• 1 Feb 1948 – British government replaces the Malayan Union with the Federation of Malaya.

• The new constitution includes:- Protection for the powers of

Malay rulers.- More stringent conditions for citizenship for

non-Malays.- Special rights for the Malays.

• The F.O.M comprised nine Malay states together with Penang Island and Malacca. Singapore was excluded but still remained a British colony.

The move towards Independence

1.Problems of unity - variety of origin, culture, language, and religion before the country could be given independence.

2. The British government tried to overcome the problems through the educational system.

3. The Barnes Report suggested - same medium of instruction in the schools, English at secondary level and Malay at the primary.

4. The Fenn-Wu Report suggested – Chinese school should be continued.

5. The Malays wanted Malay to be the medium of instruction at all level.

6. 1949 – British government set up an inter-Ethnic Relations Committee for open discussions of racial problems.

April 1951 – the British Government introduced the Member system in the Federal Legislative council to provide local people the opportunity to be involved in the administrative system.

UMNONational United Malay Organisation (1946).

Founded by Dato’ Onn JaafarOpposed the Malayan Union and united the Malays to fight for independence.

MCAMalayan Chinese Association (1949)

Founded by Tan Cheng LockProtected the interest of the Chinese, and cooperated with other communities to achieve independence.

MICMalayan Indian Congress (1947)Founded by John ThivyTook care of the interest of the Indians and fought for independence with the other communities.

MCP(PKM) Malayan Communists Party (1930) Oldest political party in Malaya Wanted to achieve independence through

revolution, and to establish the Communist Republic of Malaya.

AWASAngkatan Wanita Sedar (1946)Founded by Shamsiah FakehThe struggle for independence was influenced by the nationalist struggle in Indonesia.

APIAngkatan Pemuda Insaf (1946)Founded by Ahmad Boestamam Its main struggle was independence with Indonesia to form Melayu Raya.

PKMMNational Malay Party of MalayaFounded by Dr. Burhanuddin Al-Helmi

PETA Ikatan Pemuda Tanah Air (1947)

PAS Islamic Party of Malaya (1951)Founded by Ahmad Fuad Hassan Its cause – to set up an Islamic government

Fought for Islam as the official religion and Malay as the official language.

HISBUL MUSLIMINHizabul Muslimin (1948)Founded by Haji Abu BakarAim to establish an Islamic government in Malaya.

IMP Independent Malayan Party (1951)

Founded by Dato’ Onn Jaafar after leaving UMNO.

Fought for independence for 10 years.

PARTI NEGARA National Party (1954) Founded by Dato’ Onn after IMP was dissolved in 1953 for lack of support

Fought for independence for 5 years.

February 1956Tunku Abdul Rahman as the Chief Minister led a team to London to negotiate for Malaya’s independence.

The team consisted of:4 Malay rulersAlliance (perikatan)

Datuk Panglima Gantang DAto’ Ahmad Kamil Abdul Aziz Majid Dato’ Mohd Seth

Tunku Abdul Rahman Dr. Ismail Abdul Rahman Dato’ Abdul Razak Hussein Colonel H.S. Lee

18 January – 8 February 1956Lord Lennox Boyd – the Secretary of British Colonial Territories chaired the negotiations.

The day the London Agreement was signed.

The British promise to grant independence on condition that a commission is formed to outline and draw up Malaya’s new Constitution.

Tunku Abdul Rahman announced 31 August 1957 as the date for independence in Padang Hilir Malacca as agreed by the British government.

1956 – Lord Reid headed the commission to draw up a constitution for independent Malaya.

Members: Britain: Lord Reid , Sir Ivor Jennings Australia : Sir William Mckell India: B. Malik Pakistan: Judge Abdul Hamid

The commission received suggestions and views from various organizations and individuals in Malaya.

The memorandum of 131 written received from the Malay rulers and Alliance.

The Constitution was accepted and approved by the Federal Legislative Council on 15 August 1957 and came into effect on 27 August 1957.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is the head of Malaya while the rulers are heads of their respective states.

The Malays are recognized as the ‘sons of the soils’ and their special rights are guaranteed in the Constitution.

The Malaya language is to become the national language; English however can still be used in the Legislative Council for a period of 10 years after independence.

A person born in Malaya on or after Independence is automatically a Malayan citizen.

Islam is made the official religion of the Federation of Malaya, but freedom of worship is guaranteed for non-Muslims.

 

31 August 1957 at the Selangor Club Green (as known as Dataran Merdeka or Independence Square), the Union Jack (the British flag) was brought down and the flag of independent Malaya (known as Jalur Gemilang) was flown.

The British Cabinet had discussed the idea in order to protect British Interest.

1955 – David Marshall suggested that Singapore unite with Malaya.

1954 – Ghazali Shafie suggested the idea of coalition( bergabung)

1955 – Tan Cheng Lock suggested the idea. 1959 – Lee Kuan Yew said Singapore and

Malaya should join together. 1955 – Tunku Abdul Rahman voiced the idea

during the UMNO conference.

Ahmad M.Azhari of Brunei and Ahmad Boestamam of Malaya gave the opposite idea to form Malaysia.

27 May 1961- Tunku revealed(dedahkan) his aspiration to form Malaysia at a dinner gathering for South East Asian journalist in Singapore.

Tunku announced the idea of unification after had several meetings with important leaders, including Lee Kuan Yuew (January 1961), Senu Abdul Rahman discussed the outcome of his survey in Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei (1960) and Mac Millan in London (February, 1961)

Independence Through Unification

Understanding For DevelopmentEthnic Balance and UnityCollective Fight Against Communism

Economic CooperationUnited in International Relations

Among the 5 potential member countries, only Malaya was free from any outside power after its independence on 31 August 1957.

The other 4 countries, Brunei, Sabah, Sarawak & Singapore were still under British rule and the entry into Malaysia would enable them to become independence.

The case of “freedom through unification” was a primary factor for the future member countries.

Another reason felt by all the future member countries was the question of fostering (membela) regional understanding and creating one united nation for the progress of the country and the people.

This factor was not emphasized by Singapore but was important to the authorities in Kuala Lumpur

Tunku wanted a Malaysia Federation, a large union encompassing Brunei, Sabah, Sarawak & Singapore.

It is to ensure the preservation(terpelihara) of ethnic balance

Maintaining a balance between non-Bumiputras and Bumiputras would ensure peace & stability in the region.

Malay language decided as national language

The communist threat was a source of worry to many including the British..

Malaya was constantly exposed to the communist threat even the era of Emergency was over.

With formation of Malaysia, the influence of communist can be frail (lemah)

Before formation of Malaysia, the economic between the region of Borneo, Malaya and Singapore are not balance.

By formation of Malaysia, it will benefit each other to develop a strong economic.

If the countries within the plan were to unite under one government & political system, their position as one new nation would be stronger in the international era.

Lee Kuan Yew was the most interested with the idea of Malaysia.

Initially, the people of Singapore gave their full support but political changes in Singapore in early 1961 changed the mind of part of the Singapore population.

The people of Brunei were not unanimously agreed to Malaysia, many of them preferred to be independent on their own first.

Ahmad M.Azahari, leader of Parti Rakyat Brunei (Brunei People’s Party) opposed the idea because he wants Brunei uniting with British North Borneo and Sarawak under the name of North Kalimantan.

The reaction of the people was very encouraging because they want to free from British imperialism.

They also worried with the communist’s threat.

They also felt anxiety and were apprehensive about losing their position because of ‘Malayan domination’.

He felt disappointed about his positions from the point of view of the constitution.

He refuse to pay petrol taxation to Malaysia for 10 years- (Kuala Lumpur was seen as “hungry octopus”)

Brunei’s people refuse to join Malaysia

Proclamation of Malaysia that should be on 31 August 1963 was postponed to 16 September 1963 without Brunei.