Merdeka Exhibition

Malaysia’s history is said to have started from the Sultanate of Malacca which was around 1400 AD. At the time of its glory, the Sultanate Territories covered most of the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra. Malacca emerged as a glorious Government because of its strategic location which was the meeting point between East Asia and the Middle East. This situation allowed Malacca to emerge as a major trading center for the spice trade, especially in Southeast Asia. Islam was the main religion which emerged and became the main religion of the residents because the Ruler himself had professed the religion.

In 1511, Malacca fell into the hands of the Portuguese and that was the beginning of the colonial era in Malaya. After that, Malaya fell into the hands of the Dutch in 1641 and the British in 1824 through the Anglo-Dutch Treaty. British colonisation was the longest compared to others. The British had integrated all the Malayan administration, which was previously managed by the Malay Rulers with the help of state dignitaries. The British intervention had aroused dissatisfaction among the local population. Some individuals rise up against the colonial yet it was easily defeated by the British as their efforts were more towards individuality. Among the heroes who went against the colonialists were Dol Said, Tok Janggut, Datuk Bahaman, Rentap, Dato Maharajalela, Rosli Dobi and several others.

During the 1920s and 1930s, many residents of Malaya had started to receive education, either from the Middle East or local education. As a result, this educated group had appeared to fight in the name of nationalism. They used media such as newspapers and magazines to spread their ideology. There were also among them who had formed Associations such as the Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM) and Kesatuan Melayu Singapura (KMS) which were aimed at driving away the invaders and forming their own Government. When the people of this country were so eager to end the invasion, they were jolted by the Japanese landing at the end of 1941 which brought Malaya to another colonial era. Japan had occupied Malaya until 1945 before surrendering as a result of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Japanese resignation has given space to the Communist Party of Malaya (PKM) to control Malaya. PKM has launched an attack on Malaya through violence, they murdered three European rubber farm managers in Sungai Siput, Perak. Thus, in June 1948, Sir Edward Gent has declared an emergency over Malaya. PKM did not succeed in Malaya and the British returned powerfully. The British Military Administration or BMA was formed between the end of World War II and the establishment of the Malayan Union. On 1st April 1946, The British established the Malayan Union. However, this idea got a fight from the Malays for the abolition of royal institutions and the Malays privileges.

The emergence of Tunku Abdul Rahman gave a silver lining to the struggle of the Malayan nationalists when his action of forming the Alliance Party started to open the eyes of British to allow the Malayans to govern their own country. The unity between the three major ethnic groups namely Malays, Chinese and Indians led to the London Agreement that was signed on 8 February 1956 and gave signs that Malaya would achieve independence on 31 August 1957. Upon returning Tunku Abdul Rahman Al-haj from London, Tunku declared the independence of Malaya in Padang Bandar Hilir, Melaka on 20 February 1956. On 27 May 1961, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Alhaj suggested merging five colonies, namely the Malaya, Singapore, Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei, to form a new country.

On this day in 1957, the Federation of Malaya Independence Agreement was signed between the Malay Rulers and the representative of Her Majesty the Queen, the High Commissioner, Sir Donald MacGillivray at King’s House, Kuala Lumpur in a glorious ceremony.  At about 9.30 a.m., 15 primary signatories, namely the British High Commissioner to the Federation of Malaya, eight Malay Rulers, the Crown Prince of Johore and five appointed Heads from Negeri Sembilan (besides His Royal Highness) as well as witnesses to the signatories, had signed the agreement using a special pen inscribed Federation of Malaya Agreement 1957.  This agreement was signed in 40 copies, 20 in Malay and the remaining 20 in English.  Two copies of the agreement were sent to the British government while two more copies were kept by the Federation of Malaya government.  A copy each was sent to every state including Malacca and Penang, while Negeri Sembilan was handed six copies.  Article 3 of the Agreement stated that “beginning 31 August 1957, the Malay states and the Straits would form as one new Federation named the Federation of Malaya, or in Malay as Persekutuan Tanah Melayu”.  Hence, this agreement itself had abolished the Agreement of Federation of Malaya 1948 and, thus, ended the power and sovereignty of Her Majesty the Queen over Malacca and Penang.  And with that also, all the power and jurisdiction of Her Majesty over the Federation of Malaya ended.

On 27 May 1961, Abdul Rahman proposed the idea of forming “Malaysia”, which would consist of Brunei, Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore, all except Malaya still under British rule. It was stated that this would allow the central government to better control and combat communist activities, especially in Singapore. It was also feared that if Singapore became independent, it would become a base for Chinese chauvinists to threaten Malayan sovereignty.

The Cobbold Commission, named after its head, Lord Cobbold, conducted a study in the Borneo territories and approved a merger with North Borneo and Sarawak; however, it was found that a substantial number of Bruneians opposed merger. North Borneo drew up a list of points, referred to as the 20-point agreement, proposing terms for its inclusion in the new federation. Sarawak prepared a similar memorandum, known as the 18-point agreement. Some of the points in these agreements were incorporated into the eventual constitution, some were instead accepted orally. These memoranda are often cited by those who believe that Sarawak’s and North Borneo’s rights have been eroded over time. A referendum was conducted in Singapore to gauge opinion, and 70% supported merger with substantial autonomy given to the state government. The Sultanate of Brunei withdrew from the planned merger due to opposition from certain segments of its population as well as arguments over the payment of oil royalties and the status of the sultan in the planned merger.

After reviewing the Cobbold Commission’s findings, the British government appointed the Landsdowne Commission to draft a constitution for Malaysia. The eventual constitution was essentially the same as the 1957 constitution, albeit with some rewording; for instance, giving recognition to the special position of the natives of the Borneo States. North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore were also granted some autonomy that was unavailable to the states of Malaya.

After reviewing the Cobbold Commission’s findings, the British government appointed the Landsdowne Commission to draft a constitution for Malaysia. The eventual constitution was essentially the same as the 1957 constitution, albeit with some rewording; for instance, giving recognition to the special position of the natives of the Borneo States. North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore were also granted some autonomy unavailable to the states of Malaya. After negotiations in July 1963, it was agreed that Malaysia would come into being on 31 August 1963, consisting of Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore. The date was to coincide with the independence day of Malaya and the British giving self-rule to Sarawak and North Borneo. However, Indonesia and the Philippines strenuously objected to this development, with Indonesia claiming Malaysia represented a form of “neocolonialism” and the Philippines claiming North Borneo as its territory. The opposition from the Indonesian government led by Sukarno and attempts by the Sarawak United People’s Party delayed the formation of Malaysia. Due to these factors, an eight-member UN team was formed to re-ascertain whether North Borneo and Sarawak truly wanted to join Malaysia.

Malaysia formally came into being on 16 September 1963, consisting of Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore. In 1963 the total population of Malaysia was about 10 million.

On 9 August 1965, Singapore separated from Malaysia to become an independent and sovereign state. The separation was the result of deep political and economic differences between the ruling parties of Singapore and Malaysia, which created communal tensions that resulted in racial riots in July and September 1964. At a press conference announcing the separation, then Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew was overcome by emotions and broke down. Singapore’s union with Malaysia had lasted for less than 23 months.