| |
| c. The Malay Archipelago and Peninsular Malaysia |
| |
(See 1943, July)| |
| 1. Malaysia and Singapore |
| |
| The Malay States had come under British rule or control in the 19th and early 20th centuries (See 1914, May 12). Singapore, founded in 1819, was a British crown colony and one of Britain's most important naval bases. As elsewhere in the region, the development of a nationalist movement was greatly accelerated by World War II (See 1954–69). In order to gain independence, an alliance was formed between the leaders of two groups: the Western-educated Malay leadership, drawn from the traditional elite and its fringes, and the leaders of a small group of Western-educated Chinese, who were primarily wealthy, Malaya-born businesspeople. An agreement was made between these two factions that, until the late 1960s, seemed to serve both of their interests: in exchange for the initial acceptance of Malay domination of political and administrative authority after independence, there would be noninterference in Chinese domination of economic activities. | 1 |
| By the late 1960s, racial riots erupted, stemming from tensions created by the Malays' lack of access to economic power; the Chinese had in fact accrued political power over time and now dominated both spheres. | 2 |
| |
| 1955, July 27 |
| |
| The first national elections in Malaya resulted in victory for the Alliance Party. | 3 |
| |
| 1956, Feb. 8 |
| |
| A British-Malayan agreement was signed in London, transferring to Malaya control of internal security and defense. | 4 |
| |
| 1957, Aug. 3 |
| |
| In preparation for Malayan independence, a conference of rulers elected Sir Abdul Rahman, ruler of the Negri Sembilan state, to be the first supreme head of the federation for a five-year term. | 5 |
| |
| Aug. 15 |
| |
| The federal legislative council ratified the constitution of the federation of Malaya. | 6 |
| |
| Aug. 31 |
| |
| The British protectorate ended, and Malaya became an independent member of the Commonwealth. | 7 |
| |
| Oct. 7 |
| |
| Malaya became a member of the Colombo Plan (See Nov. 28). | 8 |
| |
| Oct. 12 |
| |
| A British-Malayan treaty of mutual assistance and external defense was signed. | 9 |
| |
| |
