Description
Lavishly illustrated with hundreds of old paintings, photographs, maps and documents, the book discusses the development of the early Chambers of Commerce against the background of Malaysia's mercantile history.
The book begins with the establishment of a small trading settlement on the island of Penang in 1786 by Francis Light on behalf of the British East India Company relationship between the It also charts the often stormy island's independent-minded merchants and Company representatives.
The abolition of the East India Company's trade monopoly and the consequent need to set up an alternative organization to help regulate trade was one of the main factors which led to the formation ormation of the Penang Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture in 1837.
The book outlines the early activities of the Chamber and its principal members, noting the importance of the trading and agricultural activities on the island and the rapidly growing business usiness opportunities which developed with the tin mining industry on the peninsula in the latter half of the nineteenth century.
Other chapters discuss the impact of the Rubber Boom, the Depression of the 1930s, the traumatic effects of the Japanese occupation and more recent post-war developments in the mining and manufacturing industries.
The formation of sister Chambers of Commerce in Perak and Selangor in the early part of the century are also documented, together with the circumstances which led to the formation of the Federated Malay States (FMS) Chamber in 1916. Subsequent reorganizations resulted in the establishment of the MICCI as the modern representative of international business in Malaysia.
One feature of the book which will appeal to browsers is the magazine format in which selected anecdotes or brief histories are displayed on a single page. Cartoons, documents and old photographs distributed throughout the text also add interest.
This book is no dry history. Rather, it is one of enduring human interest, focusing on the people and organizations which helped make Malaysia the prosperous and successful nation it is today.
ISBN: 9679998908
