Singapore exclusion from Malayan Union in 1946?

• Fanatical_Knight

  14 Jan 04, 19:14

  Hey guys Singapore was excluded from the Malayan Union scheme because of :
  
  1. Singapore's economy is secondary entrepot based, while Malaya is mainly agricultural, so British did not want to combine 2 countries together under 1 union... Question: Whats the big deal about economical difference?
  
  2. Singapore has more chinese people than Malaya, if the union included Singapore, the Chinese would outnumber the Malays 2.3 million to 2.2 million. Thus the Malays would not be happy because the government power could be dominated by foreigners, thus there was a threat of interracial genocide. Also the Sultans would not sign the agreements if SIngapore were involved.
  
  3. Singapore was looked upon by the British as a military base and a adminstrative base, if Singapore was included in the union, and the capital of the union was in Singapore, the Malays would not be happy if they were ruled by a foreign power across the straits. Question: What is the big deal about the military base??? I dont see why the fact that Singapore is amilitary base can stop union.
  
  Is there anything else I have missed out???
  
• Atobe

  15 Jan 04, 05:11

  Singapore was one of the three Straits Settlements ruled by the British Colonial Office – Singapore, Malacca, Penang – and was the only one kept out of the Malayan Union – for obvious direct economic and strategic benefit to Great Britain (a term that was used before Britain preferred to be known as the United Kingdom comprising England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland).
  
  Prior to the formation of the Malayan Union in 1942, there was an earlier attempt in 1896 with the formation of the Federated Malay States (comprising Perak, Pahang, N.Sembilan & Selangor) ruled as a British Protectorate, with Kuala Lumpur as its capital.
  
  The British had viewed Singapore as a Fortress of the Far East, and strategically located in the sea lanes between Europe to the Far East.
  
  Will the British surrender such a strategic location after having free use of it since 1819 ?
  
  The Malayan Union failed in 1945, as a result of the opposition from Malay politicians, who could not accept the rule of the Colonial Office being supreme over the various Sultans – and not due to Malay fear of being overwhelmed by a larger Chinese population.
  
  Did the Chinese population number 2.3 million during the colonial days, when the Malayan Union was being formed ?
  
  Could the Chinese population numbered 2.3 million in Singapore alone, when the entire population of Singapore totaled less then 1.5 million during the days of self-rule in the 1950Â’s ?
  
  It is surprising that the British Colonial Office had appreciated the finer points of ethnic differences, social and cultural sensitivities, while the young LKY did not appreciate the same; and had pushed so hard to have Singapore joined Malaysia – with some politicians of his generation claiming that the referendum was flawed.
  
  It was only 35 years later, in the memoirs of SM LKY, he had the grace to admit that if he had only the wisdom of the Father of the Present Sultan of Brunei, Singapore would have followed BruneiÂ’s decision to stay out of Malaysia.
  
  It seems that the statement from one of the founding father of a greater nation than Singapore rings true, as stated by Thomas Jefferson -
  
  "he who knows best knows how little he knows".
  
  This certainly makes hollow the assertion by the Ruling Party that the Government knows what is best for Singapore and for Singaporeans.
  
  Malayan Union Papers
  http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cats/19/80.htm
  
  Thomas Jefferson - Biography
  http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/tj3.html