Malaysia

“ As your Lordships, I think, are aware, the Governments of Malaya and Singapore have agreed in principle to the creation of a common market which would extend to the whole of Malaysia, and this idea has been accepted by North Borneo and Sarawak. ”

“ In a series of meetings in London this week British and Malayan Ministers examined the proposal to create a 'Federation of Malaysia' which would embrace the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, North Borneo, Sarawak and Brunei. ”

“ I,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, having been elected (or appointed) as a member (or Speaker) (or having become an ex officio member) of the Council Negri of the State of Sarawak, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully discharge my duties as such to the best of my ability, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the State of Sarawak and to the Federation of Malaysia and that I will preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the State of Sarawak. ”

“ The one island of Java contains about three-fourths of the entire population of Malaysia, which is probably about forty millions. The vast majority of the population are Mohammedans, but the hill-tribes of the Peninsula and of the larger islands are still heathen, the Dyaks of Borneo and the Battas of Sumatra being the most numerous of the non-Mohammedan races. There are also many hundreds of thousands of Chinese immigrants in Malaysia, of whom only one here and there have become Mohammedan. ”

“ About one-third of the population in each territory strongly favours early realisation of Malaysia without too much concern about terms and conditions. Another third, many of them favourable to the Malaysia project, ask, with varying degrees of emphasis, for conditions and safeguards varying in nature and extent: the warmth of support among this category would be markedly influenced by at firm expression or opinion by Governments that the detailed arrangements eventually agreed upon are in the best interests of the territories. ”

“ WHEREAS Malaysia was established on the 16th day of September, 1963, by a federation of the existing states of the Federation of Malaya and the States of Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore into one independent and sovereign nation ”

“ If their misgivings and reservations are met, many of those (both Chinese and native) who are now hostile or doubtful might well come round to support. Malaysia.
⁠33. We have found near-unanimous agreement on some points among those who favour Malaysia; on other points, among all the native populations whether or not strong supporters of Malaysia, and on other points again, among all races except in those groups who were not prepared to discuss Malaysia at all. ”

“ The survival of an Indonesian group on the western verge of Malaysia is all the more remarkable since the Nias islanders, a little farther north, are of Mongol stock, like most if not all of the inhabitants of the Sumatran mainland. ”

“ 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. ”

“ We are confident that, if the response is satisfactory, the ultra-nationalists would realise that Malaysia is not contrary to their convictions and the chauvinists would reconcile themselves to the new structure. ”

“ As a rule, however, Malaysia, in consequence of its perpetual summer under an equatorial sun, its rich alluvial soil—often of that peculiar richness associated with volcanic materials—and its plentiful rainfall, is clothed with a primeval forest which for luxuriance can scarcely be matched in West Africa or Brazil. ”

“ Only through Malaysia, with a happy multi-racial country like Malaya supplying proof that communalism can be solved, can the racial problems of the Borneo territories also be solved. The extension of special privileges to the native peoples will give them a chance of catching up with their more advanced Chinese brothers. The Chinese too, if they have a real loyalty to the countries of their adoption, will find that their greatest chance of security is in Malaysia. ”

“ Both natives and non-natives who support Malaysia have stressed to us that Malaysia must come about as quickly as possible since feelings were already running high between groups opposing and those supporting Malaysia. ”

“ Malay or Indian Kingdom. This kingdom comprises India, the Malay Archipelago, and the Andaman Islands. Now, anterior to the Aryan conquest, Yellows and Blacks lived in India. The latter are still found in a pure state in the peninsula of Malacca, and in the Andaman Islands; Malaysia presents a perfect mixture of most different races, from the White to the Negro. The Malays, properly so-called, are much rather a population levelled by the action of Islamism, than a race in the true sense of the word; they present in a high degree the characters of intercrossing. ”

“ The views expressed to us by these peoples were that they did not want independence and that they relied on the British to continue to provide the help and guidance which they felt they still badly needed. They did not understand the Malaysia Plan and could not avoid the impression that the British, who had ruled them so well, were preparing to desert them. They wanted the British to stay until they were able to look after themselves. ”

“ Finally, I underline what has been said in earlier Chapters about the gratifying way in which the peoples of the territories came forward to make their views about Malaysia known to the Commission. Apart from a few groups in Sarawak which took a somewhat aggressive attitude and were, as could be clearly recognised, under Communist influence, groups of all races and of every shade of opinion expressed their support, their opposition, or their doubts in a reasoned, thoughtful and constructive way. ”

“ A little farther on, surrounded by a brilliant suite of Malay princes, was the Sultan of Johore, whose father sold the island of Singapore to the British.
The first of the sports was a series of foot-races between Malay and Kling boys, almost invariably won by the Malays, who are the North American Indians of Malaysia—the old-time kings of the soil. They are never, like the Chinese, mere beasts of burden, or great merchants, nor do they descend to petty trade, like the Indians or Bengalese. If they must work they become horsemen. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Thus those who support Malaysia agree that Federation should come quickly and should have a strong Central Government to deal in particular with external relations, defence, internal security and economic development. All native populations agree that they should be given analogous treatment to that of the Malays in Malaya, that land, forestry and agriculture should be controlled by the State Government, and that customary rights and practices should be safeguarded. ”

“ The dominant native race of Malaysia, the chief stock of the Oceanic Mongolic family. They are of a distinctly Mongolic physical type, of low stature and yellowish colour, with high cheek-bones, black lank hair and broad skulls. They may be divided into three [Pg 336] races: the Orang-Benua, or men of the soil, the indigenous Malay tribes at a low stage of culture; the Orang-Laut, or men of the sea, who live by fishing and piracy; and the Orang-Malayu, or civilised Malays proper. They inhabit the southern provinces of Sumatra, the native states of the Malay Peninsula (Kelantan, etc.) ”

“ We have no doubt that any lingering misgivings which they may have could be removed if the colonial administration could unequivocally commend the Malaysia proposals to them.
⁠180. We are therefore left with the body of resistance to Malaysia which though small in number is extremely vociferous and active in character. This opposition springs either from an ideological identification with the Communist cause, or an emotional identification with Chinese chauvinism, or from an ardent belief in independence on their own on the basis of an ultra nationalism in the narrowest sense. ”

“ To Borneo itself Malaysia offers the best prospect to enhance the rate of development and or brining her standards or social service to higher levels. It is the conviction that Malaysia will mean increased development that has been one of the powerful stimuli in moving public opinion in favour of achieving independence through Malaysia. ”

“ The Malay spoken at Batavia, and at all the Dutch ports and posts in the islands to the east, differs very much from the high or pure Malay spoken in the Menangkabau country, in the interior of Sumatra, north of Padang, whence the Malays originally came: after passing from island to island, they have spread over all Malaysia, that is, the great archipelago between Asia, Australia, and New Guinea. Perhaps of all languages in the world, the low or common Malay is the one most readily acquired. ”

“ In these islands, which were previously cared for by our true neighbors of Malaysia at a time when the Spaniards had not as yet set foot upon the land, there existed a complete abundance and a state of welfare. Our friends the neighboring kingdoms, and especially Japan, brought commerce to our shores which formed the most abundant market, and there was found everything necessary, wherefore it was the richest country and its customs were all very good3. ”

“ Anything done before Malaysia Day in or in connection with or with a view to any proceedings in the High Court of the Federation, or of Sarawak, North Borneo and Brunei, or of Singapore shall on and after that day be of the like effect as if those High Courts were respectively one and the same court with the High Court in Malaya, the High Court in Borneo and the High Court in Singapore. ”

“ There exists, too, though not to the same extent, the sense of frustration among younger Chinese to which we have called attention in the Chapter on Sarawak. Educated in Chinese schools, ambitious and often with emotional inclinations to China, they foresee few outlets for their abilities and fear that Malaysia would prejudice such prospects as they now have. ”

“ And whereas by an Agreement made on the 7th day of August in the year one thousand nine hundred and sixty-five between the Government of Malaysia of the one part and the Government of Singapore of the other part it was agreed that Singapore should cease to be a state of Malaysia and should thereupon become an independent and sovereign state and nation separate from and independent of Malaysia ”

“ The object of getting through this Bill, which I hope we shall do with his co-operation today, is to make it possible for Malaysia to federate and come into being as a new nation of the Commonwealth on 31st August. ”