1959 Sarawak district council elections

The first Sarawak district council elections were held in the end of 1959.[1][2] It was a multi-tiered system functioned to elect 24 members into Council Negri (now Sarawak State Legislative Assembly).[3]

Background

After Sarawak became a crown colony on 1 July 1947, Sir Charles Noble Arden-Clarke, the then governor of Sarawak issued "Notes on the Development of Local Government in Sarawak". This led to the setting up of local authorities in Sarawak, financed by population-based capitation grants, customary taxes, and license fees. By 1957, local authorities covered all areas in Sarawak. In 1959, the crown colony government decided to standardise the rates-collecting system for all local authorities in Sarawak. The amount of rates collected was based on property values and matched by one or two-dollar government grants for every dollar collected in rates.[4]

Before the election, the oldest political party in Sarawak, Sarawak United Peoples' Party (SUPP) was founded in June 1959. The next oldest political party Parti Negara Sarawak (PANAS) was only founded in April 1960.[5]

Aftermath

After the elections, all the elected members from 24 local councils started working on 1 January 1960, guided by a handbook on the duties of local authorities and councilors.[4]

References
  1. Milne, R.S (September 1965). "Political Parties in Sarawak and Sabah". Journal of Southeast Asian History. 6 (2): 104–117. doi:10.1017/S0217781100001915. JSTOR 20172800.
  2. Stockwell, A.J (2004). Malaysia. The Stationery Office. p. 591. ISBN 9780112905813. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  3. Ling, Sharon (3 February 2018). "Celebrating a proud legacy". The Star (Malaysia). Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  4. Porritt, VL (1 January 2009). "Local government in Sarawak, 1963-1988: democratic local government won and then lost?". Borneo Research Bulletin. 40: 186–201. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023.
  5. Milne, R. S. (1965). "Political Parties in Sarawak and Sabah". Journal of Southeast Asian History. 6 (2): 104–117. ISSN 0217-7811.
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