Sejarah Perkembangan Sektor Penanaman Padi di Perlis, 1930-1950: Perbandingan antara Era Penjajahan British dengan Era Pendudukan Jepun (A History of the Development of the Rice Cultivation Sector in Perlis, 1930-1950: A Comparison between the Era of British Colonisation and the Japanese Occupation)

Abstract

ABSTRAK: Kajian ini meneliti sejarah perkembangan sektor penanaman padi di Perlis antara tahun 1930 hingga 1950 yang merangkumi era penjajahan British (1930-1941), era pendudukan Jepun (1941-1945) dan era pasca-pendudukan Jepun (1945-1950). Di bawah pentadbiran dua kuasa asing ini, sektor penanaman padi di Perlis telah berkembang ke arah pemodenan ekoran kedua-dua kuasa tersebut masing-masing memperkenalkan penggunaan teknologi baharu dalam sektor pertanian padi. Kajian terdahulu tentang Perlis lebih banyak memfokuskan isu sejarah pembentukan Perlis sebagai sebuah negeri dan sejarah warisan negeri Perlis berbanding isu ekonomi. Kajian ini menggunakan kaedah penyelidikan sejarah berbentuk kualitatif iaitu meneliti dan menganalisis sumber-sumber primer yang diperoleh dari Arkib Negara Malaysia Cawangan Kedah-Perlis, Arkib Negara Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Koleksi Malaysiana dan Arkib Perpustakaan Hamzah Sendut Universiti Sains Malaysia. Kajian yang mendalam terhadap sumber primer seperti The Annual Report of the British Adviser to the Perlis Government 1920, The Annual Report of the State Agricultural Officer, Kedah and Perlis (from 1st April to 31st Dec 1946), dan Perlis Annual Report 1935-1936, 1937, 1938 dan 1939 telah mendapati bahawa sektor penanaman padi di Perlis berkembang secara progresif semasa pentadbiran British dan berlaku kemerosotan dalam era pendudukan Jepun. Walaupun Jepun ada juga memperkenalkan teknologi baharu dalam penanaman padi, namun dasar Jepun seperti amalan ekonomi monopoli, dasar Berdikari dan sistem permit yang lebih ketat berbanding British menjadi antara faktor penyumbang kepada kemerosotan hasil pengeluaran padi di Perlis. Walaupun British kemudiannya telah kembali ke Perlis selepas pengunduran Jepun, masalah yang dinyatakan tidak dapat diatasi segera oleh British dan masih berlarutan dalam tahun-tahun awal era pasca-pendudukan Jepun di Perlis.

Kata kunci: Perlis; British; Jepun; penanaman padi; ekonomi monopoli

ABSTRACT: This study examines the history of the development of the rice cultivation sector in Perlis between 1930 to 1950 which includes the British colonial era (1930-1941), the Japanese occupation era (1941-1945) and the post-Japanese occupation era (1945-1950). Under the administration of these two foreign powers, the rice cultivation sector in Perlis has undergone changes towards modernisation as a result of the two powers respectively introducing the use of new technology in the rice cultivation sector. Previous studies about Perlis focused more on the historical issues regarding the creation of Perlis as a state and the history of the heritage of the State of Perlis than on economic issues. This study adopted a qualitative historical research method that examines and analyses the primary sources and materials retrieved from the National Archives of Malaysia Kedah-Perlis Branch, National Archives of Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysiana Collection and Hamzah Sendut Library Archives of Universiti Sains Malaysia. An in-depth examination of primary sources such as The Annual Report of the British Adviser to the Perlis Government 1920, The Annual Report of the State Agricultural Officer, Kedah and Perlis (from 1st April to 31st Dec 1946), and Perlis Annual Report 1935-1936, 1937, 1938 and 1939 has found that the rice cultivation sector in Perlis developed progressively during the British administration and declined during the Japanese occupation era. Although Japan had also introduced new technology in rice cultivation, the Japanese policies such as monopolistic economic practice, the Berdikari policy and a stricter permit system compared to the British are among the contributing factors to the decline of rice production in Perlis. Although the British later returned to Perlis after the withdrawal of the Japanese, the problems could not be overcome immediately by the British and still lingered in the early years of the post-Japanese occupation era in Perlis.

Keywords: Perlis; British; Japan; rice cultivation; monopolistic economic