The Struggle For

Independence
The people in this country fought
against the Portuguese in 1511,
followed by the Dutch and the
British

using arms resulting in much bloodshed

This reflects the readiness of the past
generations to sacrifice themselves for the
defence of their beloved country against
foreign powers
Malacca (1511-1524)
Sultan Mahmud tried repeatedly to win
back Malacca from the Portuguese but
failed until Sultan Mahmud died in 1528 in
Kampar

 The struggle was carried on by

Malays from Acheh and Johore
between 1522-1596
Naning (1831-1832)
Penghulu(Cheiftain) Dol Said and the
people of Naning did not agree to
Naning being subjected to the British
(as part of Malacca) and refused to
pay taxes
The British attacked Naning

Selangor (1874)
Raja Mahadi and other local officials
objected to the appointment of Tengku
Kudin by the British as the Selangor viceroy
Tengku Kudin received help from the British
and Kapitan Cina Yap Ah Loy
Perak (1875)
Sultan Abdullah, Dato Maharaja Lela, Tok
Sagar killed Resident JWW Birch in 1875

 Opposition because of restriction on the

sultan, sanction against the collection of
taxes by local officials, sudden changes in
administration, ignorance on the part of
the British in understanding Malay customs
and ceremonies and the arrogance of the
British
Negeri Sembilan (1875)
Quarrels between Tengku Antah and Dato
Kelana

 The British sided Dato Kelana and

evoked opposition from the people
against the British
The British entered Negeri Sembilan
Pahang (1891-1895)
Tok Gajah , Dato Bahaman, Mat Kilau
lauched a holy war against the
British as they lost their source of
income from taxes which was taken
over by the British officials

Sarawak (1853-1860)
Sharif Masahor objected to the
British occupying the area of Sungei
Rejang
Combined with Datuk Patinggi Abdul
Gapur to attack the British forts in
Kanowit and Kuching
Rentap (Libau) attacked the Brooke
Fort in Sungei Sekrang as he
opposed British action to end piracy

 Banting (1893-1920s) the Iban society in

the upper Batang Lupar River attacked
Brookes army as they opposed British
action to destroy the customs and
traditions of the local population
Sabah (1894-1900)
Mat Salleh successfully launched several
attacks on the British Chartered Company
In 1897 he succeeded in destroying the

companys port in Pulau Gaya

He opposed the large scale development
that brought difficulties to the local
inhabitants, the imposition of taxes on the
local people and the extension of British
power that limited the freedom of the
dignitaries
Antunam (1915)- opposition was better
known as the Rundum Revival which
opposed British action against the practice of

shifting cultivation, the construction of a

highway in Murut territory and the Muruts
being forced to be labourers in the
construction of roads
Kelantan (1915)
Haji Wan Hassan (Tok Janggut) rebelled
when the British appointed a District
Officer in Pasir Putih, and imposed taxes on
the local people and the arrogance of the
tax-collectors

 He captured the Pasir Putih Police Station

and the establishment of a temporary
government
Terengganu (1922-1928)
Haji Abdul Rahman Limbung obtained the
help of religious heads like Haji Zakaria,Mat
Zin, and Lebai Deraman to launch a holy war
which is known as the Peasants Rebellion
Main reasons for the opposition were action
on the part of the British to impose a pass

upon the farmers for cultivating the land;

the British rule was regarded as making
things difficult for Muslims, going against
the teaching of the religion and
threatening the traditional government;
and the imposition of all sorts of taxes
Malaya (1941-1945)
The Chinese formed MPAJA, the Malays
formed the Voluntary Army, and the Malay

Regiment to fight against the Japanese for

oppressing the people during their rule
The activities of the struggle took the form of
guerilla warfare and were located in the jungle
So it can be concluded that many factors
contributed to the local inhabitants
opposition against colonialists
Colonization caused the local population, their
leaders and rulers to lose control in their own

country
The foreigners exploited the natural
resources and controlled the system of
taxation, thus taking away a source of
income from the local officials
The colonialists were accused of not
respecting the local customary practices
which included slavery, the tradition of
hunting for human heads in Sarawak,
shifting cultivation,

the imposition of a pass for tilling the soil

The Struggle For Nationalism
By the 20th century, many changes had
resulted from the peoples fight for
independence
Organizations and the mass media were
used in the struggle
External influence as well as education
received were primary factors that created a

conscious need among the people to fight

for independence using the mind and
words rather than arms and force
The emergence of Malay intellectuals
encouraged a struggle using diplomacy
that was supported by a heightened spirit
of nationalism
Emerged an awareness that independence
can be achieved through negotiations and
stirring

the peoples spirit of nationalism

This spirit grew stronger when the Japanese
proclaimed their slogan Asia for Asians
A few members of the Young Malays Union
(Kesatuan Melayu Muda-KMM) who were
young radicals and imprisoned by the
British were released
KMM was revived under the leadership of
Ibrahim Yaacob and continued even after
the

Japanese occupation
The influence and spirit of nationalism
Outside influence Japan defeated the
Russian in 1905; Turkeys Young Turkish
Movement led by Mustapha Kamal; the
revival of Islam in Egypt and Indonesian
nationalist struggle against Holland
Mass media Al-Iman, Saudara, Majlis,
Warta Malaya, Utusan Melayu, Warta
Sarawak with

leaders like Syed Shiekh al-Hadi, Abdul

Rahim Kajai, Ishak Haji Muhamad
Organizations Singapore Malays Union,
Selangor Malays Union, Perak Malays
Union, Peninsular Malays Union, a Malays
Union in every state, Persaudaraan
Sahabat Pena Melayu, Kesatuan Melayu
Muda fighting for the betterment of the
Malays in education, economy,
administration and social

MALAYAN UNION
The British returned to Malaya in September
1945 and restored peace and established
the British Military Administration (BMA)
The British then proposed a new system of
administration known as the Malayan Union
on 10 October 1945 in the British Parliament
The MU was a union of the Malay states
(Federated and Unfederated) including
Penang Island and Malacca

 The main objective of the MU was to ensure

that the economic interests of the British in
Malaya were protected
It was needed to standardize administration
under one ruling system to cut down the
administrative cost
It was stated to grant independence to
Malaya
It was said that MU was deliberately set up
because of hatred against the Malays for

supporting the Japanese and they felt

grateful to the MPAJA (in particular the
Chinese) who opposed the Japanese
Features of the Malayan Union
1. Made up of 9 Malay states, Penang Island
and Malacca
2. The British Governor was the chief
administrator, with its centre in K.L.
assisted by an Executive Council a
Legislative Council

3. The Malay rulers only advised the

Governor, while their sovereignty as
rulers of their own states was wiped off;
and their authority was only in issues
pertaining to Islam and as head of the
Malay Council of Advisors
4. The State Council was retained for
purposes of managing the local
government, but was still subjected to
control by the central government

5. The MU did not involve Singapore as it still

remained as British colonial territory under
the rule of a British Governor General, who
was above the Governor of the MU
6. Citizenship was based on the principle of
jus soli. Through this principle, Malayan
citizenship was obtained if (a) the
foreigner was 18 and above, and had
resided in Malaya 10 out of a period of 15
years before 15 Feb

1942; and (b) a person who was born in

Malaya after the forming of the MU
7. Equal rights for all citizens regardless of
race or origin. This includes the entry into
government service and the right to vote in
the general election
. Harold MacMichael was vested with the
responsibility of getting the agreement of
all the Malay rulers
. In Jan 1946, the Constitution of the MU was

passed and on 1 April 1946 the MU

was officially proclaimed, with
Edward Gent as the first Governor
The citizens in the country, the
Malays particularly, were against the
Union
Opposition Against the MU
The strongest opposition came from
the Malays, both individually and
collectively

 They voiced it through the mass media

such as Majlis and Utusan Melayu
On 15 December 1945, a demonstration by
10,000 people was held when MacMichael
arrived in Kelantan to obtain the Sultans
signature
In Alor Setar, Kedah 50,000 people
demonstrated in January 1946, while on 10
February 1946, 15,000 people
demonstrated

in Johore
In Selangor, the Congress of Malay Unions
consisted of 107 representations and 56
observers from 41 Malay Unions led by Dato
Onn Jaafar was held from 1-4 March 1946
On 11 May 1946, a second congress was
held in Johore Bahru and as a result saw the
birth of the United Malay National
Organization (UMNO) with Dato Onn Jaafar
as the

president
UMNO was a combination of the Malay
unions including radicals and was a pillar
of support to the Malay movement in
opposing the MU and subsequently the
fight for independence
Its leaders travelled all over the country to
stir up Malay sentiments and used the
slogan Long Live the Malays to the
Malays together

to defend their positions and rights

The Malay rulers were not present at
the inauguration ceremony of the Mu
and the appointment of the Governor
The Malays went into mourning for 7
days (from 1st April 1946) by tying a
white band to their headgear (songkok)
The Malays sitting in the Federal and
State Councils also avoided the councils

Reasons the Malays Opposed

the MU
1. The granting of citizenship to the nonMalays could adversely affect the
economic and political situation of the
Malays, sine at that time , the total number
of non-Malay inhabitants exceeded that of
the Malays (in 1947, the Malay population
was only 47.46% of the total population)
2. Erosion of Malay rulers power and
sovereignty the rulers loss of power
meant

the loss of Malay power as the ruler is

the supreme head and has the power to
protect them
3. MacMichaels threats in getting the
rulers to sign the agreement the Malays
were angry as the rulers were threatened
and forced to sign the agreements to form
the MU, e.g. the Sultan of Kedah was
threatened with loss of power and throne,
if he refused to sign and

the Malays took offense at the short time

given for discussing the plan to form the MU
Opposition also came from former British
officers in Malaya such as Frank
Swettenham, R.O. Winstedt, George Maxwell
and Cecil Clementi Smith to protect the
interests and special rights of the Malays
Non-Malays were not interested in the MU,
accusing it of being colonial and
undemocratic

 They loss interest because the British

decision to postpone the enforcement
of the citizenship right
They had no capable leaders and were
not very aware of the politics of Malaya
as they spirit of nationalism was still in
the direction of their country of origin
They voiced their dissatisfaction
because MU did not include Singapore

 One political party consisting mainly

Chinese people, the Malayan Democratic
Union, was totally uninterested in the MU
as they wanted to claim for self rule for
Malaya
The Failure of the MU
1. Strong opposition from the Malays stirred
up a strong sense of nationalism
2. No strong support from the non-Malays
because it excluded Singapore

3. Wrong timing communal feelings and

hostility still existed between the Malays
and the Chinese as a result of the
Japanese occupation and Malaya was still
not peaceful as social and economic
problems were obvious . The Malays felt
disadvantaged as MU favoured the nonMalays and the Malay loyalty to their ruler
and state was still strong
4. Wrong introduction MU was drawn up in

London without taking into account the situation

and wishes of the people of Malaya and strong
objection to the use of political blackmail to get
the agreement signed
5. Opposition from former British administrators
in Malaya they urged the British to protect the
interests and special rights of the Malays
As a result, the MU was dissolved in July 1946
A consultation took place between Edward Gent

and the Malay rulers and Dato Onn

Jaafar to draw up a new constitution
Federation of Malaya
(Persekutuan Tanah Melayu PTM)
The replacement for the MU was
known as the Federation of Malaya
was formed on 1 February 1948 but
received opposition from certain
groups

The New Constitution Proposal

After the dissolution of the MU, the British
government appointed a working
committee to draw up a new constitution
to replace the MU on 25 July 1946 which
consisted of 6 British officers, 4
representatives of the Malay rulers and 2
UMNO representatives
The committee proposed that the new
constitution to different and included the
following matters:

1. Protection for the sovereignty and

powers of the Malay rulers
2. More stringent conditions for
citizenship for the non-Malays
3. Special rights for the Malays
. It is evident that the British reinstated
the rights of the Malays because of
pressure from the Malays and former
British administrators

 However, the constitution did not have to

be accepted by the other groups, especially
the non-Malays and the Malay community
itself
Opposition From AMCJA
Non Malays in particular the Malayan
Democratic Union(MDU) criticized and
objected to the Working Committee as it did
not include any non-Malay
On 22 December 1946, the non-Malay

communities established the All-Malaya

Council of Joint Action (AMCJA), to oppose
the proposed new constitution which
included the Malayan Indian Congress
(MIC), Malayan Peoples Anti-Japanese ExServices Comrades Association and the
Pan-Malayan Federation of Trade Unions
Tan Cheng Lock led the AMCJA and fought
on the following three principles:

1. Unification of the whole of Malaya

(including Singapore)
2. Self rule through a Central
Legislation body with members
chosen by the people
3. Same citizenship rights for all who
consider Malaya their homeland
deserving of their allegiance
. These principle conflicted with what
was

presented by UMNO and the Malay

rulers
AMCJA rejected the constitution
proposal presented by UMNO and the
Malay rulers
The differences could have become
the basis for disunity and conflict,
but were contained and it did not
turn into a racial conflict
Opposition from PUTERA

 Malays from other parties like Angkatan

Pemuda Insaf (API) under the leadership of
Ahmad Boestamam, Parti Kebangsaan
Melayu Malaya (PKMM) under the leadership
of Dr Burhanuddin Al-Helmi and the
Angkatan Wanita Sedar (AWAS) under the
leadership of Shamsiah Fakeh joined
together to form Pusat Tenaga Rakyat
(PUTERA)
PUTERA was a radical Malay party, was much

influenced by the Malayan Communist

Party and had the support of PKMM nursed
the ambition of making Malaya a republic,
and criticized UMNO leadership as being a
group of feudalists and not the masses
PUTERA fought on four principles:
1. The Malay language be made the
countrys official language
2. External affairs and defense be made the

joint responsibility of the Malayan

Government and the British
3. The word Malay be used as the
name for Malayan citizenship
4. The national flag to have Malay
national colours
These principles differed from those of
the AMCJA but both eventually came to
an agreement

AMCJA-PUTERA Front
On March 1947, AMCJA amalgamated with
PUTERA under the leadership of Dr
Burhanuddin Al-Helmi to oppose the
establishment of the Federation of Malaya
A number of attempts were made and one
of them was forming the Peoples
Constitution in April 1947, but was
rejected by the British as they said it was
radical
On 20 October 1947, AMCJA-PUTERA

launched hartal a close shop strike

throughout Malaya but was checked by the
British
As most of the UMNO leaders were English
educated the groups opposition actually
brought UMNO closer to the British,
especially when the latter took UMNO to be
pro-British
The AMCJA-PUTERA coalition showed that
communities of different backgrounds could

join together for the same cause

Formation of the Federation of
Malaya
The British fixed 1 February 1948 for
establishing the Federation of
Malaya, whose constitution showed
UMNOs claims had benn recognized
Federation of Malaya, with a British
High Commissioner as head,
comprised nine Malay

states together with Malacca snd

Penang Island
Singapore was excluded but still
remained a British colony
The Legislative Council and Federal
Executive Council assisted the British
High Commissioner in the administration
while the Malay rulers were returned
their rights over their own states

 The state government had the right and

responsibility over matters relating to local
government administration, land matters,
health, education and agriculture
The administration of the states of Malacca
and Penang Island came under a Resident
Commissioner
In the Federation of Malaya, conditions for
citizenship became more strict and the
special

rights of the Malays were recognized

They had the biggest representation in the
Federal and state governments
The Move towards Independence
Federation of Malaya was established to run
the country
Due to a plural society of different racial
communities, as well as communist problem
and other problems tied to racial unity, the

British was convinced that racial unity was

necessary before the country could be
given independence
Problem of Unity
This was largely due to the diversity of
origin, culture, language and religion
Every community wanted their mother
tongue to be made the national language
and felt worried when the Malays wanted
Islam to be

 made the official religion

The non-Malays who were born in Malaya,
demanded they be granted citizenship
but the Malays challenged the claim
The result of the British divide and rule
policy also isolated them according to
place of residence and occupation with no
opportunity for interaction thus created a
gap which undermined unity

 The British tried to overcome the problems

through educational system the Barnes
Report suggested the same medium of
instruction be used in schools, English at the
secondary level and Malay at the primary
The Chinese objected to the policy through
Fenn-Wu Report and clamoured for the
Chinese schools to be continued, and the
Malays wanted Malay to be the medium at
all

levels
In 1949, the British Government set up an
Inter-Ethnic Relations Committee for the
purpose of open discussions of racial
problems and put forward suggestions like
providing facilities to the Malays to involve
themselves in business and industry, and
political rights to the non-Malays
Various measures were taken which
included

greater flexibility in giving citizenship to

the non-Malays and encouraging the
Malays to be involved in the economy, and
introducing the system of general elections
This committee played an important role
because it provided the basis for problem
solving through the process of consultation
and discussions to compromise for the
nations peace and prosperity

Member System
In April 1951, the British Government
introduced the Member System in the
Federal Legislative Council to provide
local people the opportunity to be
involved in the administrative system
The purpose was to appoint local
representatives to the post of head of
department in the central government
Some amongst them were appointed

ministers responsible to the High

Commissioner
This system brought many benefits
Local leaders received training in
administrative matters which prepared
them with the skills to administer when
they were granted independence later
It also created the spirit of cooperation
among the races through joint
administration, and

this made them realize that unity

could be achieved through cooperation
and compromise
The Growth of Political Parties
and the Struggle for Independence
The motive and objective of the parties
fight for independence differed from
party to party, some combined for the
purpose of achieving the same cause

 Every party has its own objective and

ideology and it was clear that the majority of
them were based on ethnicity (championing
the cause of their own community) and those
who were not based on ethnicity didi not
receive sustained support, e.g. IMP under the
leadership of Dato Onn Jaafar
Dato Onn set up IMP as a multiracial party
could increase British confidence about racial

cooperation which became a concern of

the British and an important condition for
granting independence to Malaya
UMNO, MCA and MIC combined to form
the Alliance which succeeded in bringing
unity and getting the strength and support
of the three biggest communities in the
country and fought for independence on
the basis of compromise and negotiation
among the

communities
The Malay radical parties under PUTERA
wanted to obtain independence through
combining Malaya with Indonesia to create
Melayu Raya (the Great Malay Empire)
The MCP wanted to achieve independence
through revolution like those in Russia and
China
Parties founded on Islam, wanted

independent country to later

become a fully Islamic country
Political Parties in Malaya up to
Independence
Alliance (UMNO,MCA and MIC)
UMNO United Malay National
Organization (1946) founded by
Dato Onn Jaafar which opposed the
MU and united the Malays to fight for
independence

MCA Malayan Chinese Association (1949)

founded by Tan Cheng Lock which protected
the Chinese interests and cooperated with
the other communities to achieve
independence
MIC Malayan Indian Congress (1947) founded
by John Thivy which took care of the interests
of the Indians and fought for independence
with the other communities
MCP(PKM) Malayan Communist Party (1930)

which was the oldest political party and

radical and socialist in nature wanted to
achieve independence through revolution to
establish the Communist Republic of Malaya
AWAS Angkatan Wanita Sedar (1946)
founded by Shamsiah Fakeh whose struggle
for independence was influenced by the
nationalist struggle in Indonesia
API Angkatan Pemuda Insaf (1946) founded
by

Ahmad Boestamam whose main struggle

was independence with Indonesia and form
Melayu Raya (the Great Malay Empire)
PKMM National Malay Party of Malaya
founded by Dr Burhanuddin Al-Helmi
PETA Ikatan Pemuda Tanah Air (1947)
PAS Islamic Party of Malaya (1951) founded
by Ahmad Fuad Hassan which fight to set
up an Islamic government with Islam as the
official

religion and Malay as the official language

HISBUL MUSLIMIN Hisbul Muslimin (1948)
founded by Haji Abu Bakar which aimed to
establish an Islamic government in Malaya
IMP Independent Malayan Party (1951)
founded by Dato Onn Jaafar after leaving
UMNO which was a non-communal party
fighting for independence for 10 years
PARTI NEGARA National Party (1954)
founded

by Dato Onn Jaafar after IMP was

dissolved in 1953 for lack of support fought
for independence for 5 years
City Council Elections
The British used elections as a test of unity
in the country with the promise that
independence would only be granted if the
citizens were united
The elections led to the fostering of unity
and

prepared the people for self rule

The first election held in the country
was the Georgetown City Council
election in December 1951
In terms of communal relationship, the
most important was the Kuala Lumpur
City Council Election in February 1952
where UMNO teamed up with MCA and
won 9 out of the 12 seats contested

 Subsequently they merged to form the

Alliance
MCA was initially not a political party but a
welfare organization that fought for the
rights and interests of the Chinese
It was UMNOs invitation to form the
Alliance which signified the open-hearted
disposition of the Malays, especially UMNO
who were ready to sacrifice and willing to
share power

with the other communities and

compromise for unity
The result was wide support for Alliance
City Council elections were also held in
Johore Bahru, Seremban, Ipoh and Malacca
Demands to the British
By 1953, two main groups, the first
pioneered by Dato Onn and the other by
the Alliance made various demands,
including the demand

for elections and independence

In April 1953, Dato Onn Jaafar organized a
national conference of political parties to
discuss steps towards independence which
included a request for a general election in
1956, and for representatives of the people
to be included as new members of the
Federal Legislative Council
The Alliance held a national convention with

the resolution to demand for the general

elections to be held in 1954, and the
peoples representatives chosen through the
general election to have three-fifth of the
voice in the Federal Legislative Council
The British was more favourable to the
demand of the Alliance which had the
support of the people
But the followers of Dato Onn were against

Alliances demand because their position

was still not guaranteed
The Malay Rulers also made a decision
and proposed that the general election be
held in 1955, and the peoples
representatives form half the members of
the Federal Legislative Council
Alliance opposed the Council of Rulers
propositions and sent a representative to

London in 1954 to put forward their

objection, but the British turned it down
In retaliation, thousands of UMNO and MCA
members resigned from their posts in the
government
This and other reasons led the British to
agree to have the elections in 1955
The radical Malay parties and the MCP were
banned under Emergency laws in July 1948

 In the early fifties, many radical party

leaders that the British considered as
communist or socialist were imprisoned and
some fled to other countries like Indonesia
and China, while others continued the fight
as guerillas in the jungles of the country
Although the names of these leaders who
joined in to obtain independence, may not
appear in the annuals of the country as
champions, the fact is,

they also played a significant role in

driving the colonialists out of the country
Dr Burhanuddin Al-Helmy, Ishak Haji
Muhammad, Ahmad Boestamam, Ibrahim
Yaacob and many others were behind bars
for a long time, trying to claim
independence from the foreign masters
They were forced into hardship and
sacrificed money and energy for the cause
of

independence as they were radical and

acted as opponents to the British
Sacrifice like this gives more meaning to a
struggle because there is conviction, and
not just following others
Their opposition became a check and
balance to groups who cooperated with
the British, and exerted pressure that
benefited the future independent country

 By making the Malay radical parties

illegal, UMNO was the only important
party for the Malays
UMNO tried to unite the Malays and
opened the door to former members
of the Malay radical parties and their
entry caused the slogan of UMNO to
change from Long Live the Malays
to Merdeka in 1951

The General Elections

The first general election was held on 27
July 1955 throughout Malaya
The parties that contested were Alliance,
Islamic Party of Malaya (PAS), National
Party (Parti Negara), Labour Party (Parti
Buruh) and Peoples Progressive Party
(Parti Progresif Rakyat).
There were 84.2 % Malay, 11.2 %
Chinese and 4.6 % Indian voters

 The Alliance Party won 51 out of 52 seats

and attracted almost 80 % of all the voters
This showed that the combination of the
three largest communities had the
confidence of the people
This was so also because UMNO headed by
Tunku Abdul Rahman had asked the Malays
to be open-minded ad the non-Malays to
understand the sacrifices of the Malays and

the leader of the non-Malays, T.H. Tan

acknowledged the sacrifice of the Malays
Following the general election, the System
of Members was changed to the System of
Ministers and Tunku was appointed the
first Chief Minister of Malaya
With their landslide victory, the Alliance
was given the mandate to start
negotiation for independence

Negotiation for Independence

Tunku led a team to London in
February 1956 to negotiate for
Malayas independence which
consisted of 4 representatives of the
Malay rulers: Datuk Panglima
Gantang, Dato Ahmad Kamil, Abdul
Aziz Majid and Dato Mohd Seth;
representatives of Alliance: Tunku,
Dr. Ismail Abdul Rahman, Dato Abdul
Razak Hussein and Colonel H.S. Lee

the Secretary of British Colonial Territories

chaired the negotiations which lasted three
weeks, from 18 January to 8 February 1956,
the day the London Agreement was signed
The British promised to grant independence
on condition that a commission be formed to
outline and draw up Malayas new
constitution
Tunku announced the date for independence

on 31 August 1957 in Pandang Bandar Hilir

Malacca
Constitution of the Federation of
Malaya
Lord Reid headed the Reid Commission, set
up in 1956, to draw up a constitution
The members comprised Lord Reid (Britain,
Sir Ivor Jennings (Britain), Sir William Mckell
(Australia), B. Malik (India) and Jugde Abdul
Hamid (Pakistan)

 They met many times from June to October

1956 and received suggestions and views
from various organizations and individuals
The most important memorandum, out of
131 written ones that were taken into
account during the drawing up of the
constitution framework, came from the
Malay rulers and the Alliance
The process went through many drafts
before

an agreement was reached and the

communities exercised compromise in
matters relating to their interests, e.g. the
conditions for citizenship for the nonMalays wwas made more flexible, while
the non-Bumiputra indigenous tribes were
given the basic special bumiputra status
The Constitution, accepted and approved
by the Federal Legislative Council on 15
August

1957, came into effect on 27 August 1957

which was based on the concept of
constitutional monarchy and democracy
having the following fundamental principles:
1. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is the head of
Malaya while the rulers are head of their
respective states
2. The Malays are recognized as the sons of
the soil and their special rights are
guaranteed

3. The Malay language is to become the

national language; English however, can
still be used in the Legislative Council for a
period of 10 years after independence
4. A person born in Malaya on or after
independence is automatically a Malayan
citizen
5. Islam is made the official religion of the
Federation of Malaya, but the freedom of
worship is guaranteed for the non-Muslims

Proclamation of Independence
The symbolization of Malayan
independence took place the minute the
clock ticked the first second on the 31st
August 1957 at the Selangor Club green
(now known as Dataran Merdeka or
Independence Square)
The Union Jack (the British flag) was
brought down and for the first time the
flag of independent Malaya, now known as
Jalur Gemilang was flown

 At dawn on 31st August 1957, the ceremony for

the declaration of independence took place in
the newly built stadium later known as
Independence or Merdeka Stadium
On the same day the Federations first Cabinet
of Ministers was announced together with the
appointment of Tunku Abdul Rahman as the
first Prime Minister and the Yang di-Pertuan
Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Abdul
Rahman, was chosen as the first Yang diPertuan Agong