Introduction The Malayan Communist Party (MCP)(MCP) Communist Activities : 1945 - 1948 The Emergency in Malaya : 1948 -

1960 Workers and Students Unite : Strikes

and Riots in the 1950s End of Communist Riots

THE COMMUNIST IN MALAYA AND SINGAPORE

COMMUNISMCOMMUNISM

•What is communism?• A system of society where property belongs to

the whole community• Each member work for the common good of

the community according to his capacity and receiving according to his needs

• However, since 1917, the term has come to denote those who regard the Russian Revolution as the model for all communists to follow

VLADIMIR I. LENIN

• The Russian Revolution of 1917

• Led by Lenin• Created the communist

state of USSR (Union of the Soviet Socialist Republic)

VLADIMIR I. LENIN

Monument of Lenin in Moscow

THE CHINESE THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTYCOMMUNIST PARTY

• Started off as just a study group between a professor and a head librarian

• discussing issues relating to Marxism

• Mao Zedong

THE CHINESE THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTYCOMMUNIST PARTY

Young Mao Zedong

• Formed in 1930Formed in 1930

•AIMAIM : : End colonial rule End colonial rule in Singapore and Malaya in Singapore and Malaya and replace it with a and replace it with a communist government communist government controlled by Chinacontrolled by China

THE MCPTHE MCPTHE MCPTHE MCP

During WWII After the war 1940s and 1950s

THE MCPTHE MCPTHE MCPTHE MCP

Communist activities in Singapore and Malaya

Trade Unions, Chinese newspapers and student leaders in Chinese schools

Members : teachers and students in Chinese schools, Chinese workers

COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES : 1945 - 1948

Stirred up feelings of the people to demand higher rice rations and cheaper

foodstuffs

Formed many trade unions to demand for better working conditions and

higher pay influenced TU leaders to organise strikes British way of dealing with strikes made the

workers even angrier

STRIKES AND DISORDERS

Government measures against the communists passed laws to prevent TUs from being controlled by

the communists allowed govt to monitor membership also to ensure money was not used for communist

activities

Workers lost interest in the communist cause for several reasons

they were not paid during strikes tired of the disorder communists were actually not interested in fighting for

workers’ rights some workers had obtained better paying jobs

STRIKES AND DISORDERS

1 9 4 8 - 1 9 6 01 9 4 8 - 1 9 6 0

THE EMERGENCY : 1948 to 1960THE EMERGENCY : 1948 to 1960THE EMERGENCY : 1948 to 1960THE EMERGENCY : 1948 to 1960

Communists realised that their methods of stirring up anti-British feelings were not successful

Turned to violence to drive the British out MCP moved into the jungles and towns of

Malaya and carried out attacks against the British government

Guerilla warfare : Attacking enemy in small groups in unexpected ways

Communist guerillas training in the jungles of Malaya

THE COMMUNIST CAMPAIGN (1948-THE COMMUNIST CAMPAIGN (1948-49)49)

THE COMMUNIST CAMPAIGN (1948-THE COMMUNIST CAMPAIGN (1948-49)49)

CAMPAIGN : A series of military operations undertaken to achieve a large scale objective in war; an organized operation to accomplish a purpose

THE EMERGENCY : 1948 to 1960THE EMERGENCY : 1948 to 1960THE EMERGENCY : 1948 to 1960THE EMERGENCY : 1948 to 1960

The British government declared a state of Emergency in Malaya and Singapore in June 1948

EMERGENCY : Govt banned the MCP Introduced measures to control the communists from

getting the people’s support Increased number of policemen, soldiers and guards Introduce identification card to control movement of

communists

Communists were not successful in Malaya; looked towards Singapore

By mid-50s, emergency laws were relaxed in Singapore

THE EMERGENCY : 1948 to 1960THE EMERGENCY : 1948 to 1960THE EMERGENCY : 1948 to 1960THE EMERGENCY : 1948 to 1960

Government troops searching for communist guerillas.

STRIKES AND RIOTS IN THE 1950sSTRIKES AND RIOTS IN THE 1950sSTRIKES AND RIOTS IN THE 1950sSTRIKES AND RIOTS IN THE 1950s

As the MCP was banned in Singapore, communists infiltrated into the trade unions

One important person was LIM CHIN SIONG

STRIKES AND RIOTS IN THE 1950sSTRIKES AND RIOTS IN THE 1950sSTRIKES AND RIOTS IN THE 1950sSTRIKES AND RIOTS IN THE 1950s

STRIKES AND RIOTS IN THE 1950sSTRIKES AND RIOTS IN THE 1950sSTRIKES AND RIOTS IN THE 1950sSTRIKES AND RIOTS IN THE 1950s

Besides the TUs, Lim also concentrated on getting the support of students from Chinese-medium schools

Situation in Chinese-medium schools Why were the students unhappy? By the 1950s, anti-British among the students

grew stronger They started strikes and supported many strikes

organised by workers

19541954 ANTI-NATIONAL SERVICE RIOT ANTI-NATIONAL SERVICE RIOT19541954 ANTI-NATIONAL SERVICE RIOT ANTI-NATIONAL SERVICE RIOT

A good example of how the communists stirred up anti-government feelings among Chinese-educated students

May 1954May 1954 : Chinese students demonstrated against the British government’s decision to make young men aged 18 to 20 do part-time national service

Many were above 20 as their education had been disrupted by the war

Not willing to defend a government they were trying to drive out

Demonstration led to rioting and police had to put down the riots

19541954 ANTI-NATIONAL SERVICE RIOT ANTI-NATIONAL SERVICE RIOT19541954 ANTI-NATIONAL SERVICE RIOT ANTI-NATIONAL SERVICE RIOT

19551955 HOCK LEE BUS RIOTS HOCK LEE BUS RIOTS19551955 HOCK LEE BUS RIOTS HOCK LEE BUS RIOTS

1955 : 275 strikes in all One strike that turned violent was the Hock Lee

Bus strike

19551955 HOCK LEE BUS RIOTS HOCK LEE BUS RIOTS19551955 HOCK LEE BUS RIOTS HOCK LEE BUS RIOTS

19561956 SINGAPORE CHINESE MIDDLE SINGAPORE CHINESE MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS’ UNION RIOTSSCHOOL STUDENTS’ UNION RIOTS

19561956 SINGAPORE CHINESE MIDDLE SINGAPORE CHINESE MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS’ UNION RIOTSSCHOOL STUDENTS’ UNION RIOTS

Oct 1956 : riot by Chinese-educated students Closing down of SCMSSU by the government

because of its communists activities Arrested 4 students leaders from Chinese High

School and Chung Cheng High School Expelled 142 others for taking part in communist

activities

19561956 SINGAPORE CHINESE MIDDLE SINGAPORE CHINESE MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS’ UNION RIOTSSCHOOL STUDENTS’ UNION RIOTS

19561956 SINGAPORE CHINESE MIDDLE SINGAPORE CHINESE MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS’ UNION RIOTSSCHOOL STUDENTS’ UNION RIOTS

RECENT STRIKES IN SEOUL & HKRECENT STRIKES IN SEOUL & HKRECENT STRIKES IN SEOUL & HKRECENT STRIKES IN SEOUL & HK

RECENT STRIKES IN SEOUL & HKRECENT STRIKES IN SEOUL & HKRECENT STRIKES IN SEOUL & HKRECENT STRIKES IN SEOUL & HK

MARIA HERTOGH RIOTS MARIA HERTOGH RIOTS (1950)(1950)

• Riots broke out between 11 and 13 Dec 1950 over a 13-year old Eurasian girl named MARIA BERTHA HERTOGHMARIA BERTHA HERTOGH

• Born in 1937 to Dutch parents in Java• Parents captured by Japanese during WWII• A Malay woman, CHE AMINAHCHE AMINAH, and her

husband looked after Maria• Brought her up as a Muslim and named

her NADRANADRA• Moved from Java to Trengganu in Malaya

MARIA HERTOGH RIOTS MARIA HERTOGH RIOTS (1950)(1950)

• With the defeat of Japan, Maria’s mother, ADELAINE HERTOGHADELAINE HERTOGH, was released

• Unable to locate her daughter in Java• Finally found Maria in 1949 and wanted

to claim her back• Dutch Consul-General requested Maria to

be put under the care of the Social Welfare Dept in Singapore

• Maria’s case was brought to the legal court in Singapore

MARIA HERTOGH RIOTS MARIA HERTOGH RIOTS (1950)(1950)

• May 1950 : Court ruled that Maria be returned to her natural parents

• Che Aminah opposed and sent in an appeal

• 2 months later, the court returned Maria to Che Aminah

MARIA HERTOGH RIOTS MARIA HERTOGH RIOTS (1950)(1950)

• When Maria was 13 years old and under Che Aminah’s care, she married a Malay teacher

• Nov 1950 : Judge did not recognised the marriage

• Returned Maria to her Dutch parents who put her in a RC convent

• Muslim community was upsetupset; felt that Muslim law was not respectednot respected

MARIA HERTOGH RIOTS MARIA HERTOGH RIOTS (1950)(1950)

• Next two months : many newspaper articles on Maria

• Stirred up feelings of anger among the Muslims

• Che Aminah appealed again in Dec 1950 but was turned down

MARIA HERTOGH RIOTS MARIA HERTOGH RIOTS (1950)(1950)

• Many Singapore Muslims felt betrayedbetrayed by what they saw as the British taking the side of the Dutch

• The court order was seen as a direct attack on Islam by a court under Christian control

• After the verdict was announced on 11 Dec 1950, a large crowd of mainly Malays outside the Padang starting rioting

MARIA HERTOGH RIOTS MARIA HERTOGH RIOTS (1950)(1950)

MARIA HERTOGH RIOTS MARIA HERTOGH RIOTS (1950)(1950)

• Many Europeans were attacked. Why?• Many vehicles burned• A sign of growing unhappiness with

British rule in Singapore• Also a sign of British failure of British to

be sensitive to the feelings of Muslims

• 2nd day : Curfew imposed; military police called in

• 3rd day : Situation under control

MARIA HERTOGH RIOTS MARIA HERTOGH RIOTS (1950)(1950)

• Compensation claims : $20,848 (Straits Dollars) - a huge sum of money at that time

• Govt had to spend more money to repair many of the public facilities that were damaged

LESSONS LEARNTLESSONS LEARNT

• Whole country can be affected by strikes, disorder and riots

• People’s lives are upset; business disrupted; economy suffers

• Today, 40 years after it faded into history, the Maria Hertogh provides us with timely reminder of how easily a society can be torn apart by the unwise handling of sensitive issues.

• Maria Hertogh Riots show us how important it is to know, learn and appreciate the culture and customs of other races