HAOL, Núm. 7 (Primavera, 2005), 93-105 ISSN 1696-2060 MALAYSIAN PERCEPTIONS OF CHINA Ibrahim Abu Bakar National University of Malaysia, Malaysia. E-mail: [email protected] Recibido: 27 Febrero 2005 / Revisado: 20 Marzo 2005 / Aceptado: 09 Mayo 2005 / Publicado: 15 Junio 2005 Resumen: Malaysia consisting of Malaya, Politically and historically Malaysia was Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore gained her created on 16 September 1963 after Malaya, independence from the British on 16 September Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak had agreed to 1963. Malaya gained her independence from form the Federation of Malaysia. Singapore, the British on 31 August 1957. In 1965 Sabah and Sarawak gained their independence Singapore was independent from Malaysia. from the British Government through the Malaysia is a parliamentary democratic and Federation of Malaysia. However, Singapore capitalistic nation. Moreover, Malaysia is a withdrew from the Federation of Malaysia in multi-religious and multiracial nation. Malaysia 1965 and since then Singapore has been an has been populated by the Malays, Chinese, independent nation in the southern part of Indians and others. The Malays are Muslims Malaysian Peninsula. and Islam is the religion of the Federation of Malaysia. Malaysia has a very long history with Malaya is the English name for the Malay name China but China never colonizad certain areas Tanah Melayu (the Malay land) or in Malaysia and then the British colonized the Semenanjung Tanah Melayu (the Malay whole Malaysia. Malaysian perceptions of peninsula). Malaya gained her independence China are influenced by many internal and from the British Government on 31 August external factors such as the politico-ideologies, 1957 after the Malayans demanded the economic development as well as the national, independence of Malaya. The Malayan three regional and international relations and ethnic groups namely the Malays, the Chinese diplomacies. This short article presents and the Indians formed three exclusive ethnic Malaysian perceptions of China from the political parties namely the United Malays cultural, political and economic perspectives. National Organization (UMNO), the Malayan Palabras clave: China, cultural, economic, Chinese Association (MCA), and the Malayan international relations, Islam, Malaysia, Indian Congress (MIC) to negotiate for the political, Singapore. independence of Malaya. The Malay, Chinese _____________________ and Indian leaders of the three political parties were united and determined to demand the INTRODUCTION independence of Malaya. The Malay political leader Tunku Abdul Rahman, the President of eographically Malaysia is located in UMNO, led the Malayan political leaders in Southeast Asia. Malaysia is divided their meetings and negotiations with the British G into two different geographical Government officers in Malaya as well as in locations namely Malaysian Peninsula located Britain for the independence of Malaya. Tunku between Thailand in the northern part and Abdul Rahman became the first Prime Minister Singapore in the southern part, and Sabah and of Malaya on 31 August 1957. Sarawak located in northwestern Borneo. Sabah was known as North Borneo before becoming On the independent day, 31 August 1957, the part of Malaysia. Borneo is an island in Federation of Malaya consisted of eleven states Indonesia. The larger portion of Borneo belongs namely Perlis, Penang, Kedah, Perak, Selangor, to Indonesia. Another state located between Negeri Sembilan, Malacca, Johor, Pahang, Sabah and Sarawak is Brunei, an independent Terengganu and Kelantan. Each state has a Malay monarchy state. Malay ruler or sultan except two states namely Penang and Malacca. The Malay ruler is the © Historia Actual Online 2005 93 Malaysian perceptions of China Ibrahim Abu Bakar head of Islamic religion and the Malay custom The idea to form the Federation of Malaysia in his respective state. The Federal Constitution came from Malayan political leaders led by of Malaya clearly explains the rights and duties Tunku Abdul Rahman. He proposed the idea to of Malayan citizens, the rights and duties of the the British Government and to the leaders in Prime Minister and his cabinet ministers and Singapore, Sarawak, Sabah and Brunei. Brunei ministries, the Malayan sultans and the did not favor the idea of Malaysia. One of the Malayan King known in the Malay legal terms main political reasons was to prevent as Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Parliamentary Communism of Communist China from system, legal and juristic system for the infiltrating into those colonized states in order independent Malaya. In the Malayan to gain their independence from the British constitution, Islam is the religion of the Government. Singapore was considered the first Federation of Malaya. The constitution states target of Communism because of her most that the Malay rulers or sultans are the heads of dominant Chinese population in Southeast Asia. Islamic religion and Malay custom in their "Therefore, instead of having nothing to do respective states. Constitutionally and with Singapore it might be better for the politically, Malaya is a political democratic Malayan government to prevent the spread of parliamentary nation. Her federal constitution Communism by associating with her."2 provides for the formation of the political parties to take part in the federal and state In November 1961 the proposal to form the general elections and the Malayan voters can Federation of Malaysia was agreed upon by the vote for their political candidates who become governments of Malaya, Singapore and Britain. their representatives in the Malayan Parliament The Commission chaired by Lord Cobbold was and in the State Legislative Assemblies. The set up to interview the inhabitants of Sarawak Malayan constitution provided for the Malayan and North Borneo if they wanted to join Government to call for the general elections for Malaysia for their independence. "There were the Parliament and the State Legislative certainly more in favour than were against and Assemblies every five years. The Malayan as a result of the Cobbold Report the Malayan constitution also provides for the establishment and British governments agreed in July 1962 of Islamic courts known in Malay as that the new state of Malaysia would come into Mahkamah Syariah for Muslims in dealing with being on 31 August 1963."3 the Islamic rituals and doctrines, the family laws and the law of inheritance. The Presidents of Indonesia and the Philippines objected to the idea of Malaysia consisting of The democratic independent Malaya had been Sarawak and North Borneo and demanded the politically ruled by the Alliance Party (or in United Nations to make sure that the inhabitants Malay Parti Perikatan) consisting UMNO, of Sarawak and North Borneo were free to MCA and MIC, and the Malay political leader decide either to join Malaysia, Indonesia or the who was the President of UMNO had been Philippines because both Indonesian and the appointed the Prime Minister of Malaya. For Philippine Presidents claimed that Sarawak and example, in the federal and state elections of North Borneo were part of their historical 1959, the Alliance Party led by Tunku Abdul territories before the British came to the areas Rahman won 74 seats in the Malayan and colonized Sarawak and North Borneo. "In Parliament, the Pan-Malayan Islamic Party August 1963 a team from the United Nations (PMIP) won 13 seats, the Socialist Front Party carried out the investigation of public opinion won 8 seats and the People's Progressive Party in Sarawak and North Borneo and they reported (PPP) won 4 seats. In the elections for the State back to the Secretary-General that, in their Legislative Assemblies, the Alliance Party won view, the majority of the people were in favour all the state seats in the nine states and lost to of joining Malaysia." The Philippines and PMIP in the states of Terengganu and Indonesian Presidents did not recognize the Kelantan1. PMIP had been the most influential report made by the United Nations. The Malay political opposition party in Malayan political leaders of Sarawak, Malaya, Singapore political history. PMIP is able to rule at one and North Borneo welcomed the report made time or another the states of Kelantan and by the United Nations and the new state of Terengganu in Malayan and Malaysian political Malaysia comprising Malaya, Singapore, history. PMIP has been unable to rule other Sarawak and Sabah came into existence on 16 states in Malayan and Malaysian political September 1963. "And on that same day the history since 1957 until the present, 2005. governments of Indonesia and the Philippines 94 © Historia Actual Online 2005 Ibrahim Abu Bakar Malaysian perceptions of China broke off diplomatic relations, while the Malaysians from Indonesia), 2,552,276 Indonesian campaign to crush Malaysia began Chinese, 772,880 Indians and Pakistanis, and in earnest."4 122,897 others"8. Other Malaysians in Malaya from Indonesia were known as Javanese, On the independent date and on the states in the Boyanese, Minangkabau, Banjarese and Bugis. Federation of Malaysia, Hooker writes, "Federation of Malaysia: 16 September 1963: The economic development in Malaya under all states of the Federation of Malaya with the British rule had attracted many Chinese Sarawak, British North Borneo thereafter called from China to work in the tin mines in Perak Sabah, and Singapore. Singapore left the and Selangor, and many Indians from southern federation in 1965."5 part of India to work in the rubber estates