The early history of Malaysia

Malacca Kingdom

After 1 A.D, there existed in the Malay Archipelago a number of kingdom states such as

Kedah, Langkasuka, Srivijaya, Majapahit and Malacca. These kingdoms were important on their

time. But, this paper will focus on the Malacca Sulatanate only. Let’s begin with the founder,

According to history, Malacca was founded by Parameswara in 1403 A.D. He was

fugitive prince from Palembang in Sumatera and had arrived in Malacca via Temasik, Singapore

in current time. During his time in Palembang, he was a ruler. However, they were attacked by

Majapahit. Then, Parameswara had escaped from his palace and eventually reached Temasik.

After ruled Temasik for about 4 years, again, they were attacked by Majapahit . In this time,

Parameswara again run away to north of Muar before founding Malacca. According to legend,

after he arrived at Malaca, he was impressed by a fleeing mouse deer that had turned to kick at

his hunting dogs, he decided to build a settlement on the spot where he was leaning against a

Malacca tree.In the years that followed, Malacca grew into a great empire in the Malay

Archipelago. The empire of Malacca was well-known mainly as a centre for maritime trade and

the spread of Islam, with a vast territory and strong trade relations with the powerful countries

such as China and India.

In 1414, Parameswara embraced Islam, changed his name to Megat Iskandar Shah, and

married a Muslim Princess from Pasai, Sumatera. The more attracted muslim traders to the port,

bringing it instant international fame and maintaining a good relations with Ming emperor in

China, as mentioned early, Malacca has a strong relation with China. He sent mission after

mission to Peking in 1415, 1416 and 1418. Upon his death in 1424, Megat Iskandar Shah was

succeeded by his son Sri Maharaja, whose first mission was to visit emperor of China, Yung Lo

to inform of his father’s death and also to pay respect as the new ruler of Malacca.

During Malacca golden age, it’s became the most important port in the east between the

Mediterranean sea and China. According to famous historian, Zainal Abidin Abdul Wahid, “The

Malacca Empire merits further study because it’s most it most important and useful”. His

opinion is based on the view of famous Dutch figures. Tome Pires, a Dutch author of the 16 th

century stated that, “Malacca is very famous and prosperous. While Duarte Barbosa, another

Dutch writer wrote, “Malacca is the richest port, with merchants who trade wholesale and obtain

shipping services from all over the world. In other words, Malacca was a great empire.

Moreover, more than 80 languages were spoken there. But, Malay was widely used and became

lingua franca. It’s also, language of administration, commerce, daily interaction, missionary

activities and learning. Also, on that time, there were more than 4000 traders housed in special

quarters. There was the Indian quarter, the Chinese quarter, Javanese quarter and others. They

were treated well and warehouses were made available to store their goods. The Syahbandar or

the port authority took care of their needs, while the Malacca comprising 40 to 100 ships,

guaranteed by the safety of the merchants and their goods. At one point in time, there were 4

Syahbandars to cater the needs of merchants of different races. One for Gujarat’s, one for

Bengalis, Tamils and other Indians; one for local merchants; and one for the Chinese and

Indochinese.

The entire trading activities of Malacca ware controlled by the Sultan and his courtiers.

They bought and sold gold, provided capital to their agents, bought and built ships, administered

the port and levied taxes. Sultan Muzaffar Shah was directly involved in ship building activities,

while another aristocrat, Bendahara Tun Mutahir became one of the richest man in Malacca via

his prominent role in the market. The straits of Malacca provided excellent shelter from the

prevailing storms raging in the open ocean. In these days, prior to silting problems, the port

could handle ocean-going vessels from all over the world.

The city and the port was governed by laws, which is Hukum Kanun Melaka and Hukum

Kanun Laut Melaka. At sea, the ships were considered nations complete with its own

administration. The captain was as the Sultan, the navigator as Bendahara or Chief Minister, the

discipline officer as Temenggong or police chief and the crew as people. The cre must perform

their duties well; otherwise they would be fined by the captain.

For Hukum Kanun Melaka or known as Risalah Hukum Kanun in Arabic, they were

formulated in the mid -15th century for Sultan Muzaffar Shah. However, they were only said to

be put in writing in the early 18the century in the Riau Island by Sultan Sulaiman Shah. The

Malacca laws were a combination of the Islamic syariah and traditional malay custome. They

accorded special status and privileges to the ruling class, whereby only the ruler could wear

yellow clothes and carry specially made daggers with gold infused into the blade and handle.

Rebels faced capital punishment, the petty criminals from among the people harshly punished.

The government structure of the Malacca Sultanate was like a pyramid with the sultan at

the top as the all powerful head of state. Under him, there was a council of ministers, namely

Bendahara, who controlled the military, defense and royal customs and traditions. The

Temenggong as Chief of Police, controlled internal affairs relating to peace and order. The third

key post was held by the Penghulu Bendahari who was the Sultan’s Treasurer cum secretary. The

Laksamana was the Admiral who controlled the armada.

The prosperity of Malacca was supported by factors such as strong trade ties with foreign

countries and their efficiency administrative system. Strong ties with China had a positive effect

on the political and economic development of Malacca. From the political side, Malacca

received protection from China against threats of subjugation from Siam. Malacca continued to

build diplomatic ties with foreign powers such as Java, India and Siam to strengthen its position.

The prosperity and supremacy of the Malay Kingdom of Malacca was also supported by an

efficient administration that succeeded in creating a peaceful and controlled situation. There was

a minister for managing marine trade and commercial affairs and a strong military system to

ensure order in the administration. Meanwhile, the reasonable taxation system, attracted many

foreign merchants, while the usage of a currency system for trading purposes facilitated

transactions and the development of trade.

Like others civilization and kingdom, it will reached its peak then decline. It happened in

this Malacca kingdom. The golden age of Malacca ended in 1511 after the Portuguese attack.

History showed that Malacca reached its supremacy under the rule of Sultan Mansur Shah (1459-

1477) but declined thereafter. There were several factors, internal and external, that contributed

to the decline of the Malacca Empire.

From internal factors aspects, after the death of the chief minister Tun Perak, the Malay

Kingdom of Malacca lack of efficient leader. Tun Perak was responsible for enlarging their

power base. His successor, chief minister Tun Mutahir was a weak leader. As a result, there were

often struggles for power. Besides that, Sultan Mahmud was also a weak ruler because he paid

little attention to the administration. Defamation and bribing were rife and the high taxes forces

merchants to divert their attention to others ports. On that time, Malacca was under weak

position caused people to split and disunited. Weak administration by Chief Minister Tun

Mutahir caused the Malays to become hostile towards Indian-Muslims. This was evident when

Sultan Mahmud commanded Chief minister Tun Mutahir and Tun Ali to be put to death at the

betrayal of Kitul and Raja Mandaliar, an Indian native. The sultan appointed Chief minister Tun

Perak’s son, Chief minister Tepok to succeed Chief minister Tun Mutahir and Tun Ali. However,

chief minister Tepok was too old. This caused unrest as the ministers formed dissenting groups.

Continued misunderstanding and disputes caused segregation among the people.

On the other hand, external factors that contributed to the fall of the Malacca Empire

include the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa by Bartholomew Diaz in 1488.

This made it easier to sail from the west to the east. As a result, it was easier for the Portuguese

to invade Malacca. Furthermore, internal conflict and high taxes caused many of the merchants

to move to other ports. This combination of factors weakened the position of the Malay Kingdom

of Malacca. By understanding the factors that contributed to the rise and fall of the Malay

Kingdom of Malacca, we can see that country was itself responsible. A country can become

weak and fall prey to her enemies because of unrest due to weak leaders, bribery and corruption,

betrayal among ministers and disunity among the people.

The lesson to be learnt from the fall of Malacca is that success has to be properly

managed. We can get carried away if we are too comfortable or confident, resulting in the

occurrence of undesirable consequences. Besides, cheating and struggles for power arising from

greed, wealth and dominance can turn to naught if complacency sets in. Indeed success in itself

is a test.

Colonial Era

Malaysia was once a colonized land. Although it is classified as one of the

commonwealth countries that is, as a former British colony, it was subjugated by other powers

for approximately 446 years from 1511 until 1957. The Portuguese, Dutch, British, Japanese and

even Siamese had colonized the country before, but only the British and the Japanese succeeded

in colonizing almost the whole country and left an impact on the people. The factors for

colonizing Malaysia are closely related to the vast natural resources and other sources of wealth.

Furthermore, the Malay Archipelago was also a place for them to extend their political influence

and Christian faith. However, this paper will discuss on the Portuguese, Dutch and British

colonial period in Malaysia only.

The Portuguese led by Alfonso de Albuquerque, took over Malacca in 1511. The main reason for

this colonization attempt was to control the maritime trade in the East and to spread Christianity.

The failure to expand their power base was believed to be due to the inconsistency between their

trading practices and religion. This could be true because Albuquerque believed in using force to

make the groups of merchants leave Malacca. The merchants also viewed the Portuguese as an

enemy to other Islamic countries in the Malay Archipelago. Although, they did conquer Malacca,

their ultimate objective wasn’t completely achieved because the Malays often attacked them,

limiting the Portuguese‘s influence to only the vicinity of the Fort. This was evident from the

traces left behind such as Eurasian community, who are Catholics and who follow Portuguese

customs. Other influences include the Romanized writing, language, Malay dance and

terminology such as almari, palsu, jendela, tuala in Malay. The Portuguese colonization

succeeded in bringing about the downfall of the Malay Kingdom of Malacca and led to the start

of another kingdom, the Johore-Riau Malay Kingdom. With the assistance from Johore, the

Dutch was defeated the Portuguese and took over Malacca in 1641. The centre of Dutch activity

was not Malacca, but Batavia, Jakarta in current time in the Island of Jawa. The Dutch were only

interested in the tin in Malay Peninsula, the Dutch left after an agreement with British in 1824.

As a result, Malacca was passed on to British. As mention previously, both Portuguese and

Dutch did not have much impact on the country.

In any elucidation on British domination in the country, especially in the 19 th century, the

general tendency is to focus on the opening of Singapore, the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824, the

establishment and transfer of power of the Straits Settlements, the growth of the tin mining

industry, the increase in the Chinese population, the intervention in the Malay States in 1874, the

progress in British administration, the formation of the federated Malay States in 1896 and the

opening of rubber estates.

British colonization summarized chronologically,

Date Events

1768

1819

1824

1826

1841

1874

1874

1978

1888

1896

1909

1914

1945

1946

1948

1957

Penang Island was founded by Francis Light

Singapore was founded by Stamford Raffles.

The Dutch handed over Malacca to the British as a result of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty.

Penang Island, Malacca and Singapore were combined into one administrative unit

known as the straits settlements.

James Brooke took over Sarawak

British intervention in Perak, through the Pangkor agreement.

British intervention in Sungei Ujong.

The Sultan of Brunei handed over Sabah to the British.

British intervention in Pahang.

Perak, Selangor, Pahang and Negeri Sembilan were united into one administrative

unit known as the Federated Malay States.

Under the Bangkok Agreement, Siam handed over Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan and

Terengganu to the British ( these are the Unfederated Malay States )

Johor accepted a British advisor.

The British Military Administration ( BMA ) was established.

The Malayan Union was established in Peninsula Malaya

The Federation of Malaya was established to replace the Malayan Union

Malaya achieved independence.

The English merchants set up the British East India Company in 1600 with the intention

of improving trade in the region, especially with China. However, for years, China was not

interested in trading with the English, so the English looked for other trading zones in the Malay

Archipelago. On 11 August 1786, after an agreement between Francis Light and Sultan Abdullah

to protect Kedah Siamese threat, Penang Island came under the occupation of the British. On 6 th

February 1819, Stamford Raffles occupied Singapore, as it was seen as a suitable now base for

the British in the Islands of Malay Archipelago. This was achieved through the manipulation by

British of the local issue of misunderstanding between the Chief Military Officer Abdul Rahman

(Singapore Administrator) and Sultan Abdul Rahman in Riau. With the occupation of Penang

Island, Singapore and subsequently Malacca, the spread of British colonization in Malaya began.

Pangkor Treaty 1874

In the 17th century Pangkor Island was an important base for Dutch, who were keen to

monopolize the Perak tin trade .Early in the 19th century Pangkor Island, along with the coastal

strip known as the Dindings, was ceded to the British as a base for the suppression of pirates.

Later in the century the island had its name stamped indelibly on history with signing of the

Pangkor Treaty (1874). From the treaty, British recognized Abdullah as sultan of Perak in

exchange for his acceptance of a resident on these terms. The Pangkor Treaty in 1874, which was

signed by the Malay sultans, gave full authority for the British to control the country, require that

the sultans receive and provide a suitable residence for British officer to be called resident, who

are accredited to his court and whose advice must be asked and acted upon on all question other

than those touching Malays religion and ‘adat’ (custom). It simply means that religion is clearly

separated from secular matter such as politics, administration, law, economics, education and so

forth. Islamic and Malay customs are under the jurisdiction of the sultans, the rest came under

the British.

By signing of the Pangkor Treaty on January 20, 1874 the former commander of Menteri

Ngah Ibrahim’s forces installed Captain Speedy as Assistant Resident. Three commissioner,

including Frank Swettenham, a young civil servant qualified in Malay, and William Pickering,

who was fluent in Chinese, were dispatched to Larut to supervise the dismantling of the Chinese

stockades, and resolve the disputes over mines and watercourse which had fueled the conflicts.

In early November, pending official posting as Adviser, Singapore’s colonial secretary, J. W. W

Birch took up residence on the Lower Perak River. J. W. W was assassinated at Pasir Salak in

November 1875. Colonial troops were called in to fight what proved to be short-lived war.

Sultan Abdullah was exiled and new British sanctioned sultan was installed, the next British

Resident Sir Hugh Low, was a very different character. He had already gained administrative

experience in Borneo, was fluent in Malay and was noted botanist.

British intervention in Malay states, Sabah and Sarawak.

State Events

Sarawak (1842) James Brooke occupied Sarawak after fulfilling his promise to Raja

Muda Hashim to quell the rebels. James Brooke was coroneted King of Sarawak in 1842. The Sultan of Brunei agreed to sign the Agreement of 1842 to

confirm James Brooke as the governor of Sarawak for fear of British threat.

Perak (1874) The British intervened with the excuse of protecting the interests of

British merchants. Chaos broke out with the Larut War that involved the Chinese secret

societies, Hai San and Ghee Hin, and the civil war (the struggle between Raja Abdullah and Raja Ismail).

Chieftains such as Ngah Ibrahim ( Larut Minister) and Raja Abdullah requested for British intervention.

Anxiety on the part of the British those other European powers will intervene in the Malay states.

The Pangkor treaty was signed on 20th January 1874. J.WW. Birch was appointed the first Resident.

Selangor (1874) Civil war involving Raja Mahdi and Raja Abdullah. Tengku Kudin and Yap Ah Loy supported Raja Abdullah; the prince

of the Selangor Sultan and Sayid Masyor supported Raja Mahdi. British intention to interfere was not successful because the Malay

chieftains did not want the British to interfere. In 1873, a British cargo boat was attacked by pirates; the British took

this as an excuse to intervene. In August 1874, Frank Swettenham was appointed official advisor to

the Sultan and J.G.Davidson as the Resident.

Sungai Ujong

(1874) Struggle for power in Sungai Linggi between Dato’ Kelana Sayid

Abdul Rahman and Dato’ Bandar Klup Tunggal. Dato’ Kelana sought help from the English and was subsequently

acknowledged as chief of Sungai Ujong. However, the appointment of Dato Kelana and British presence were opposed by Dato’ Bandar Kulup Tunggal.

The British army, led by W.A.Pickering, successfully defeated Dato’ Bandar Kulup Tunggal.

Sungai Ujong accepted British Advisor, W.I Tatham.

Pahang ( 1880’s) Civil war broke out due to the struggle between Wan Mutahir and

Wan Ahmad for the post of Chief Minister. The British were worried over Sultan Ahmad’s suggestion to give

trade concessions to western power. In February 1888, a British citizen (of Chinese descent) was

murdered in Pekan( near the Sultan’s palace). The British took that as an excuse to intervene. Sultan Ahmad accepted the British resident J.P. Rodger.

Sabah (1946) Part of Sabah was under the Brunei Sultanate since the 16th century. Was leased to Charles Lee Moses in 1865 and subsequently sold to

Baron Von Overbeck. The Sulu Sultanate agreed to give up their land in Sabah to Overbeck

and Dent in 1878. The North Borneo Chartered Company was established to administer

Sabah. On 15th July 1946, Sabah was declared a British colony.

The idea of unifying the countries in the region with Malaya had been sounded a few

times by certain quarters, especially since the 1950's. However, it was only after Tunku Abdul

Rahman proposed the Malaysian concept that the idea was followed up with further actions

until Malaysia was inaugurated as a new nation in September 1963. This took place only after

various problems had been overcome. Some of the problems were suspicion and doubts among

the people in the future member states. The form of the new nation, the status of the member

countries and the Constitution were important issues to be highlighted out. Many factors had a

hand in the formation of Malaysia. A political factor, important to all the future member states,

was the issue of peace and stability in the region due to indifference in races and the threat of

communism. The countries felt that they would be more successful in containing the growing

communist threat if controlled cooperatively within Malaysia. Economic and social factors,

including cooperation in the development of natural resources and the nurturing of the better

understanding of the new identity were other factors that attracted the people of the prospective

member countries. Two forms of problems were experienced at different stages. The first was the

need to convince the people in the prospective member countries, such

as Sarawak, Sabah, Brunei and Singapore. The second was the opposition from within and

outside, whipped up by political organizations and foreign countries, namely

Indonesia and Philippines. Visit after visit was made to inform the people besides discussions

with the leaders of the countries concerned. After much consultation and action, various

committees were set up. Malaysia finally came into being. Initially four countries, Brunei,

Sarawak, Sabah and Singapore were interested to become members.

At halfway, Brunei backed out because the differences in the consideration of status and

authority were too great. Not long after that, Singapore withdrew because the Singapore-

Malaysia conflict was becoming more critical and dangerous. The conflict arose from

the PAP attempt to take over the role of the MCA. Lee Kuan Yew considered the latter too weak

in the Alliance while the central government was accused of being unfair. It began as political

opposition but the atmosphere deteriorated into racial polarization and finally culminated into the

Singapore-Kuala Lumpur conflict. Despite the attempts made to solve the dispute, the situation

grew critical until Singapore finally bailed out from Malaysia.

The concept of Malaysia revolves around the combining of the four territories, which

were, Malaya, Singapore, North Borneo and Sarawak, and this dates all the way back to the

27th of May 1961. The main role players Tunku Abdul Rahman proposed the concept of forming

better ties between all parties concerned to foreign correspondents outside The Adelphi Hotel, in

Singapore. This concept received a lot of support, especially from the locals and also the people

in the English Borneo regions of the land. What’s more important to note is that, every other

proposal continues to stand, and this created a firm foundation that can continue to exist for a

long period of time. The idea of Malaysia represents the successful balance of many needs. It

presented an opportunity to permanently bind the ethnic and racial harmonies growing within

the diverse communities of the land. Strengthening and enhancing the wants of the people. The

status of the native people carried a greater weight age. It was a strategy that would come into

play to ease the concerns regarding the worldwide balance of power. Hence, it was no surprise

that the Idea of Malaysia had general international approval.

The idea of merging was warmly endorsed by the Malaysian Solidarity Consultative

Committee formed to collect and collate views and opinions regarding the formation of the

Federation of Malaysia. A series of 4 meetings had taken place to solve the constitutional,

political and economic aspects of the newly formed nation. With everyone providing their ideas,

many issues were solved, especially the ones regarding the special rights of the Bumiputera and

securing the legitimate interests of all the other communities. On the 3rd of February 1962, a

realistic framework for the formation of Malaysia was ironed out with the signing of a 44-point

Memorandum agreed by everyone.

The final step remained to achieve full international recognition, and this involved

forming a joint Anglo-Malayan Commission headed by Lord Cobbold. Generally known as

the Cobbold Commission. Crucial talks then commenced in London, held by Tunku Abdul

Rahman, and British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. This soon led to the conclusion of

the Anglo-Malayan Agreement on Malaysia with specific criteria to be fulfilled. When Tunku

Abdul Rahman, the Father of Malaysia, returned from London, he was proud to announce that

Malaysia was now an independent and sovereign state. He declared a new nation where there

will be no distinction between race, religion, class or creed.

However, tension soon followed the formation of Malaysia, when Malaysia was first

formed, Indonesia and the Philippines were against the idea of the new establishment due to their

own ulterior motives. The Philippines claimed ownership over the state of Sabah, stating that

Sabah came under the Sulu Sultanate and so belonged to the Philippines. As such, the

Philippines did not acknowledge Malaysia as an independent country or the official declaration

that took place on the 16th of September in 1963. The president of the Philippines, Macapagal

severed diplomatic ties with Malaysia due to this very issue. It was only around the month of

June in 1966, that the Philippines gave recognition to Malaysia and acknowledged it as an

independent country.

               

Indonesia, on the other hand, was hoping to combine with Malayan soil to form

"Indonesia Raya" and at the same time, establish an independent North Borneo Federation which

included Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei. The Indonesians at that point of time were heavily

influenced by the Communist party in Indonesia and subsequently declared a Confrontation

policy on Malaysia from January 1963 which lasted until August 1966 to voice their objection of

the formations of Malaysia. During this period, Indonesia put a halt to all diplomatic relations

with Malaysia and even launched an attack. The first stops the Indonesians made were at

Pontian, Labis, Muar and Kota Tinggi. Indonesian spies were sent to overthrow the Malaysian

government and at the same time, create racial confusion between the Malays and Chinese. The

confrontation came to an eventual end when Sukarno was replaced by Suharto as the president of

Indonesia. Consequently, a peace treaty was signed between both countries in Jun 1966.

                Singapore then decided to withdraw from Malaysia on 9th August 1965 to form her

own Republic due to some disagreements, particularly about special rights of the natives. Hence,

Malaysia today comprises Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. 

                Malaysia has now been enjoying close to 55 years of independence and is known to the

world as a sovereign country. Malaysia is now able to achieve economic, political and social

stability and move rapidly towards being a leading and developed country. Although Malaysia is

a plural society that consists of various races, they are able to live, co-operate and co-exist in

harmony to build a strong and developed country. The understanding between the diverse

communities, which creates unity within the country, which remains a crucial role in play,

molding Malaysia to be a politically stable country.

Factors for formation of Malaysia.

Independence through Unification

Among the five potential member countries, only Malaysia was free from any outside power

after its Independence on 31th August 1957. The other four countries, Brunei, Sabah, Sarawak

and Singapore were still under British rule. The entry into Malaysia would enable them to

become independent of the British government. The case of “freedom through unification” was a

primary factor for the future member countries.

 

Understanding for Development

Another reason felt by all the future member countries was the question of fostering regional

understanding and creating one united nation for the progress of the country and the people. The

existing potential in any country would be more easily developed under one strong central

administration. Kuala Lumpur, after five years of independence could use its experience as a multi-racial

country to help develop the countries within Malaysia.

 

Ethnic Balance and Unity

This factor was not emphasized by Singapore but was important to the authorities in Kuala

Lumpur. Tunku really wanted a Malaysia federation, a large union encompassing Brunei, Sabah,

Sarawak and Singapore and not just a union of Singapore with Malaysia, to ensure the

preservation of ethnic balance. Maintaining a balance between Bumiputeras (inhabitants of

Malay descent and native tribal groups) and non-Bumiputeras would ensure peace and stability

in the region. Britain too, viewed this as an important consideration. Most of the leaders in the

prospective member states also accepted the challenge of unifying the diversified cultural

heritage which could be melted into one entity under a strong central government.

 

Collective Fight against Communism

The communist threat was a source of worry to many including the British. The prospective

members of Malaysia were always exposed to this danger. Malaya was constantly exposed to the

communist threat even though the Emergency that lasted twelve years because of the communist

terrorists was over. Brunei was also facing the spread of communism while Singapore was

worried that they might face the same problem. The British were concerned over the problem for

the sake of British investment in South East Asia. The task of fighting communism would

definitely be greater for a country to do it alone.

 

Economic cooperation

Kuala Lumpur valued highly regional cooperation in economic matters. This could be

administered from a centre following a pact among the member states. In this context each

country has certain resources that could be developed to the benefit of both the country and the

central government. In short, the economic potential in a state could be further developed:

Singapore                 : International trade, industry and tourism

Brunei                       : Oil products

Sabah and Sarawak : Forestry products

Malaya                      : Minerals and agricultural products

 

United in International Relations

Kuala Lumpur wanted to reinforce the pact among the regional countries so that they would not

only be stronger internally but also in the international area as well. Ties between a country and

other foreign nations were still not well-regulated. Thus, if the countries within the plan were to

unite under one government and political system, their position as one new nation would be

stronger in the international arena. Tunku mentioned this in his speech at the Press conference on

27 May 1961. He stressed on the plan for political and economic cooperation among the

countries in Malaysia. The formation of Malaysia itself marked the beginning of close

cooperation among equal partners with the achievement of independence by member countries as

a common goal.

The history of the formation of Malaysia is not too long. It did not go through the

laborious stages as in the struggle for Independence. But the events that occurred during the short

span of two or three years before the formation and several years after Malaysia was born are

interesting. Various issues such as the interest of future member countries, internal problems,

cooperation and conflict, opposition against Malaysia were lessons that one could learn from.

Indeed the struggle to form Malaysia was an endeavor fraught with challenges.

            The episodes endured were not just merely happenings or events but obstacles or

challenges that hastened the process of stabilizing the new country. Right from the beginning all

parties tried to leave behind the customary political system, social origin and learn to help the

growth and development of a new structure and operation. Various problems that arose called for

immediate prudent action. Today, four decades later, no citizen of Malaysia having understood

the backdrop to its formation feels doubtful, instead they are convinced that the struggle of their

leaders and the sacrifices of the people have not been in vain. The primary objectives for setting

up Malaysia have been achieved. Regional peace and stability, the prime minister for all the

parties, is jointly guarded. With peace development could be carried out. Today Malaysian

society is not only peaceful, prosperous and progressively but also united.

As a conclusion, Malaysia is a beautiful country which consists of bubbling, bustling,

melting pot of races and religions where Malays, Chinese and many other ethnic groups live

together in peace and harmony. Before the formation of Malaysia, Malaysia faced many

difficulties politics and religions issues. One of it is the invasion of Japanese army began just

after midnight on 8 December 1941 (local time) before the attack on Pearl Harbor. During that

particular period, residents in Malaya were suffered from tortured and abused by the Japanese

army. In 1945, the Japanese army surrendered to the Americans and left Malaya. After some

period of time in September 1963, Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak merged and formed

Malaysia. But 2 years later Singapore broke away from Malaysia in 9th August 1965. At the same

time, Lord Cobbold was introduced. In 13 May 1963, a race riot tragedy occurred which led to a

declaration of a state of 'national emergency' or Darurat and henceforth, resulted in the

suspension of Parliament by the Malaysian government, while the National Operations

Council (NOC or Majlis Gerakan Negara, MAGERAN) was established to temporarily govern

the country between 1969 and 1971 and 196 people were killed. Malaysia that we are having

right now has gone through many difficulties and issues, and it is united with three main races

living peacefully on the same land, thus we as a Malaysian have the responsibilities to be

patriotic and keep it’s good reputation for our next generation.

Civic and Citizenship Education

EDC 1352

The early history of Malaysia : Malacca Kingdom, Colonization period and the formation of Malaysia

Prepared for

Dr Mohammad Johdi Salleh

Prepared by

Masrijah Masir 1110902

Sem 1 2013/2014