Abu Bakar

Abu Bakar (born 1830s?, Teluk Belanga, Singapore, Straits Settlements, British India [now Telok Blangah district, Singapore]?—died June 4, 1895, London, England) was the sultan of the Malay state of Johore (now part of Malaysia) from 1885 to 1895. He maintained independence from Britain and stimulated economic development in Johore at a time when most Southeast Asian states were being incorporated into European colonial empires.

Under an 1824 British treaty, supplemented by an agreement in 1855, the Malay state of Johore was ruled not by the sultan but by a lower-ranking official called a temenggong. These arrangements were in part an outgrowth of British machinations in acquiring Singapore in 1819. Abu Bakar, who became temenggong in 1862, was the third ruler under that agreement. He elevated his title to maharaja in 1868, and in 1885 he was acknowledged by Great Britain as sultan of Johore, disestablishing the former sultan’s lineage. An able and clever ruler, he did much to promote trade, investment, and agriculture in his state. In particular he encouraged the development of gambier and pepper plantations.

Western in his interests, Abu Bakar lived in the British colony of Singapore, and, in his conduct of Johore’s internal affairs (Britain had control of Johore’s foreign affairs under terms of an 1861 agreement), he made use of Western advisers and methods. This practice stood him in good stead in persuading the British that the government of Johore was stable and just. He also elicited British positions on important issues and established his own policy accordingly, compromising when necessary. Thus, he not only maintained his independence but also strengthened his position vis-à-vis other Malay rulers.