Malaysian Studies 2 Lesson 1

• Sejarah dan Politik

1.1 Latar belakang sejarah awal negara1.2 Kemerdekaan

INTRODUCTION

As a citizen of a country, we should understand and know the history of the country.

Why do we need to know the history of our country? A person will come to know himself, his society,

nationality and country. We will learn to inculcate values such as loyalty

towards the nation, honesty and courage and build up the spirit of nationalism.

Ancient History

1.1 Early States The Malay Sultanate of Malacca

Formation • Malacca was founded in 1400 by Parameswara.• He settled a suitable site after seeing a bravery of a mouse-

deer.• He named the place ‘Melaka’ after the name of the tree he was

leaning against.• Arab traders named the port of Malacca malakat, which means

‘market’• During the early ages, the settlers of Malacca planted padi,

fruits and spices.

The Development of Malacca• Malacca was an important port and a great

empire in the 15th century.• Malacca’s prosperity was supported by factors

such as string trade ties with foreign countries and an efficient administrative system.

• Strong ties with China had a positive effect on the political and economic development in Malacca.

Fall of the Malacca EmpireInternal factors• Sultan Mahmud paid little attention to the administration.

• Defamation and bribing were rife and the high taxes forced merchants to divert their attention to other ports.

• Malacca’s weak position caused people to split into factions and become disunited.

• Continuous misunderstanding and disputes caused segregation among the people.

• The situation became more critical when the Portuguese, led by Alfonso d’Albuquerque attacked Malacca and conquered it in 1511.

External factors• Discovery of the Cape of Good Hope in South

Africa by Bartholomew Diaz in 1488 – easier to sail from West to the East which made it easier for Portuguese to invade Malacca.

Lesson from the fall of Malacca• Success has to be properly managed• Struggle for power arising from greed, wealth and

dominance can turn to zero if self-satisfaction sets in.

The Johor Sultanate

• The Johor Sultanate was founded by Sultan Alauddin Riayat Syah, son of Malacca’s Sultan, in 1528. He made several attempts to reclaim Malacca.

• In the early 17th century they made an alliance with the Dutch against their mutual enemy the Portuguese.

• The Dutch made two unsuccessful attempts to capture Malacca in 1606 and 1608.

• In 1641 the Dutch laid siege to Malacca again. Johor assisted them.

• After a terrible siege, in which many people died, Malacca finally fell to the Dutch.

COLONIAL ERA

• Malaysia was colonised by few powers for approximately 446 years ( from 1511 until 1957 )

• The Portuguese, Dutch, British, Japanese and even the Siamese had colonized the country.

• British and Japanese succeeded in colonizing almost the whole country and left an impact on the people.

• The factors for colonizing Malaysia are closely tied to the vast natural resources, extend their political influence and Christian faith.

Portuguese and Dutch Colonization

• The Portuguese, led by Alfonso, took over Malacca in 1511.• The main reason for the colonization is – to control the

maritime trade in the East and to spread Christianity. • Although they conquered Malacca, they couldn’t achieve much

objective because Malays often attacked them.

Impact of Portuguese colonization• Eurasian community, who are Catholics follow Portuguese

customs.• Romanized writing, language, terminology ( For example, palsu,

almari, jandela, garpu, and tuala in Malay ) and the Malay dance.

British Colonization

Date Events

1786 Penang Island was founded by Francis Light

1819 Singapore was founded by Stamford Raffles

1824 The Dutch handed over Malacca to the British as a result of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty

1826 Penang Island, Malacca and Singapore were combined into one administrative unit known as the Straits Settlements.

1841 James Brooke took over Sarawak

1874 British intervention in Perak, through the Pangkor Agreement

1874 British intervention in Sungei Ujung

1878 The Brunei Sultan handed over Sabah to the British

British Colonization

Date Events

1888 British intervention in Pahang

1896 Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang were united into one administrative unit known as the Federated Malay States

1909 Under the Bangkok Agreement, Siam handed over Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan and Terengganu to the British ( these are the Unfederated Malay States)

1914 Johor accepted a British advisor

1945 The British Military Administration (BMA) was established

1946 The Malayan Union was established in Peninsula Malaya

1948 The Federation of Malaya was established to replace the Malayan Union

1957 Malaya achieved independence

cont..

The Acquisition of Penang Island and Singapore

• China was not interested in trading with the English merchants, so the English looked for other trading zones in the Malay Archipelago.

• On 11th August 1786, after an agreement between Francis Light and Sultan Abdullah to protect Kedah from Siamese threat, Penang Island came under the occupation of the British.

• On 6th February 1819, Stamford Raffles occupied Singapore – it was seen as a suitable new base for the British.

• With the occupation of Penang Island, Singapore and Malacca, the spread of British colonization in Malaya began.

Anglo – Dutch Treaty 1824

Signed on 17th March 1824 – to end all rivalry between British and the Dutch.

Also known as Treaty of London• English and Dutch had been hostile to each other

because of trade.• Dutch were not happy with the British occupation

of Singapore.• The hostility escalated when some British people

were killed in Dutch Colony.

Terms in Anglo – Dutch Treaty 1824

• Territoriality Dutch handed over Malacca to the British in

exchange for Bencoolen ( Bangkahulu ) Areas of south of Singapore belong to Dutch,

while British controlled the north.

• Malay Archipelago was split into two spheres of Dutch and British influence.

Johor belonged to British, while the Islands of Riau came under Dutch.

Federated Malay States

• Federation Agreement in 1896, • Selangor, Perak, Pahang and Negeri Sembilan were known as

the Federated Malay States. • The resources of all the member states could be collected and

used for a common benefit to develop other states with minimal administration costs.

Factors for establishmenti. To address Pahang’s financial problemsii. Efficiency and uniformity in administrationsiii. To check the Resident’s poweriv. Security

Federated Malay State Treaty

• A British representative – Resident-General• Role of the Resident – General - advise on all

aspects of government except on issues relating to Islam and Malay customs.

• The rulers were still in power of in their own states.• Conference of Malay Rulers known as Durbar was

introduced• First conference held in Kuala Kangsar in 1897• Second conference held in Kuala Lumpur, 1903.

cont…

• The Malay rulers grew uneasy with the situation due to centralization of administrative power in the hands of

the Resident-General in KL, causes gradual loss of the powers of the rulers in their own states.

establishment of federal departments which led to the employment of more British officers, resulting in the Malay states to be administered mostly by British officers.

Federal Executive Council

• British gradually strengthened their hold on the states in Malaya.

• British established Federal Executive Council in 1909.• Consist of, High Commisioner (President),Resident-General, four

Sultans, four Residents and four unofficial members.

• Aim Increase the power of the rulers in their states Real motive however, was solely to increase the power of the British

Governor in Singapore.

cont..

Effect of the establishment of the Councili. Gradual weakening of the power of the Sultan and

the State Executive Council.ii. Sultan became only an ordinary member with no

decision-making power.iii. Laws were signed and passed by the High

Commissioner and not the Sultan.iv. Federal Executive Council placed all authority in

the hands of the High Commissioner.

Non-federated Malay States

• Bangkok Treaty 1909 - Siamese agreed to hand over Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis under its protection to the British.

• British advisor was appointed in each state.• The states involved rejected the 1909 Bangkok

Treaty, particularly Kedah and Perlis.• The States were reluctant to accept a British

advisor. • Johor accepted a British advisor in 1914.• British administratively combined the five states as

the Non-Federated Malay States.

• Therefore, beginning 1919, the states in Malaya were under three political units, namely :

the Strait Settlement the Federated Malay States the Non-Federated Malaya States

• This ruling structure continued until the Japanese occupation that began in 1941.

cont..

The Japanese Occupation

• Japanese occupied Malaya for only three and a half years, ( from 15th February 1942 – 15th August 1945)

• The entire country and Singapore were defeated in only 70 days.

• The attack started from the East and the West.• land in Kota Bharu Kuantan Mersing Slim river Penang Island Jitra • In January 1942, the Japanese soldiers entered kl,

and met the Japanese troops in Johor.• On 15th February 1942, Singapore fell to the

Japanese Army.

The Japanese Victory

1. British were not prepared for the war. They did not anticipate the Japanese attack from the north.

2. Japanese had a network spied in Malaya.3. Japanese soldiers faced intensive training and were

led by capable and experienced leaders ( such as Yamashita and Tsuji )

4. Practical war tactics, such as using the bicycle even in the jungles and villages.

5. British soldiers lacked the spirit of war, young and inexperienced in warfare

The Effects of the Japanese Invasion

Social aspect• Japanese were very bias to Chinese people in Malaya.

Economic aspect • Much of the economic infrastructure was destroyed

and economic activities were disrupted.

Political aspect• Raised citizens’ political awareness due to misery• The Malays were attracted to the slogan “Asia for

Asians” which stirred them to build their own government.

• The Chinese, established the Malayan Peoples’ Anti-Japanese Army ( MPAJA ) to fight the Japanese and strengthen Communist Part of Malaya.

• The Japanese uses police force( mainly Malays) to fight against MPAJA – causing racial friction

• When the Japanese surrendered, the MPAJA terrorized and took revenge.

• British established British Army Administration to control the fight.

• This experience had left lasting negative racial sentiment between the two communities.

cont..

History of Malaysia

The Fight for Independence

Malayan Union • Parliament of Britain announced the establishment of the

Malayan Union (Kesatuan Malaya) • Among its purposes were to:

(a) Establish a strong and efficient rule through the integration of all existing administrations;

(b) Coordinate a defence system which is effective and in order; and

(c) Increase production of rubber and tin ore for the economic benefit of the British empire.

Characteristics of the Malayan Unioni. Singapore was to be separated from the Malayan Union and

designated as a Crown Colony under a separate British Governor.

ii. All Malay states ( Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, Perak, Pahang , Negeri Sembilan, and Johor) , Malacca & Penang were to be unified under the administration of the British Governor.

iii. The government would be assisted by the Federal Legislative Council.

iv. The Governor was to be given full authority,

v. The dominance of the Malay Sultans was to be abolished, with the Sultan a mere figurehead who could only speak out on matters relating to Islam and Malay customs.

vi. Citizenship rights would be accorded to everyone regardless of race or descent. Those who lived in Malay Peninsula before the Malayan Union would be automatically granted citizenship under the jus soli principle.

Characteristics of the Malayan Union

Opposition towards the Malayan UnionThe Malayan Union encountered massive resistance. The Malays opposed the Malayan Union for the following reasons :

i. The abolishment of the citizenship of the Sultan’s dominance. In the eyes of the Malay community, the Sultans and Rajas were symbols of power and control.

ii. The granting of citizenship according to the jus soli principle. This was believes to reduce the majority voice of the Malays and would cause them to lose their economic and political status. This would also threaten Malay rights.

iii. The Malayan Union was formed without input from the Malays. The Malayan Union was planned in London without the knowledge and involvement of the Malay leaders.

iv. Harold MacMichael used force and intimidations to ensure that they accepted the formation of the Malayan Union. The Sultans were only given one day to read the conditions and accept them without discussion with their state leaders & people of Malaya.

Cont…

United Malays National Organization (UMNO)

1. UMNO was founded on 11th May 1946 by Dato ‘ Onn Jaafar.

2. He was the first UMNO president and he held the post until 1951.

3. The party was formed for the following reasons :i. To oppose the Malayan Unionii. To unite the Malays and defend the special rights of the

Malays. 4. UMNO party members used the slogan ‘ Hidup

Melayu’ ( Long Live the Malays )

Cont…

5. In 1951, as many as 39 divisions of UMNO wer formed with a total membership of 100,375 people.

6. Umno had two divisions; the UMNO Youth formed in 1949, UMNO women’s Wing formed in 1947.

7. UMNO emerged as the strongest party that represented the Malays – played dominant role in demanding for independence.

The Malayan Indian Congress ( MIC )

1. MIC was formed on 8th August 1946.

2. The first MIC president was John A. Thivy. Another notable figure from the party was Tun Jonathan.

3. In 1949, the MIC had 7000 members and in 1955, its membership reached 20,000.

Cont…

4. In April 1955, the MIC entered an alliance with UMNO and MCA.

5. MIC was formed mainly to :

i. Protect the political, economic and social interests of the

Indian community in Malaya.

ii. Fight for political rights for the whole of Malaya

iii. Represent the Indian community by conveying their

opinions to the government.

The Malayan Chinese Association ( MCA)

1. MCA was formed on 27th February 1949. Leong Yew Koh came with the idea of forming the party.

2. The first MCA president was Tan Cheng Lock.

3. The MCA membership stood at 100,000 members and rose to 188,000 in 1951.

4. In 1952, MCA and UMNO formed Alliance Party.

Cont…

5. The MCA had two main purposes :i. To protect the rights of the Chineseii. To maintain harmony amongst the various races in

the country

6. When it was first formed, MCA was first a welfare centre. Then, it officially became a political party.

The Alliance Party

• UMNO president, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra al-Haj and MCA president, Tan Cheng Lock formed the Alliance Party in 1955.

• Some time later, MIC decided to join the Alliance too.

• UMNO - MCA – MIC partnership which formed the Alliance, clearly showed the cooperation between the three main ethnic groups in the Malay Peninsula.

• People’s support for the Alliance Party was apparent in the 1955 Malayan General Elections. – won 51/52 seats.

Cont…

• This victory also shows the fresh negotiations for independence for the Federated States of Malaya.

• The landslide victory was a clear signal of national unity among the various ethnic groups and proof that they were ready to rule their own country.

Independence Negotiations• In January 1956, Tunku Abdul Rahman led an entourage to

London for independence.

• This entourage comprised of, four Sultans and four representatives of the Alliance Party.

• As a result of these negotiations, the London Agreement was signed on 8th February 1956.

• According to the agreement, the Federated States of Malaya would be given independence on 31st August 1957.

• • The Reid commission was formed not long after that

Cont…

• The malays agreed to loosen the conditions for citizenship and extend it to include non-Malays.

• While the non-Malays, acknowledged the status of the Malay Sultans, recognized Islam as the national religion, and also the special rights of the Malays.

• This show of tolerance between the races was crucial for the formation of our country.

Cont…

• The characteristics of the constitutions are as follows :

a) Yang di-Pertuan Agong would be the leader of the county and he would be selected from the nine Malay Sultans.

b) The head of government was to be the Prime Minister

c) The Federation would be a democratic parliament.

d) The conditions for citizenship were refined. a) Anyone born in Malay Peninsulab) Above 18 years of old born in Malaya and who had

lived for five years in the country.c) Those above 21 years old, born elsewhere, but had

lived in Malaya for at least 8 years and were proficient in Bahasa Melayu.

e) Bahasa Melayu as the national language.

f) Islam was to be recognized as the official religion, but freedom of religion would be allowed.

Independence of Malaya Party ( IMP )

• On 16th September 1951, the first UMNO president, Dato’ Onn Jaafar, left the party to form Independence of Malaya ( IMP ).

• Purpose – cooperation between races could form the basis for the creation of a single party.

• Membership of the party was open to all races.

• Objective – obtain independence in 10 years.

• Initially, the party gained many members, but eventually lost support.

Islamic political parties

• Hizbul Muslimin, was formed with the intention of forming an Islamic country.

• On 24th November 1951, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party ( PAS ) was formed.

• It aimed to make Islam the official religion of the country, Bahasa Melayu as the national language, and tighten the conditions for citizenship.

Independence

• Malaya was eventually granted independence on 31st August 1957.

• Tunku Abdul Rahman was appointed the first Prime Minister.

• Yamtuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Abdul Rahman, was appointed as the first Yang di- Pertuan Agong.