Parliament of the United Kingdom

“ Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong (which is not in this, but which I mention because it has some of the same problems as these other cities) can give us a great lead, and show an example to us in housing. When I hear of the difficulties of housing a few thousand immigrants in Paddington and in North Kensington, it seems very odd to me when one realises the way in which Hong Kong and Singapore manage to house their people. Take Hong Kong, with the hundreds of thousands of immigrants they have had in the last few years. ”

“ When, in May, 1961, Tunku Abdul Rahman, the Prime Minister of Malaya, publicly put forward a proposal for a Federation of Malayasia to include the Borneo territories, the initial reaction was one of shock tempered with suspicion and anxiety.
In these days when we are acceding to popular demands for granting our colonies independence, Her Majesty's Government must have found themselves in a dilemma with regard to the Borneo territories, because the normal democratic ways of ascertaining the views of the population were not available. ”

“ It was premature and it left out Sarawak, which, at that time, was an anachronism under the Brooke family next door to an anomaly under the chartered company with me as its Governor. In those days we dreamed of a greater Malaya, such as this Federation envisages, which would develop to the benefit of all its constituent parts and work in amity with its great neighbour, now the Republic of Indonesia. That would have been a largely Moslem bloc linking South-East Asia with the Pacific. Of course, we did not foresee at that time the problems which would overshadow that sort of dream. ”

“ I will not weary the House with the details, but I thought that I should just correct the noble Lord, and if he cares to have the exact position now I shall be only too pleased to give him a note of it afterwards. I think we may be on the brink of something which will help to bring peace and security and prosperity into a part of the world which is liable to be unstable. ”

“ I think it is dangerous that the Brunei situation should continue too long. Whereas one would be reluctant to see us twisting the arm of the Sultan too hard, it may be that there should be some extra pressure to indicate, as the noble Marquess put so gently, that it would be in his own interests or in the interests of his people—and I think it would be in his interests also—that they should join this Federation. ”

“ I served for 25 years in Malaysia, and I was married 958 in Kuala Lumpur when I was Under-Secretary to the Government there in 1927. So with an intimate, personal knowledge of all the Malay States as well as Penang, Malacca, Singapore, North Borneo, Brunei, Sarawak and Labuan, it is difficult for me to express adequately my appreciation of the statesmanship of Tunku Abdul Rahman and Lee Kuan Yew and their colleagues in bringing about this Federation.
The basic idea, of course, as has already been said, is not new. For many of us it is a dream come true. ”

“ I have always felt that the fact that the enemy was physically defeated on the ground had a great psychological effect on the people, which was manifested in their subsequent attitude towards us. The people gave their liberators a great welcome. They accepted the change to Crown Colony status, and, despite the pitiable conditions—the majority were without housing, clothing or personal possessions, and money and even foodstuffs were in short supply—they got down to the restoration of their country with determination and a splendid spirit. ”

“ Economically, as a recently published report by a Mission of the World Bank, headed by my friend M. Rueff, has said: "Unification will at the minimum create a larger economy which is more economically diverse than any of its component parts" I think the diversification of the economy of Malaysia is very important. M. Rueff goes on to say "Each territory is new heavily dependent on a few traditional sources of income and employment. With its wider resource base Malaysia's economy as a whole would enjoy greater stability than any of its components"." ”

“ I hope that our associations with Malaysia will be long-continuing and as close as they have always been in amity, friendship, and also 951 in co-operation. There is still a considerable need for aid and trade with this area, as with many others. North Borneo (or Sabah, as we now call it) and Sarawak will certainly need a tremendous amount of help from Her Majesty's Government in the years to come. They are, in many respects, of course, developing—to use the polite expression we use nowadays; they are underdeveloped. They are a very small population spread over this considerable area of Borneo ”

“ I have never in my travels been to any part of the world where multi-racialism was more a reality. In this, of course, there is great hope for a happy people, an industrious people, a friendly people, a people who deserve all the good that they have around them and all the prosperity which I believe Malaysia will give them. ”

“ In building up the bonds between the different races within this vast geographical area, an essential element is the building up of confidence in every part of the community, confidence that every part will be able to develop its life in freedom. The Christian community in Singapore, as in North Borneo and Sarawak, is among those groups which make a valuable contribution to the life of the community. It is therefore important that they should be able to give the Federation their full support and work wholeheartedly for its success. ”

“ Nobody who has studied this area and who knows this part of the world, with its geographical, racial and religious complications; nobody who appreciates the level of development and education in the various components of Malaysia, will underrate the difficulties which lie ahead. Federation, of course, involves give-and-take on all sides, and Malaysia will prove no exception to this rule. Vast problems of administration will need to be overcome with ingenuity, perseverance and good will. ”

“ The indigenous people are very concerned about the immigration of workers on a large scale, and fear that if it is allowed to continue they will be left as a minority among foreigners. It is a matter on which they want assurances and safeguards.
Economically, the country is potentially rich and the exports are running at about £30 million per annum, or some £60 per head of the population. The principal exports are timber, rubber, copra and hemp; and in recent years the Commonwealth Development Corporation have been playing a useful part in the development of export crops. ”

“ I have said before in this House that it is a great pity that the whole world does not consent to be ruled by the British. We have to accept that it does not, and to believe otherwise is a mistake that we made in certain parts of Africa. ”

“ The great difference is that the Central African Federation was one that was imposed upon the people there by the United Kingdom Parliament, whereas this Malaysian Federation stems from the will of the people who are involved. This is a great difference, and I suggest to Parliament that this should be the example. Before you can move forward you have to see that the peoples are behind you, and, above all else, that they themselves understand the implications of their own agreement. ”

“ In the days of the Chartered Company the immigration of Chinese was encouraged, and certainly these immigrants have played a big part in the economy of the country and have settled down as good citizens. There has been constant pressure on the Government to encourage immigration from other places, such as Timor. Owing to the shortage of skilled labour an agreement has been made with the Hong Kong Government to permit the recruitment of skilled men, who are allowed to settle in North Borneo with their families. ”

“ Even in a major Federal subject like education, it was agreed that the policy and system of administration should not be changed without the consent of the State Government. Medicine and health, although this would normally be a principal Federal subject, will in North Borneo (though not in Sarawak) be a concurrent subject until 1970, because this was the wish of the peoples representatives. In immigration—a subject that is normally entirely under Federal control—the States have been given protection against the unrestricted movement of people from other parts of the Federation ”

“ In the months which I spent up and down the rivers of Sarawak and from coast to coast in North Borneo I came to have a very deep affection for the peoples of those territories. Everybody who knows those people will wish them well in this exciting venture. ”

“ Reference has been made to Indonesia, and of course there is nothing in this idea of Malaysia which is in any way antagonistic to Indonesia. There is no reason whatsoever why Malaysia and Indonesia should not live in amity, side by side. There is no reason whatsoever why they should not find common interests, because, indeed, they have many. And it would be in the interests both of Indonesia and of Malaysia if the present rulers of Indonesia would realise that there is nothing in Malaysia of which they need be afraid. ”

“ We must remember that in Malaysia there is part of the Commonwealth Brigade Reserve, so that altogether there will be quite a satisfactory number of forces of the conventional type, though it is unfortunate that a new venture like this should have to spend an appreciable part of its income on defence when there are so many other items of development and social service on which I am sure they would rather spend the money. I think it would be highly dangerous to neglect altogether the necessity of having forces in this area of a kind adequate to secure its defence. ”

“ I believe that we are now on the brink of something great, and I know that all your Lordships in this House would like to join with me in giving our good wishes to all those who will go to make up a united people of Malaysia—a people who, if ever there were, are multi-racial. ”