the struggle for independence-chapter 3

8/20/2019 The Struggle for Independence-Chapter 3

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THE STRUGGLE FOR

INDEPENDENCE


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The Armed Struggle Against the Colonialists

The struggle for independence can be divided intotwo stages. The first stage is the armed or bloody

stage which began with the struggle of the Malays

against the Portuguese and the opposition against

the British.

The second stage is the struggle without

bloodshed, through literature and then

negotiations.


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In the first stage, the local people fought against

the first western colonialists, the Portuguese inMalacca in1511, followed by the utch and theBritish.

!t that time, the Malays fought against the

western colonialists using arms resulting in much bloodshed.

They were prepared to sacrificed themselves forthe defense of their beloved country against

foreign powers.


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1. Malacca (1511-1524)

"ed by #ultan Mahmud

#ultan Mahmud repeatedly to win bac$ Malacca

from the Portuguese

The attempts failed until #ultan Mahmud diedin 15%& in 'ampar

The struggle was carried on by the Malays from

!cheh and (ohore between 15%%)15*+.


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2. Naning (181-182)

"ed by Penghulu ol #aid

The people of aning did not agree to aning

being sub-ected to the British as part of

Malacca/. They refused to pay ta0es to the British

The British attac$ed aning.


6/70

. Selangor (18!4)

"ed by a-a Mahadi

a-a Mahadi and other local officials ob-ected

to the appointment of Teng$u 'udin by the

British as the #elangor viceroy Teng$u 'udin received help from the British

and 2hinese 'apitan 3ap !h "oy


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4. "era# (18!5)

"ed by #ultan !bdullah, ato4 Mahara-a "elaand To$ #agor In ovember 1&5, esident (. 6. 6. Birch was

$illed in Pasir #ala$. 7pposition because of restriction on the sultan,

sanction against the collection of ta0es by thelocal officials, sudden changes inadministration, ignorance on the part of theBritish in understanding Malay customs and

ceremonies and the arrogance of the British.


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5. Negeri Sem$ilan (18!5)

"ed by Teng$u !ntah 8uarrels between Teng$u !ntah and ato4

'elana

The British sided ato4 'elana, and evo$edopposition from the people against the British

The British entered egeri #embilan


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%. "ahang (18&1-18&5)

"ed by To$ 9a-ah and ato4 Bahaman

In 1&&&, (. P. odger was appointed resident of

Pahang and introduced the post ta0 collector

and magistrate. "ocal dignitaries lost their source of income

from ta0es

! holy was launched against the British


10/70

!. Sara'a#

: 1&5;)1&+


11/70

7pposed British action to end piracy and head)

hunting activities: 1&*;)1*%


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8. Sa$ah

: 1&*>)1*


13/70

Main reasons for the opposition were large scale

development that brought difficulties to the localinhabitants, the imposition of ta0es by the Britishon the local people and the e0tension of British

power that limited the freedom of the dignitaries.

The Muruts opposed the British 2harteredcompany

: 1*15

"ed by !ntanum

7pposition was better $nown as the undumevival


14/70

easons for the opposition? British action against

the practice of shifting cultivation, the constructionof a highway in Murut territory and the Muruts being forced to be labourers in the construction ofroads.

&. elantan (1&15)

"ed by @a-i 6an @assan To$ (anggut/7pposition was better $nown as the To$ (anggut

ebellion


15/70

7pposition started when the British appointed a

istrict 7fficer in Pasir Putih, and imposed ta0eson the local people. !rrogance of the ta0)

collectors made things worse.

The capture of the Pasir Putih Police #tation and

the establishment of a temporary government.


16/70

1. Terengganu (1&22-1&28)

"ed by @a-i !bdul ahman "imbongThe rebellion was better $nown as the Peasant4s

ebellion

7btained the help of religious heads li$e @a-iAa$aria, Mat Ain and "ebai eraman

! holy war was launched


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Main reasons for the opposition were? action on

the part of the British to impose a pass upon thefarmers for cultivating the land the British rule

was regarded as ma$ing things difficult for

Muslims, going against the teachings of the

religion and threatening the traditionalgovernment and the imposition of all sorts of

ta0es.


18/70

11. Mala*a (1&41-1&45)

The (apanese oppression of the local people

Many 2hinese were members of the MP!(!, the

Malays formed the Coluntary !rmy and the

Malay egimentThe activities of the struggle too$ the form of

guerilla warfare and were located in the -ungle.


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6e can conclude that many factors contributed to

the local people4s opposition against thecolonialists.

2oloniDation caused the local population , their

leaders and rulers to lose control in their own

country.

The foreigners e0ploited the natural resources and

at the same time controlled the system of ta0ation,

thus ta$ing away a source of income from thelocal officials.


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The local people were reluctant to pay ta0es to the

foreigners whom they protested had to no right toreceive any payment of ta0es.

!nother reason was due to the ignorance of the British

in understanding the local customs and practices.

They were accused of not respecting the local customary practices. Instead, they tried to eradicate them.

These customary practices included slavery, the tradition

of hunting for human heads in #arawa$, the practice of

shifting cultivation, and the imposition of a pass fortilling the soil


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These customary practices included slavery, the

tradition of hunting for human heads in #arawa$, the

practice of shifting cultivation, and the imposition of

a pass for cultivation.

It is obvious that before the %


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The Struggle +or Nationalism

By the %


23/70

The emergence of Malay intellectuals encouraged

a struggle using diplomacy that was supported bya strong spirit of nationalism.

It was apparent at that time that there hademerged an awareness that independence could be

achieved not only uprisings and fighting, but alsothrough negotiations and stirring the people4sspirit of nationalism.

The local people preferred to use associations and

the mass media a channels to e0press theirdissatisfaction to their colonial masters.


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This spirit grew stronger when the (apanese coloniDedthis country and proclaimed their slogan of F!sia for

!siansG.!t the same time, a few members of the 3oung Malay

Hnion 'esatuan Melayu Muda)'MM/, anorganiDation of young radicals , who had been

imprisoned by the British and released.'MM was revived under the leadership of Ibrahim3aacob.

The struggle through the spirit of nationalismcontinued even after (apan was defeated in the #econd6orld 6ar and the British had returned to Malaya.


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In this country, the rise of nationalism among the local

people was resulted from outside influence, the mass

media and organiDations.

There were some important events outside the country

contributed to the rise of nationalism.

In 1*


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Besides, there was a movement for the revival of Islam

emerged in Egypt and it was led by two Muslimscholars, #yei$h Muhammad !bduh and (amaluddin al)!ghani.

In Indonesia, the nationalists struggled against theutch coloniDers.

Mass media in the country also played important role toincrease the spirit of nationalism among the people.

!mong the most important newspaper during that timewas !l)Imam. It was the main newspaper for the young

community or $nown as 'aum Muda and the mainleader was #yed #hei$h al)@adi.


27/70

#audara was also the newspaper that was

responsible to call for the struggle of the youngcommunity and appealed to the Malays to improve.

Its main leader was #yed #hei$h !l)@adi.

The first national newspaper was called Ma-lis. It

forced the British to protect the rights of the Malays.The primary leader was !bdul ahim 'a-ai.

Meanwhile, 6arta Malaya was the newspaper that

created awareness among the Malays and criticiDed

the British policies.


28/70

Htusan Melayu was the newspaper that became a

symbol of Malay unity, and fanned the spirit ofnationalism among the Malays. The primary

leaders were !bdul ahim 'a-ai and Isha$ @a-i

Muhammad.

!nother newspaper was 6arta #arawa$. This

newspaper raised the spirit of nationalism among

the Malay society in #arawa$. It urged the British

government to improve the standard of living ofthe Malays.


29/70

7rganiDations also played important roles in

spreading the feeling of nationalism.!mong the organiDations established were

#ingapore Malays Hnion, #elangor Malays

Hnion, Pera$ Malays Hnion, Peninsular MalaysHnion, Persaudaraan #ahabat Pena Melayu and

'esatuan Melayu Muda.


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The ma-or aims of these organiDations were to

encourage Malays to be involved in thegovernment, to force the British to increase Malay

participation in administration and to improve the

economic, political and social situation of the

Malays.


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=or this purpose, the action to standardiDe

administration under one ruling system wasneeded.

!t the same time, a single ruling system could cut

down the administrative cost of the Malay states.

The British had stated that their ultimate ob-ectivewas to grant independence to the country.


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It was also said that the British deliberately set up

the Malayan Hnion because of the hatred someBritish officers had against the Malays for

supporting the (apanese during their occupation in

Malaya instead they felt grateful to the MP!(!

in particular the 2hinese/ who opposed the

(apanese.


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,eatures o+ Mala*an nion

1. Made up of the nine Malay states, PenangIsland and Malacca

%. The British governor was the chiefadministrator, with its centre in 'uala "umpur.

;. The Malay rulers only advised the governor,while their sovereignty as rulers of their ownstates was wiped off. The rulers4 authority wasonly in issues pertaining to Islam and as head of

the Malay 2ouncil of !dvisor


34/70

>. The #tate 2ouncil was retained for purposes of

managing the local government, but was stillsub-ected to control by the central government.

5. The Malayan Hnion did not involve #ingapore#ingapore still remained as British colonial

territory under the rule of a British 9overnor9eneral, who was above the 9overnor of theMalayan Hnion.

+. 2itiDenship was based on the principle of -us

soli. Through this principle, MalayancitiDenship was obtained if?


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a. The foreigner was 1& and above, and has

resided in Malaya for 1< out of a period of 15

years before 15 =ebruary 1*>%

b. ! person who was born in Malaya after the

forming of the Malayan Hnion.

. Eual rights for all citiDens regardless of race ororigin. This includes the entry into government

service and the right o vote in the general

election


36/70

@arold Mac Michael was given the responsibility

of getting the agreement of all the Malay rulers. In (anuary 1*>+, the 2onstitution of the Malayan

Hnion was passed and on 1 !pril 1*>+, the

Malayan Hnion was officially proclaimed, with

Edward 9ent as the first 9overnor.

The citiDens of Malaya, the Malays in particular,

were against the Malayan Hnion.


37/70

//osition Against Mala*an nion

Carious parties opposed the setting up of the

Malayan Hnion.The strongest opposition came from the Malays.

Malay opposition was both individual andcollective.

Individuals voiced their opposition through themass media such as the Malay newspapers Ma-lisand Htusan Melayu, mainly at matters relating tothe erosion of the sovereignty and the power ofthe Malay rulers and the granting of the right of

citiDenship to foreigners on the principle of -ussoli.


38/70

7pposition was collectively organiDed by Malay

unions at state and national levels.These unions held demonstrations in various states

to show their ob-ection.

This showed Malay unity in their opposition against

the colonialists.

In #elangor, the 2ongress of Malay Hnion was held

from 1)> March 1*>+, headed by ato4 7nn (aafar.

! total of 11 Malay unions attended.


39/70

7n May 1*>+, a second congress was held in

(ohore Bahru. The result of this congress was the birth of the Hnited Malay ational 7rganiDation

HM7/ with ato4 7nn (aafar as the president.

HM7 was a combination of the Malay unions

including the radicals.

The organiDation was the pillar of support to the

Malay movement in opposing the Malayan Hnion

and subseuently the fight for independence.


40/70

ato4 7nn (aafar and other Malay leaders traveled

all over the country to stir up Malay sentimentsagainst the Malayan Hnion and used the sloganF"ong live the MalaysG to get the Malays togetherto defend their position and rights.

!t the inauguration ceremony of the MalayanHnion and the appointment of the governor, theMalay rulers were not present.


41/70

In fact, the Malays went into mourning for days

from 1st

!pril 1*>+/ by tying a white band totheir headgear song$o$/.

The Malays sitting in the federal and #tate

2ouncils also avoided the councils.


42/70

0easons +or Mala*s //osition

1. The granting of citiDenship to the non)Malays. The

easy granting of citiDenship could affect theeconomic and political situation of the Malays, since

at that time the total number of non)Malay people

e0ceeded that of the Malays.

%. Erosion of Malay rulers4 power and sovereignty. Theimplementation of the Malayan Hnion administration

affected the power and sovereignty of the rulers.

!mong the Malays, the ruler is the supreme head and

has the power to protect them. The ruler4s loss of power meant the loss of Malay power.


43/70

;. MacMichael4s threat in getting the rulers to sign

the agreement. The Malays became angry whenthe rulers they honoured were threatened and

forced to sign the agreement to form the Malayan

Hnion. The #ultan of 'edah, for e0ample, was

threatened with loss of power and throne if herefused to sign. The Malays also too$ offense at

the short time given for discussing the plan to

form the Malayan Hnion.


44/70

7pposition against the Malayan Hnion also came

from former British officers in Malaya such as=ran$ #wettenham, . 7. 6instedt, 9eorge

Ma0well and 2ecil 2lementi #mith.

They voiced their ob-ection through the press in

"ondon urging the British to protect the interestsand special rights of the Malays.

The non)Malays were not interested in the

Malayan Hnion, accusing it of being colonial andundemocratic.


45/70

They lost interest because of the British decisionto postpone the enforcement of the citiDenshipright.

=urthermore, they had no capable leaders andwere not very aware of the politics of Malaya.Their spirit of nationalism was still directed totheir country of origin.

They voiced their dissatisfaction in the press because it did not include #ingapore. This directlymeant that #ingapore was left out of the claim forindependence.


46/70

,ailure o+ Mala*an nion

1. Strong o//osition +rom the Mala*s. The

suggestion to set up the Malayan Hnion stirred up

a strong sense of nationalism among the Malays.

2. No strong su//ort +rom the non-Mala*s. The

non)Malays were not interested in the MalayanHnion because it e0cluded #ingapore.

. rong timing. 2ommunal feelings and hostility

still e0isted between the Malays and the 2hinese

as a result of the (apanese occupation.


47/70

The conditions in Malaya then were still not

really peaceful. #ocial and economic problemswere obvious. The Malayan Hnion was accusedof putting the Malays at a disadvantage andfavouring the non)Malays. Malay loyalty totheir ruler and state was still strong.

4. rong introduction. The Hnion was drawn upin "ondon without ta$ing into account thesituation and wishes of the people in Malaya.There was also strong ob-ection to the use of

political blac$mail to get the agreement signed.


48/70

5. //osition +rom +ormer 3ritish

administrators in Mala*a. They urged theBritish to protect the interests and special rights

of the Malays.

!s a result, the Malayan Hnion was dissolved in

(uly 1*>+. ! consultation too$ place between Edward 9ent

and the Malay rulers and ato4 7nn (aafar to

draw up a new constitution to replace theMalayan Hnion constitution.

, d i + M l (" # T h


49/70

,ederation o+ Mala*a ("erse#utuan Tanah

Mela*u)

The British government finally agreed to replacethe Malayan Hnion with a new form of

government, $nown as the =ederation of Malaya.

The =ederation of Malaya was formed on 1

=ebruary 1*>&.

!fter the dissolution of the Malayan Hnion, the

British government appointed , on %5 (uly 1*>+, a

wor$ing committee to draw up a new constitutionto replace that of the Malayan Hnion.


50/70

The committee members consisted of + British

officers, > representatives of the Malay rulers and %

HM7 representatives.

The committee propose that the new constitution be

different from the Malayan Hnion constitution and

included the following matters?

1. Protection for the sovereignty and power of the

Malay rulers

%. More stringent conditions for citiDenship for non)

Malays;. #pecial rights for the Malays


51/70

It is evident here that the British reinstated the rights

of the Malays because of pressure from the Malays

and former British administrators.The British government fi0ed 1 =ebruary 1*>& for

establishing the =ederation of Malaya, whose

constitution showed HM74s claims has been

recogniDed.

The =ederation of Malaya, with a British @igh

2ommissioner as head, comprised nine Malay states

together with Malacca and Penang Island.

#ingapore was e0cluded but still remained a British

colony.


52/70

The "egislative 2ouncil and the =ederal

E0ecutive 2ouncil assisted @igh 2ommissioner inthe administration while the Malay rulers were

returned their rights over their own states.

The state government had the right and

responsibility over matters relating to localgovernment administration, land matters, health,

education and agriculture.

The administration of Malacca and Penang Islandcame under a esident 2ommissioner.


53/70

In the =ederation of Malaya, conditions for

citiDenship became more strict and the specialrights of the Malays were recogniDed.

They had the biggest representation in the =ederal

and state government.


54/70

The ro'th o+ "olitical "arties

Political parties continued to grow in Malaya. "eadersand members of political parties focused their struggle on

protecting the interests of the members their community/

and also on striving for the country4s independence.

But the motive and ob-ective of the party4s fight for

independence differed from party to party.

Every party has its own ob-ective and ideology, and it

was clear that the ma-ority of them were based on

ethnicity championing the cause of their own

community/.


55/70

Political parties that were not based on ethnicitydid not receive sustained support, for e0ample,the Independent Malayan Party IMP/ under theleadership of ato4 7nn (aafar.

IMP was set up after ato4 7nn (aafar resigned as

chairman of HM7 on % !ugust 1*51.@e was said to have been disappointed with the

ma-ority of the HM7 members who opposed hissuggestion to open HM7 membership to all

communities and ma$e HM7 a multiracial party.


56/70

In his opinion, the setting up of a multiracial partycould increase British confidence about racial

cooperation which became a concern of the Britishand an important condition for granting independenceto Malaya.

HM7, M2! and MI2 combined to create astronger union called the !lliance which succeeded in

bringing unity and getting the strength and support ofthe three biggest communities in the country,Malays, 2hinese and Indians/.

The !lliance fought for independence on the basis of

compromise and negotiation among the communities.


57/70

The Malay radical parties that combined underPHTE!/ wanted to obtain independence through

combining Malaya with Indonesia to create Melayu ayathe 9reat Malay Empire/.

The M2P, on the other hand, wanted to achieveindependence through revolution that usually involves

bloodshed/ li$e the revolutions that occurred in 2hina

and ussia.Meanwhile, parties founded on Islam, wanted the

independent country to later become a fully Islamiccountry.


58/70

1. Alliance

i. HM7 ational Hnited Malay 7rganiDation/ was foundedin 1*>+ by ato4 7nn (afar.

The main ob-ectives of this party are to oppose the MalayanHnion, unite the Malays to fight for independence and protect the interests and rights of the Malays.

ii. M2! Malayan 2hinese !ssociation/ was founded in 1*>* by Tan 2heng "oc$.

The main aims are to protect the interests of the 2hinese andcooperate with other communities to achieve independence.


59/70

iii. MI2 Malayan Indian 2ongress/ was founded in1*>* by (ohn Thivy. The main ob-ective of this party is to protect the

interests of the Indians and fight forindependence with the other communities.

2. 0adicalSocialist

i. M2P J P'M Malayan 2ommunist Party/ wasfounded in 1*;


60/70

ii. !6!# !ng$atan 6anita #edar/ was founded by

#hamsiah =a$eh in 1*>+.

The struggle for independence was influenced by

the nationalist struggle in Indonesia.

iii.!PI !ng$atan Pemuda Insaf/ was founded by

!hmad Boestamam in 1*>+. its main struggle wasindependence with Indonesia and form Melayu

aya the 9reat Malay Empire/.

iv. P'MM ational Malay Party of Malaya/ was

founded by . Burhannudin al)@elmi.


61/70

. 6slamic "art*

i. P!# Islamic Party of Malaya/ was founded by!hmad =uad @assan in 1*51. Its cause was to

set up an Islamic government.

They fought for Islam as the official religion

and Malay as the official language.

ii. @isbul Muslimin was founded by @a-i !bu

Ba$ar in 1*>&. the aim was to establish an

Islamic government in Malaya.


62/70

4. Non-communal

i. IMP Independent Malayan Party/ was founded by ato4 7nn (aafar in 1*51 after leavingHM7.

This party fought for independence for 1<

years.ii. Parti egara ational Party/ was also founded

by ato4 7nn (aafar in 1*5> after IMP wasdissolved in 1*5; for lac$ of support.

This party fought for independence for 5 years.

The eneral 7lections


63/70

The eneral 7lections

The first general election was held on % (uly1*55 throughout Malaya.

The parties that contested were !lliance HM7,M2! and MI2/, Islamic Party of Malaya P!#/,

ational Party Parti egara/, "abour Party PartiBuruh/ and People4s Progressive Party PartiProgresif a$yat/.

! total of 5% seats were contested.

The !lliance Party won 51 out of 5% seatscontested and attracted almost &


64/70

This showed that the !lliance with its

combination of HM7, M2! and MI2 thatrepresented the three biggest communities had the

confidence of the people.

=ollowing the general lection, the #ystem of

Members was changed to the #ystem of Ministers

and Tun$u !bdul ahman was appointed the first

2hief Minister of Malaya.

6ith their victory, the !lliance was given themandate to start negotiations for independence.

N ti ti + 6 d d


65/70

Negotiations +or 6nde/endence

!s 2hief Minister, Tun$u !bdul ahman led ateam to "ondon in =ebruary 1*5+ to negotiate forMalaya4s independence.

The team consisted of > representatives of theMalay rulers? atu$ Panglima 9antang, ato4!hmad 'amil, !bdul !DiD Ma-id and ato4 Mohd#eth representatives of !lliance? Tun$u !bdulahman, r. Ismail !bdul ahman, ato4 !bdulaDa$ @ussein and 2olonel @. #. "ee and theBritish representative in Malaya.


66/70

"ord "enno0 Boyd, the #ecretary of British2olonial Territories chaired the negotiations whichlasted three wee$s, from 1& (anuary to & =ebruary1*5+, the day the "ondon !greement was signed.

The British promised to grant independence oncondition that a commission be formed to draw up

Malaya4s new constitution.The British agreed to declare the date for

independence on ;1 !ugust 1*.Tun$u !bdul ahman announced the date for

independence in Padang @ilir Malacca as soon asthe team returned from "ondon.


67/70

"ord eid headed the eid 2ommission, set up in

1*5+, to draw up a constitution for independentMalaya.

The members comprised "ord eid Britain/, #ir

Ivor (ennings Britain/, #ir 6illiam Mc'ell

!ustralia/, B. Mali$ India/ and (udge !bdul@amid Pa$istan/.

The constitution, accepted and approved by the

=ederal "egislative 2ouncil on 15 !ugust 1*5,

came into effect on % !ugust 1*5.


68/70

The 1*5 Malayan 2onstitution, based on theconcept of constitutional monarchy and democracyhave the following as its fundamental principles?

1. The 3ang di)Pertuan !gong is the head of Malayawhile the rulers are heads of their respective states.

%. The Malays are recogniDed as the sons of the soil and

their special rights are guaranteed in the constitution.

;. The Malay language is to become the nationallanguage English however, can still be used in the"egislative 2ouncil for a period of 1< years after

indfependence.


69/70

>. ! person born in Malaya on or after

independence is automatically a MalayancitiDen

5. Islam is made the official religion of the=ederation of Malaya, but freedom of worship is

guaranteed for non)Muslims. The symboliDation of Malayan independence

too$ place the minute the cloc$ tic$ed the firstsecond on the ;1 !ugust 1*5 after midnight


70/70

That night, the Hnion (ac$ British flag/ was broughtdown and for the first time the flag of independentMalaya, now $nown as (alur 9emilang, was flown.

!t dawn ;1 !ugust 1*5, the ceremony for thedeclaration and the official signing of declaration ofindependence too$ place in the newly built stadium

later $nown as Merde$a #tadium.7n the same day, the first cabinet of ministers wasannounced together with the appointment of Tun$u!bdul ahman as the first Prime Minister.

The 3ang i Pertuan Besar of egeri #embilan,

Tuan$u !bdul ahman, was chosen as the first 3angdi)Pertuan !gong.

the struggle for independence-chapter 3

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