But religious heterogeneity up to the end of 17th century was not pronounced.
The country—as was represented by a number of Malay sultanates
that emerged following the fall of Malacca—was mutely Islamic.
Other religious communities were small in terms of their strength.
More importantly, they did not participate in power sharing. Their major
concern then was the creation of wealth. But with British economic
activities in Malay Peninsula in the 18th century, the scenario began to
undergo radical changes. Though English traders had been present in
Malay waters since the 17th century, it was only towards the end of 18thcentury that the British East India Company, which was based in India,
developed a serious economic interest in the affairs of Malay states.
They acquired Penang in 1876, and Singapore in 1819. Civil disturbances
in Malay states of late 1870s that spilled into Penang provided
the British with the excuse to directly intervene in the affairs of Malay
states. During its rule, the British turned Malay Peninsula into a huge
economic enterprise. British traders exploited Peninsula’s tin and gold
mines. Soon after, they experimented with tropical plantation crops like
tapioca, gambier, pepper and coffee. In 1877, rubber was introduced,
and soon it became the country’s major export, stimulated by demand
from European industry. Later, palm oil joined rubber as an export earner.