The history of anti-colonial resistance is not widely available in the global bookstore. However, when one travels to places where such resistance took place local publishers often make these histories visible. One example is a short book – Acts of Resistance: Dol Said and the Naning War – that documents the leadership and acts of resistance in a town in Malaysia. The author documents how the Dol Said and the people were able to utilize their strengths to wage a war on the British. A few notes:

“Dol Said was enraged by these accusations, suspecting something was amiss. He opted for practical response by enlisting the assistance of that Mata-Mata to investigate the issue objectively. The investigation led to unanswered questions, such as how exactly Kwi Changwas able to travel alone without a bullock cart, despite carrying a considerable stock of goods. Since there were also no witness present, Kwi Chang had to swear an oath as per local practice, but – heightening suspicions further – he did not wish to do so.” (p. 51)

“According to the records of 1829-30, Naning had a population of 4,875 people. Only a few hundred were fighting fit. Although chances of a victory was slim, Naning could exploit the company’s key weakness: Costs. The Straits Settlements were run as a business and a prolonged confrontation that drained soldiers and supplies would jeopardise the Company’s balance sheet. Dol Said did not need to defeat the British on the field; rather, he just had to outlast their financial resources.” (p. 55)

“The story of Dol Said in the Naning-British War, as well as the enduring resistance of the Naningites* spanning the 16th century to the 20th century against the main colonial powers that once ruled Malaysia, is truly worthy of admiration. I dedicated more attention to Dol Said’s resistance because even though he was surrounded by controversy and still a reaching for a glimmer of hope at the proverbial knife tip, the defiant Penghulu of a small chiefdom courageously took on a mighty empire that stretched across the globe. More often than not, the impacts of our reactions to the things we have faced, whether they can be judged as right or wrong in the final analysis, will only reveal themselves through time. In this regard, one might even argue that Dol Said’s and the Naningtites* anticolonial stance was replicated for more than a century afterwards, with different actors resisting the land’s colonial masters, various facets of a fabric resistance paving the way to an independent country.” (p. 155)