【52nd Talk】Prof. Dr. Ichiro Sugimoto: The Origin of Budget Management of British Colonial Authority: Special Reference to the State of Johore
Upcoming Event
| Introduction | The 52nd session of the “Tan Lark Sye Lecture Series,” organized by the Institute of International Education and the Tan Lark Sye Institute at New Era University College, is now open to all participants. Featuring Guest Speaker Prof. Dr. Ichiro Sugimoto from Soka University, Japan, this lecture explores the historical origins, administrative mechanisms, and political economy of colonial budget management in British Malaya, highlighting how colonial public finance prioritized administrative order and infrastructure over social redistribution. Focusing on Johore as a primary case study, the lecture analyses its dramatic institutional transformation following the acceptance of a British General Adviser in 1914, including the abolition of revenue farming, a shift toward customs duties and land taxes, and the prioritization of infrastructure spending. Although strict fiscal discipline enabled Johore to accumulate a surplus of approximately $50 million by 1941, these funds were funnelled into British imperial financial networks rather than reinvested in local economic diversification. Integrating historical statistics and archival sources, this seminar unveils the structural logic of colonial public finance, offering vital historical insights into modern Malaysia's budgetary evolution. All interested members of the public are warmly invited to attend. |
| Speaker | Prof. Dr. Ichiro Sugimoto (Faculty of International Liberal Arts, Soka University) Ichiro Sugimoto is Dean and Professor at the Faculty of International Liberal Arts, Soka University, and Representative of the Center for Malaysian Studies. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Malaya, specializing in the quantitative economic history of former British colonies in Malaya, Borneo, and Singapore.An expert in empirical economic research, Sugimoto contributed to constructing Malaya’s historical GDP (1900–1939) under HRH Sultan Nazrin Shah. His major publications include Economic Growth of Singapore in the Twentieth Century (2011), The Economic History of Singapore (2026, co-authored with Choy Keen Meng), and Pentadbiran Kewangan Kolonial Johor (2021). His current research expands these methodologies to construct comprehensive time-series datasets on income and prices in Singapore. Awarded 11 competitive research grants (including from JSPS) Prof. Dr. Sugimoto maintains active academic partnerships across Malaysia and Singapore while teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses in economics and statistics. |
| Moderator | Prof. Dr. Lee Kam Hing (Research Professor, New Era University College) Prof. Dr. Lee Kam Hing currently a Research Professor and Chief Editor of the Malaysian Journal of Chinese Studies at New Era University College. His research expertise includes economic history, political history, and overseas Chinese business. Prof. Lee began his academic career as a lecturer at the University of Malaya in 1973 and was appointed Professor in 1993. He has also served as a Visiting Professor at Peking University, the Harvard-Yenching Institute of Harvard University, the Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde in the Netherlands, and the University of Cambridge. In addition, he was Research Editor at Star Publications (1998–2008) and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of China Studies, University of Malaya (2010–2017).Throughout his distinguished academic career, Prof. Lee has authored and co-authored numerous influential books, including The Chinese in Malaysia, A Matter of Risk: Insurance in Malaysia, 1826–1990, The Sultanate of Aceh: Relations with the British 1760–1824, and Education and Politics in Indonesia, 1945–1965. He has also published extensively in leading international journals, with research focusing on Malaysian history, Southeast Asian history, Chinese diaspora studies, economic history, and political history. In recognition of his distinguished contributions to the field of history, he was appointed as a Member of the National Council of Historians (Majlis Sejarawan Negara, MSjN) for the term 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2027. |
| Information | Date: 26 August 2026 (Wednesday) Time: 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM ZOOM ID: 8266571752 Password: 018871 |
Trailer (Video)
Lecture Postscript
The 52nd session of the Tan Lark Sye Lecture Series, organized by the Institute of International Education and the Tan Lark Sye Institute of New Era University College (NEUC), was held on 26 August. The session featured Prof. Dr. Ichiro Sugimoto from Soka University, Japan as the guest speaker, delivering a lecture titled “The Origin of Budget Management of British Colonial Authority: Special Reference to the State of Johore”. The lecture was moderated by Prof. Dr. Lee Kam Hing, Research Professor and Chief Editor of the Malaysian Journal of Chinese Studies at NEUC, the session drew over 150 participants. In his lecture, Professor Sugimoto examined archival records, fiscal data, and colonial administrative documents to trace the development of British Malaya’s budgetary system, offering important historical insights into the foundations of Malaysia’s modern fiscal structure.
Professor Sugimoto currently serves as Dean and Professor at the School of International Liberal Arts, Soka University, and is the representative of the university’s Malaysia Research Centre. He obtained his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Malaya, specializing in quantitative economic history of British Malaya, Borneo, and Singapore, and is a leading scholar in Southeast Asian colonial economic history.
As an expert in empirical economic research, Professor Sugimoto’s major works include Economic Growth of Singapore in the Twentieth Century (2011), Economic History of Singapore (2026, co-authored with Choy Keen Meng), and Colonial Fiscal Management in Johor (2021). He currently still maintains long-term academic collaboration with scholars in Malaysia and Singapore while teaching economics and statistics at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
In this lecture, Professor Sugimoto used Johore as a key case study to analyze its fiscal and administrative reforms following the adoption of the British Adviser system in 1914, offering a deep examination of the institutional logic and political economy of colonial public finance. His analysis helps the public better understand how colonial budgetary structures have shaped Malaysia’s contemporary fiscal architecture and policy orientation.
Following the lecture, the audience and the chair engaged in a lively Q&A session with Prof. Dr. Ichiro Sugimoto, fostering a deeper public understanding of historical and fiscal issues related to colonial budget management.
