SOUTH-EAST ASIAN HISTORICAL MONOGRAPHS The Malayan Union Controversy 1942-1948 The Malayan Union Controversy 1942-1948 Albert Lau SINGAPORE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS OXFORD NEW YORK 1991 Oxford University Press Oxford New York Toronto Delhi Bombay Calcutta Madras Karachi Petabngjaya Singapore Hong Kong Tokyo Nairobi Dar er Salaam Cape Town Melbourne Auckland and associated companies in Berlin Ibadan Oxford is a trade mark of Oxford University Press © Oxford University Press Pu. Ltd. 1991 Published in the United States by Oxford University Press, Inc., New York All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press ISBN o 19 588964 9 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Lou, Albert 1956- The Malayan union controversy 1942-1948.—(South-East Asian historical monographs), i. Malaysia, history I. Tide II. Series 959-5 ISBN 0-19-588964-9 Library of Congress Catalogingin-PubUcadon Data Lou, Albert, 1956- The Malayan Union controversy 1942-1948 / Albert Lou. p. cm.—(South-East Asian historical monographs) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-19-588964-9 : i. Malaya—Politics and government. 2. Malaya—Constitutional history. 5. Singapore—Politics and government. 4. Singapore- Constitutional history. I. Title. II. Series. DS597-L38 1990 320.95959 l—dC20 9O-4H70 CIP Printed in Singapore by Kyodo Printing Co. (S) Pu. Ltd. Published by Oxford University Press Pu. Ltd., Unit 221, Ubi Avenue 4, Singapore 1440 To Lee Mei and Zki Jim Preface and Acknowledgements T his is a study of the evolution of British constitutional policy towards Malaya and Singapore between 1942 and 1948. Driven by the new forces unleashed by World War II, British planners in the Colonial Office embarked on an ambitious experiment to impose, for the first time, a constitutional union on the Malay Peninsula, excluding Singapore, and to confer a common citizenship on her peoples. The old principles which had governed Anglo-Malay relations since 1874— the sovereignty of the Malay Rulers, the autonomy of the Malay States, and the notion that Malaya was primarily a Malay country— were finally abandoned. Constituted on 1 April 1946, the Malayan Union scheme provoked an immediate and impassioned constitutional controversy which threatened to undermine the very basis of British rule in Malaya. Barely three months later, the decision was taken to abort the Malayan Union scheme, and in February 1948 it was replaced by the Federation of Malaya. This study traces the origins of the Colonial Office's plans for ‘union' and Citizenship', examines the assumptions which guided the British planners involved, and how these were overturned by post-war developments, and discusses the interaction of historical forces which led eventually to the demise of the Malayan Union. It analyses, also, the separate political development of Singapore and the initial attempts to unite the island with the mainland, a process which succeeded (in retrospect) briefly in 1963, only to result in separation in 1965. The preparation of this book, which is a revised version of a thesis presented to the University of London in 1986 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, would not have been possible without the generous assistance which I have received from many institutions and individuals. I am particularly grateful to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission for the award of a Commonwealth Academic Staff scholarship which permitted me to undertake my research in London. I wish also to express my appreciation to the British Council for administering the award, the National University of Singapore for the sponsorship and study leave, and the Malaysian Government for permission to conduct research in Malaysia. vin PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to record my thanks to the staff of the following insti­ tutions for showing me much courtesy and for accommodating my many requests: Public Record Office (London), the Arkib Negara (Kuala Lumpur), the National Archives (Singapore), Royal Commonwealth Society Library (London), the School of Oriental and African Studies Library (London), the London School of Economics Library, the Rhodes House Library (Oxford), the National University of Singapore Library, and the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies Library (Singapore). For permission to use the photographs in this book, I am grateful to Tan Sri Dato Mubin Sheppard, the Trustees of the Imperial War Museum (London), the Director of the National Army Museum (London), The British Library, Muzium Negara (Kuala Lumpur), and the National Archives (Singapore). Part of Chapter 2 was published in R. B. Smith and A. J. Stockwell, eds., British Polity and the Transfer of Power in Asia: Documentary Perspectives, London, School of Oriental and African Studies, in 1988. Permission to use it here is gratefully acknowledged to the editors and to Mr M. J. Daly of the Publications Committee of the School of Oriental and African Studies. I am grateful also to Professor Ernest Chew, Chairman of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, for permission to use an article entitled ‘Malayan Union Citizenship: Constitutional Change and Controversy in Malaya, 1942-48' (Vol. 20, No. 2, September 1989). My colleagues in the Department of History, National University of Singapore, have helped in many ways. I am especially grateful to Professor Ernest Chew for his interest, support, and generous en­ couragement throughout the course of my research; to Professor Yeo Kim Wah who was helpful in clarifying some aspects of British policy in the 1920s; to Professor Edwin Lee who never failed to cheer me up with a card at Christmas, and to Professor Eunice Thio, formerly of the National University of Singapore, whose lively enthusiasm during lectures inspired my own interest in history as an undergraduate. I also owe a special debt of gratitude to the late Professor Wong Lin Ken, former Raffles Professor of History, National University of Singapore, for his advice and for facilitating my research. My supervisor, Professor R. B. Smith, has guided my research with much patience and diligence. His perceptive and valuable comments helped to ensure the coherence of the original thesis. I am also grateful to Professor Smith, Dr A. J. Stockwell, Mr J. M. Gullick, and other members of the Seminar on the Recent History of South- PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IX East Asia at the School of Oriental and African Studies for deepening my understanding and interest in the region when I was a research student. Professor Peter Dennis, of The University of New South Wales, has also sustained my efforts through his friendship, advice, and encouragement. Finally, my family has been unstinting in giving me much en­ couragement. My mother was unfailing in her support when I was in London, and I am especially grateful to my wife, Lee Mei, and daughter, Zhi Jun, for showing me much love and understanding. National University of Singapore Albert L au October 1990