganu Administration Report, 1910-1930), CO 840/2 (Terengganu Administration Report 1931-1940), The Terengganu Secretary of State File, and the Terengganu British Advisor File. In addition, secondary sources such as journals, books, chapters of books, and magazines were also used to further reinforce the study conducted. The findings proved that the enactment of Itqân al-Mulûk bi Ta’dîl Al-sulûk managed to fortify the political system in Terengganu, which projected a very strong image of Islam. In fact, it is this strengthening of the political system which led to the development of the economy, due to the availability of stable sources of income for the Malay farmers and female entrepreneurs at the time.

This study aimed to examine the extent to which industrial activities namely textile, copper and boat industries carried out by the Malay community in Terengganu from 1900 to 1941 were able to increase the income of theMalay community and the state itself. Many previous studies that had been conducted on Terengganu only focused on commercial economic activities such as mining, rubber cultivation and fisheries. However, how the changes and developments experienced by theMalay community in Terengganu stem from the development of industrial activities thatinvolved handicrafts entirely had been rarely studied. This study used a qualitative method that involved the collection and analysis of data from primary sources obtained from the National Archives of Malaysia such as CO 840/1 (Terengganu Administration Report, 1910-1930), CO 840/2 (Terengganu Administration Report 1931-1940), Terengganu State Secretary File and Terengganu British Adviser File. In addition, secondary sources were also used such as journals, books, book chapters and magazines to further strengthen the study conducted.The findings of the study found that the industrial economy from 1900 to 1941 was one of the most important activities in Terengganu along with the commercial economy such as mining, rubber cultivation and fisheries. In fact, the industrial activities carried out by the Malay community also contributed to the income of many entrepreneurs and increased the state's economic income at that time.

Government bodies play an important role in generating a balanced development of a state. In fact, the development of a society is also closely related to the systems and policies that have been established by a government body. This happens because the government body is one of the main agents and driving tools in changing society from a static and traditional to a more developed and progressive society. Therefore, this article aims to see the extent of the role played by government bodies such as Terengganu Town Council (Majlis Bandaran Terengganu), Terengganu Arts and Craft Society (TACS), Malayan Art and Craft Society (MACS), Malayan Agri-Horticultural Association (M.A.H.A), British Empire Exhibition (B.E.E) and the Trade and Industry's Office in helping the Malay enterprise and business activities in Terengganu from 1900 to 1941. This study used a qualitative method which had involved collecting and analysing data from primary sources obtained from the National Archives of Malaysia such as CO 840/1 (Terengganu Administration Report, 1910-1930), CO 840/2 (Terengganu Administration Report 1931-1940), Terengganu State Secretary File, and British Adviser Terengganu File. In addition, secondary sources such as journals, books, book chapters, and magazines were also utilised to further strengthen the study conducted. The results of the study found that the existence of various government bodies in Terengganu managed to play a significant role in developing Malay enterprises and businesses in Terengganu from 1900 to 1941.