Sabah  History In the 18th century a few attempts were made to set up a trading post in the North Borneo Region but they all failed. In 1844, James Brooke approached the Sultan of Brunei regarding the cession of Labuan island to be used by the British as a coaling base, to act against piracy and to increase trade. On 18 December 1846, a treaty was signed in which the Sultan ceded in perpetuity Labuan and its islets to the British Crown. Brooke became the first Govemor of Labuan and her Majesty’s Consul-General in Borneo. Like the other settlements before, Labuan did not live up to expectations as a mini-Singapore or Penang as the founders had hoped. In 1881, a British North Borneo Provisional Association Ltd. was founded. On the 1 November, the British Crown officially granted a Royal Charter to the Association. In 1882, the British North Borneo Chartered Company was founded which took over all the rights of the Provisional Association. In 1888, North Borneo became a British protectorate and a system of indirect rule was established. In 1890, Labuan came to be a part of the protectorate but in 1907 it was placed under the government of the Straits Settlements. The BNBCC had effectively ruled up to 1942, when the Second World War rudely interrupted on peaceful North Borneo. Japanese forces landed in Labuan on 1 January and occupied Sabah until she was liberated by the Ninth Division Australian Imperial Forces (A.I.F) in 1945. After the Second World War, North Borneo was administered by the British Military Administration. On 15 July 1946, Sabah was placed under the British Crown as the BNBCC could not afford to rebuild Sabah, after the devastation of the War. North Borneo obtained self-government from the British on 31 August 1963. and on 16 September 1963 Malaysia was formally established. At the same time North Borneo’s name was changed to Sabah. Heraldry BRITISH NORTH BORNEO COMPANY  On 20 and 21 July 1882 the North Borneo Company was granted a coat of arms by the College of Arms in London. It is blasoned as follows: Arms: Azure in base on waves of the sea a native boat of North Borneo with sails manned and oars in action proper, a chief Or, thereon a lion passant guardant Gules. Crest: Upon a wreath of the colours, two arms embowed that on the dexter side being an arm of a native of North Borneo proper, that on the sinister side being an arm vested Azure cuffed Argent, the hands grasping a staff proper thereon hoisted a flag flowing to the sinister Or charged with a lion guardant Gules. Supporters: On either side a Dyak of North Borneo that on the dexter supporting with its exterior hand a native shield and that on the sinister supporting in his exterior hand a native sword point downwards all proper. Motto: pergo et perago.[7] The achievement was printed on stamps and on coins issued from 1882/1883:    Coloured version from the beginning of the 20th century  Dayak Shields Drawing by H.L. Roth, 1896. The supporter on the dexter bears a shield of a common Dayak type illustrated on this picture on the left. About this shield Jean Paul Barbier remarks: “The ‘Dayak’ of Borneo, comprising the ‘Sea Dayak’and the ‘Land Dayak’ of Sarawak (as the Iban used to be called) and the ‘Land Dayak’ on the remainder of the island, possessed many differents sorts of shield. Illustrated here are three kinds appearing among the Iban of Sarawak. The type on the left, which is also found in the centre of Kalimantan, is one of the most widespread….” [8] On this picture (right) from the thirties of the 20th century, the supporter on the dexter side bears a shield which is of the Kenya-Kayan type found on either side of the Mahakam river in East Borneo, formerly in Kutei Sultanate and today in Kalimantan Timur. It is adorned with hair from human victims.[9] Needless to say this version is incorrect.  CROWN COLONY OF NORTH BORNEO The sovereignty of the British North Borneo Company was abolished on 15 July 1946 and British North Borneo became a British Crown Colony. As a result the achievement as well as the badges of Labuan and the British North Borneo Cy. became obsolete. A coat of arms for the colony was adopted on 13 september 1948 and is an amalgamation of the badges of Labuan and North Borneo. It is:  Badge of Labuan  Badge of the North Borneo Company  Arms: Azure in base on waves of the sea in front of a representation of mount Kinabalu (4094 m.) a sailing yacht in full sail to the sinsiter on the mizzen the letter “T” Sable all proper, a chief Or thereon a lion passant guardant Gules. Crest: Upon a wreath Azure and Or, two arms embowed that on the dexter side being an arm of a native of North Bornbeo Proper, that on the sinister side being an arm vested Azure cuffed Argent, the hands grasping a staff proper thereon hoisted a flag flowing to the sinistsre Or charged with a lion passant guardant Gules. The “T” commemorates the liberation from Japanese occupation by the 9th Australian Division, which had participated in the siege of Tobruk (1941).The emblem of the 9th Australian Division was a platypus (ornitorynchus anatinus) over a boomerang:  SABAH  The State of North Borneo joined the Malaysian Federation on 16 September 1963. At the same time the name of the country was changed into “Sabah”, meaning ‘morning’ in arab. The flag of the state became barry of four red, white yellow and green with a green canton at the hoist charged with a picture of Mount Kinabalu proper. The coat of arms was modified in that the chief became chevronny Gules, Argent, Vert, Or and Azure. The crest was changed by replacing the arm on the sinister by another naked arm and both arms upheld the new national flag. Below is the motto “SABAH MAJU JAYA” meaning “Forward with Prosperity”.[10] The arms were restyled in 1988 by leaving out the sailing yacht and by changing the colours. Each of these colours: cobalt-blue, light blue, navy blue, white and red has its own symbolic meaning. This is officially stated as follows:  Zircon blue represents peace and calmness.  Icicle blue represents unity and prosperity.  Royal blue represents strength and harmony  White represents purity and justice.  Chilli red represents courage and determination. The flag upheld by the two arms was changed according to the new flag adopted in 1988. ð See illustration in the head of this section.