Malayan Union

ملايان اونياون

1946–1948


Flag	Coat of arms

Capital

Kuala Lumpur

Languages

Malay
English

Political structure

Colony

Governor

Edward Gent

Historical era

Decolonisation

•

Established

1 April 1946

•

Disestablished

31 January 1948

Area

•

1948

132,364 km² (51,106 sq mi)

Currency

Malayan dollar

Preceded by

Succeeded by

	Federated Malay States
	Straits Settlements
	Johor
	Kedah
	Perlis
	Kelantan
	Terengganu

Federation of Malaya

Today part of

Malaysia

Part of a series on the

History of Malaysia

Prehistoric Malaysia

Early kingdoms

Gangga Negara	2nd–11th century
Langkasuka	2nd–14th century
Chi Tu	2nd–6th century
Pan Pan	3rd–5th century
Kedah Tua	5th–9th century
Melayu	6th century
Srivijaya	650–1377
Majapahit	1293–1500

Rise of Muslim states

Kedah Sultanate	1136–present
Brunei Sultanate	1368–present
Malacca Sultanate	1402–1511
Sulu Sultanate	1450–1899
Aceh Sultanate	1496–1903
Pattani Sultanate	1516–1902
Johor Sultanate	1528–present
House of Jamalullail	1843–present

Colonial era

Portuguese Malacca	1511–1641
Dutch–Portuguese War	1601–1661
Dutch Malacca	1641–1824
Siamese invasion of Kedah	1821–1826
Straits Settlements	1826–1946
Kingdom of Sarawak	1841–1946
Crown Colony of Labuan	1848–1946
British Malaya / Borneo	1874–1946
North Borneo	1882–1946
Federated Malay States	1895–1946
Unfederated Malay States	1909–1946

War and emergency

Japanese occupation of Malaya / of Borneo	1941–1945
Syburi	1943–1945
British Military Administration of Malaya / of Borneo	1945–1946
Crown Colony of Sarawak (Anti-cession movement)	1946–1963
Crown Colony of N. Borneo	1946–1963
Malayan Union	1946–1948
Federation of Malaya	1948–1963
Malayan Emergency	1948–1960

Independence

Independence of Malaya	1957
Self-government of Singapore	1959
Brunei Revolt	1962
Sarawak Communist Insurgency	1962–1990
Philippine claim over North Borneo	1962–present
Moro attacks on Borneo	1962–present
Self-government of Sarawak / of North Borneo	1963
Formation of Malaysia	1963
Singapore in Malaysia	1963–1965
Confrontation with Indonesia	1963–1966

After Independence

Brunei's claim over Limbang	1967–2009
ASEAN Declaration (ASEAN)	1967
Communist Insurgency War	1968–1989
13 May Incident	1969
Ligitan and Sipadan dispute	1969–2002
Malaysian haze crisis	1972–present
Formation of Federal Territories	1974
Pedra Branca dispute	1979–2008
South China Sea islands dispute (Spratly Islands)	1980–present
Memali Incident	1985
Operation Lalang	1987
Constitutional crisis	1987–1988
Financial crisis	1997–1998

By topic

Malaysia portal

The Malayan Union was a federation of the Malay states and the Straits Settlements of Penang and Malacca. It was the successor to British Malaya and was conceived to unify the Malay Peninsula under a single government to simplify administration. The Union became the Federation of Malaya in 1948. The Federation of Malaya became the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, following the admission of Singapore, Sabah (North Borneo) and Sarawak to the new federation. Singapore was expelled from the federation and became independent in 1965.

Formation of the Malayan Union

On 1 April 1946, the Malayan Union officially came into existence with Sir Edward Gent as its governor. The capital of the Union was Kuala Lumpur.

The idea of the Union was first expressed by the British on October 1945 (plans had been presented to the War Cabinet as early as May 1944)^[1] in the aftermath of the Second World War by the British Military Administration. Sir Harold MacMichael was assigned the task of gathering the Malay state rulers' approval for the Malayan Union in the same month. In a short period of time, he managed to obtain all the Malay rulers’ approval. The reasons for their agreement, despite the loss of political power that it entailed for the Malay rulers, has been much debated; the consensus appears to be that the main reasons were that as the Malay rulers were of course resident during the Japanese occupation, they were open to the accusation of collaboration, and that they were threatened with dethronement.^[2] Hence the approval was given, though it was with utmost reluctance.

When it was unveiled, the Malayan Union gave equal rights to people who wished to apply for citizenship. It was automatically granted to people who were born in any state in British Malaya or Singapore and were living there before 15 February 1942, born outside British Malaya or the Straits Settlements only if their fathers were citizens of the Malayan Union and those who reached 18 years old and who had lived in British Malaya or Singapore "10 out of 15 years before 15 February 1942". The group of people eligible for application of citizenship had to live in Singapore or British Malaya "for 5 out of 8 years preceding the application", had to be of good character, understand and speak the English or Malay language and "had to take an oath of allegiance to the Malayan Union". However, the citizenship proposal was never actually implemented. Due to opposition to the citizenship proposal, it was postponed then modified, which made it harder for many Chinese and Indian residents to obtain Malayan citizenship.^[3]

The Sultans, the traditional rulers of the Malay states, conceded all their powers to the British Crown except in religious matters. The Malayan Union was placed under the jurisdiction of a British Governor, signalling the formal inauguration of British colonial rule in the Malay peninsula. Moreover, even though State Councils were still kept functioning in the former Federated Malay States, it lost the limited autonomy that they enjoyed as they administered some local and less important aspects of government and the Federal government in Kuala Lumpur controlling vital aspects. State Councils became an extended hand of the Federal government that had to do its bidding. Also, British Residents replacing the Sultans as the head of the State Councils meant that the political status of the Sultans were greatly reduced.^[4]

A Supreme Court was established in 1946 of which Harold Curwen Willan was the only Chief Justice.^[5]

Opposition, dissolution of the Malayan Union and the creation of the Federation of Malaya

Protest against the Malayan Union by the Malays.

The Malays generally opposed the creation of the Union. The opposition was due to the methods Sir Harold MacMichael used to acquire the Sultans' approval, the reduction of the Sultans' powers, and easy granting of citizenship to immigrants. The United Malays National Organisation or UMNO, a Malay political association formed by Dato' Onn bin Ja'afar on 1 March 1946, led the opposition against the Malayan Union. Malays also wore white bands around their heads, signifying their mourning for the loss of the Sultans' political rights. However, ex-Malayan government officials criticised the way these constitutional reforms were brought about in Malaya, even saying that it went against the principles of the Atlantic Charter. They also encouraged Malay opposition to the Malayan Union.

After the inauguration of the Malayan Union, the Malays, under UMNO continued opposing the Malayan Union. They utilised civil disobedience as a means of protest by refusing to attend the installation ceremonies of the British governors. They had also refused to participate in the meetings of the Advisory Councils, hence Malay participation in the government bureaucracy and the political process had totally stopped. The British had recognised this problem and took measures to consider the opinions of the major races in Malaya before making amendments to the constitution. The Malayan Union ceased to exist in January 1948. It was replaced by the Federation of Malaya.

Evolution towards Malaysia

Evolution of Malaysia

Notes

↑ CAB 66/50 'Policy in Regard to Malaya and Borneo'
↑ Ariffin Omar, Bangsa Melayu: Malay Concepts of Democracy and Community, 1945–1950 (Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press, 1993), p. 46. Cited in Ken'ichi Goto, Tensions of Empire: Japan and Southeast Asia in the Colonial and Postcolonial World (Athens: Ohio University Press, 2003), p. 222
↑ Carnell, Malayan Citizenship Legislation, International and Comparative Law Quarterly, 1952
↑
↑ Ming Ho, Tak. Generations: The Story of Batu Gajah. p. 165.

References

Zakaria Haji Ahmad. Government and Politics (1940–2006). p.p 30-21. ISBN 981-3018-55-0.
Marissa Champion. Odyssey: Perspectives on Southeast Asia – Malaysia and Singapore 1870–1971. ISBN 9971-0-7213-0
Sejarah Malaysia

Protectorates and Crown colonies of British Malaya and Borneo

Malaya	Straits Settlements (1826–1946) Federated Malay States (1895–1946) Unfederated Malay States (1800s–1946) Crown Colony of Malacca (1946–1957) Crown Colony of Penang (1946–1957)

Borneo	Kingdom of Sarawak (1841–1941) Crown Colony of Sarawak (1946–1963) Crown Colony of Labuan (1848–1946) North Borneo (1882–1946) Crown Colony of North Borneo (1946–1963)

Links to related articles

Protests in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur	1946–47 anti-Malayan Union protests 1947 All-Malaya Hartal 1969 Malaysian students pre-election demonstrations 13 May 1969 riots 1971 Malaysian constitutional crisis 1983 Malaysian constitutional crisis 1988 Malaysian constitutional crisis 1993 Malaysian constitutional crisis 1998–2000s Reformasi demonstrations 2001 Kampung Medan riots 2007 BERSIH 1.0 rally 2007 HINDRAF rally 2008 Black 14 rally 2008 Malaysian fuel hike protests 2009 anti-ISA rally 2009 anti-Menteri Besar Terengganu rally 2011 anti-Peaceful Assembly Act rally 2011 BERSIH 2.0 rally 2012 Free Anwar 901 rally 2012 BERSIH 3.0 rally 2012 anti-Lynas rally 2013 KL 112, People’s Uprising rally 2013 Blackout 505 rallies 2013 Ops Turun, anti-price hike rally 2014 Red Pencil protest 2014 May Day anti-GST rally 2015 Rakyat Hakim Negara rally 2015 Kita Lawan, May Day anti-GST rally 2015 #TangkapNajib rally 2015 Low Yat Plaza riot 2015 BERSIH 4.0 rally 2015 United People's rally 2015 Shutdown Sungai Besi rally 2016 anti-TPPA rally 2016 Muafakat Selamatkan Malaysia rally 2016 Hancur GST, Undur Najib, Undur Rosmah, Bebas Anwar, Hidup Rakyat rally

Other	1946–50 anti-cession movement of Sarawak 1963 anti-Indonesia infiltration demonstrations 1964 race riots in Singapore 1966 Sarawak constitutional crisis 1967 Teluk Gong demonstrations 1967 Penang Hartal riot 1974 Baling demonstrations 1974 Tasek Utara, Johor demonstrations 1977 Kelantan riots 1985 Memali riots 1986 Sabah riots 1993 Sultan of Kelantan demonstrations 1998 Kampung Rawa riots 2009 Perak constitutional crisis 2009 1BLACKMalaysia protests 2009 cow's head protests 2009 anti-PPSMI rally 2010 Water for People rally 2011 Gathering of a Million Faithful 2012 Orange rally 2012 Green Rally to Putrajaya 2012 People's Lands rally 2015 Taman Medan anti-cross protest 2015 Sarawak for Sarawakians rally 2015 Penang villagers protests

Student activism in Malaysia · The Big Durian (2003 film) · Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka (2007 film) · Malaysian Gods (2009 film) · Tanda Putera (2013 film)

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Coordinates: 3°08′N 101°42′E / 3.133°N 101.700°E / 3.133; 101.700

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