A BRIEF HISTORY OF MALAYSIA

The history of Malaysia is said to have its beginnings in the era of the Sultanate of Melaka around 1400 CE. At the height of its power the sultanate’s territory covered a major portion of the Peninsula and the East Coast of Sumatera. Strategically located in the middle of the maritime trade route between East Asia and West Asia the sultanate emerged as both a prosperous and powerful government. This allowed Melaka to flourish as the centre for the spice trade in South-East Asia. Since the Sultan himself embraced the religion of Islam it spread far and wide and became the main faith adhered by the people of Melaka.

In the year 1511, Melaka fell in the hands of Portuguese invaders. This was the starting point of the era of colonisation by foreign powers in Malaya. This was followed by the Dutch invasion in 1641 and finally the British came and gained foothold in Malaya in 1824 through the English-Dutch treaty. The British colonisation was the longest of all and it exerted its might into all sectors of government that were once controlled by the Malay rulers with the assistance of the royal court of each state.

British intervention in state affairs was not received well by the people of Malaya. Feelings of resentment grew and eventually some individuals took up arms and rebelled against the status quo, albeit unsuccessfully due to the individualistic nature of the struggle. Among the noted freedom fighters were Dol Said, Tok Janggut, Datuk Bahaman, Rentap, Datuk Maharajalela, Rosli Dobi and others.

The 1920s and 1930s saw a positive trend in education. Many of the people of Malaya studied in the Middle East while others at local institutions. This development led to a new group of cultivated young minds that emerged to take over their predecessors’ struggle. Yet it was not with the sword of steel like the warriors of old. Instead they used the sword of the intellect, the might of the pen. They utilised written media such as newspapers and magazines to espouse their political ideologies. Some of them were also involved in the formation of nationalistic based organisations such as the Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM) or Young Malay Association, and Kesatuan Melayu Singapura (KMS) or Singaporean Malay Association with the goal of usurping the colonial power and forming their own national government. 

In the midst of their national fervour to end foreign colonisation the people were surprised by the landing of Japanese troops nearing the end of 1941, which marked a new era of invasion in Malaya. However, the Japanese forces only remained in power until 1945 following the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As the Japanese power in Malaya was dismantled a new terrifying force came to the scene and wrecked havoc in the land. The Communist Party of Malaya killed and destroyed without discretion in its bid to completely take over Malaya and form a communist-led regime. The British forces that had returned after the Japanese retreat declared a state of emergency between 1948 and 1960. The terrorism of the communists to take control of Malaya failed and the British government assumed control again.

Back in power the British attempted to introduce a new system called the Malayan Union. This was received with unanimous nation-wide public protests. On May 11, 1946, the formation of UMNO fuelled the resistance even further and the idea of self-rule and self-determination were disseminated and ingrained into the hearts and minds of the people. With Tunku Abdul Rahman at the forefront a new sense of hope was given to the struggles of the people of Malaya for independence. The realisation that the people of Malaya were capable of self-rule dawned upon the eyes of the British colonial power as the Tunku spearheaded the formation of the Coalition Party of Malaya. The unity between the three major races in Malaya namely, the Malays, the Chinese and the Indians bore fruit as the Treaty of London was signed on February 8, 1956 which then eventually led to the declaration of the independence of Malaya on August 31, 1957.

Even as the independent country entered into a new and novel stage in its history new problems began to crop up. Efforts to form a new Malaysia comprising Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore received strong resistance from the National Party of Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines. Nevertheless, the wish to form a country called Malaysia was accomplished on September 16, 1963.

Excerpt from Malaysia Official Year Book 2009