Although the British effectively held "de facto" control over Malaya, "de jure" the country was governed by the Malays themselves, and merely being temporarily administrated by the British. The High Commissioner, Sir Hugh Clifford made a speech outlining the British ideology during their rule in Malaysia, in which he urged "everyone in this country be mindful of the fact that this is a Malay country, and we British came here at the invitation of Their Highnesses the Malay Rulers, and it is our duty to help the Malays to rule their own country."