1946–48
The Beginning
BEFORE the merger, Singapore and Malaya had existed under “British Malaya”, a term used to loosely describe a collection of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that was under British hegemony from the late 18th to mid-20th century. The term often refers to the Federated and Unfederated Malay States, which were British protectorates, as well as the Straits Settlements – including Singapore – which were under the direct rule of the British Crown. Prior to World War II (WWII), the territories within British Malaya were not ruled under a single unified administration. Instead, three different groups of polities under the sovereignty and direct rule of the British Crown governed British Malaya.
The three groups of polities were:
1. The protectorate of the Federated Malay States (Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang)
2. Five protected Unfederated Malay States (Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis, and Terengganu)
3. The Crown colony of the Straits Settlements (Penang, Singapore, Malacca and Dinding)
During WWII, the political landscape of the region shifted significantly. The Japanese occupied Singapore and Malaya from 1942 to 1945, setting the foundation for subsequent systems of governance by governing Malaya – with the exception of Perlis, Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah – as a single colony apart from Singapore. When the war ended, the region was placed back under British administration.
However, within a year of its return to the Crown, the loose polities of British Malaya were consolidated with the formation of the Malayan Union. With Sir Edward Gent as its governor, the union was formed with the intention of uniting the Federated Malay States, Unfederated Malay States and the Straits Settlements of Penang and Malacca under one administration in the hopes of establishing a centralised governing body. Singapore was made a separate Crown colony.
However, within a year of its return to the Crown, the loose polities of British Malaya were consolidated with the formation of the Malayan Union.
The Malayan Union was created in a bid to reorganise Malaya and improve administrative efficacy and security for its eventual self-governance. Under the union, all who were born or domiciled in Malaya were automatically eligible for Malayan citizenship. However, those residing in Singapore were not included in the initiative, as the British felt that its largely Chinese populace would complicate the task of securing Malay acceptance. This made it difficult for the Chinese and the Indians to secure citizenship.
Under the Malayan Union, the sultans (traditional leaders of the Malay states) had to give up their power to the British Crown in all areas except for religious matters. This limited their autonomy and left them with responsibility over unimportant administrative matters in the government. To make matters worse, British residents were slowly replacing the sultans as the heads of these State Councils. This only further reduced the power they held.
This infuriated the Malay population, spurring political involvement and heightening ethnic consciousness among the different ethnic groups present within the peninsula. The creation of the Malayan Union led to the birth of the nationalist party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), headed by Datuk Onn Jaafar.
UMNO frequently utilised civil disobedience as a means of protest against the Union, refusing to participate in the installation ceremonies of the British governance and meetings of the Advisory Councils, which effectively halted participation from the Malay population in governmental processes.
