History
The map of Pulau Gaya in Year 1883
The name Gaya derived from the Bajau word goyoh which means big. This signified that Gaya Island is a Big Island.
HISTORY OF MAT SALLEH IN PULAU GAYA
Pulau Gaya
Pulau Gaya used to be the administrative offices for British North Borneo Company (BNCB). On 29 December 1882, the company acquired Gaya Island through an agreement made with the Kesultanan Brunei , Sultan Abdul Mumin Ebn Marhoum Maulana Abdul Wahab of Brunei. The Gaya Island settlement’s primary function was to serve as collecting station for jungle and local produce on west coast. The station was a port to ferry European officials between Kudat, Labuan and Sandakan. Also, according to written records of history, Pulau Gaya serve as an International Port for ferry from Singapore to dock here. It was reported that in 1884, first shipment of sago flavour made from North Borneo belonged to a Chinese towkay Mr Neo Chin Ting having forwarded to Singapore .
Gaya has a good harbour and is an excellent position, all the best rivers of North – West coast flowing into the sea just to the north and south of it. Small native canoes or perahu can cross the mainland in all weathers. All the shops on the island mostly belong to the Chinese. The Chinese invested heavily on the island due to the present trade of coast and it was believed it increased ten or twenty fold by the introduction of agriculturists on the mainland
North Borneo Company set up administrative offices such as Hospital, Prison, Police Quarters, Farm, Crop Fields and Factories, Chando Opium and shop offices for merchant trading field in gaya Island.
On Herald Newspaper : Rates for First Class Passenger on the Press in Year 1885
Mat Salleh – The True Warrior of Sabah Island
Mat Salleh or his real name is Datu Paduka Mohammad Salleh bin Datu Balu was born in Inanam, Sabah. He is of mixed Suluk and Bajau Descendant where his father is a Suluk from Sungai Sugut and mother is of Bajau Inanam descent. Mat Sallehs struggle against BNCB began when BNCB established a foothold in North Borneo and
established a new government after handing over part of North Borneo land to BNCB. The administrative power of this company is slowly eroding the power of local leaders and even interfering in their economics affairs. BNCB started to enforce the law which cause many local leaders dislike BNCB.
The new tax system introduced burdened to the people of Sabah. One of them is rice tax. Rice tax must be paid 5% of the price of rice. The worst tax was the boat tax. Boat tax is implemented to obtain tax from residents who have boats. This tax was very heavy to the people especially to the sea gypsy because they live and rely on their boat plenty for living. Many earnings were affected because the tax and licensing were very hefty for their meagre income. On top of that, a system of forced labour without wages was introduced to the people of Sabah in order to complete the company’s construction project. The tax system introduced by the BNCB were very unfair to the locals and Mat Salleh decided to voice out his opinion to BNCB however his plea was unheard.
Before Mat Salleh started the resistance movement, he brought peaceful approach through negotiations however the talk was fruitless. According to The British North Borneo Herald dated Sept 15, 1894, Mat Salleh was reported to have visited Sandakan on August 17 that year with a large number of loyalist and comrades. The purpose of the visit was to complain about, among others, taxes imposed by the BNBCC however BNCB refused to meet Mat Salleh. It was here where he made an emotional response to them saying, “At any rate you will admit that your company cannot prevent us from dying for what we think are our rights.” . North Borneo did not listen to his plea and he returned home. The clash led to a series of attacks and counterattacks that lasted for five years.
On July 9, 1897, the rebel leader and his men attacked Gaya Island which was then the BNBCC’s main trading post.
Destruction Of Pulau Gaya
Mat Salleh’s attack on Pulau Gaya changed the history of Sabah. For about 10 – 15 years peace and business prevailed On Pulau Gaya prosperously until 9th July 1897 when Mat Salleh launched a daring midnight attack together with his loyalist Bajau and Dusun comrades from Inanam and Mengkabong . One police constable and a prisoner were killed in this attack wounding another and capturing Mr Neubronner , the treasury clerk there, along with the money guns and ammunition . In a sudden and unexpected attack at 4 a.m on July 9 with the help of a spy inside the village, he attacked the island, looted all he wanted , burnt every house on the island especially all the shop offices belonged to the company finally retired to the Inanam taking all the Chinese traders with him.
In the sudden swoop, Mat Salleh had destroyed the island post , the largest depot of the west coast. The government and Towkays lost and estimated $100,000.00. A clerk, Katick escaped from the island and fled in a small perahu to Papar, down the coast. From there a sikh policeman ran 40 miles to Mempakul where the cable from Labuan ended. News was flashed there to Hewett , the acting West Coast Resident. He arrived in sight of the island settlement on July 12 and caught the Mengkabong people red handed burning and looting. They had set fire to the Chinese warehouse on the wharf just as the taskforce of North Borneo came in view. They fled into the jungle of the island as the tide was out. Hewett captured their perahus on the beach stuffed with loot. The Bajau village ( Sea Gypsy) on the island was left untouched as its inhabitant had supported Mat Salleh but the rest of the settlement, the Residency, offices, Treasurer’s house and gal on the hill, the Chinese shops and custom house at the foot behind the jetty and the government boat house and warehouse further around the shore were all burnt. It was never replaced. The burndown of Pulau gaya gave birth to the now Kota Kinabalu. Had Pulau Gaya not been burn yet, the history of Kota Kinabalu would definitely have changed.
CONCLUSION
All the information gathered were taken from materials at Sabah State Archieves (Arkib Negeri Sabah) and also my interview with the local villagers within Sabah .I have studied for few months and gathered all the important informations I learnt from the finding especially from the Heralds newspaper in the 1800’s. There are more information however I could not summarize them here. You could ask me more questions when u come and visit me. I would be delighted to share these informations with all of you. I will continue to gather more information from the local villages to give you more gossip and latest information of Pulau Gaya I obtained.. Everyday when I meet someone who is older, they would share some stories with me and it is a never ending learning journey for e about the historical richness of my island. – Jayya-