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Dato Onn and Malay Nationalism. 1946–1951

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 August 2009

Ishak bin Tadin
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Extract

On 10 October, 1945, the British Secretary of State for the Colonies announced in the House of Commons an outline of a new policy to be adopted in Malaya.

“His Majesty's Government have given careful consideration to the future of Malaya and the need to promote a sense of unity and common citizenship which will develop the country's strength and capacity in due course for self-government within the British Commonwealth. Our policy will call for a constitutional union of Malaya and for the institution of Malayan citizenship which will give equal citizenship rights to those who claim Malaya to be their homeland.”

The Malayan Union was to be made up of the nine Malay States and the two Straits Settlements of Malacca and Penang including the Province Wellesley; Singapore was exclude.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Southeast Asian History , Volume 1 , Issue 1 , March 1960 , pp. 56 - 88
Copyright
Copyright © The National University of Singapore 1960

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References

1. Parliamentary Debates, Vol. 414, 1945/46, Oct. 9–26, p. 254.

2. Parliamentary Debates, Vol. 420, 1946/47, Mar. 4–22, p. 638.

3. Parliamentary Debates, Vol. 420, p. 638.

4. Straits Times, 13.10.45.

5. Straits Times, Editorial, 13.10.45.

6. Stiaits Times, 13.10.45.

7. Utusan Melayu, 12.10.45.

8. Utusan Melayu, 12.10.45.

9. Utusan Melayu, Editorial, 16.10.1945.

10. Utusan Melayu, Editorial, 16.10.1945.

11. Utusan Melayu, Editorial, 16.10.1945.

12. Warta Negara, 10.11.1945.

13. Constitution of the Peninsular Malay Movement of Johore, Art. I & II.

14. Majlis, 5.1.1946.

15. Urusan Melayu, 29.11.1945.

16. Majlis, 4.1.1946.

17. Majlis, 4.1.1946, Malayan Union (1), A series of three articles written by Aiyub bin Abdullah on Malayan Union.

18. Utusan Melayu, 22.12.1945.

19. Parliamentary Debates, Vol. 418, 1946/47, fan. 22–Feb. 8. p. 58.

20. Majlis, 6.2.1946.

21. Dato' Onn's letter to Majlis, dated 24.1.1946.

22. Dato' Onn's speech at the opening of the All-Malay Congress on 1.3.1946.

23. Majlis, 4.3.1946.

24. Ten Years of UMNO, 1946–1956, A Documentary Collection of the Organisation, printed by Daud Press, Penang, 1957, p. 16.

25. The Malays believed that none of the Treaties signed by both parties concerned were obtained by fair means. They believed that, in cases of Kedah and Trengganu, threats of deposition were employed by the British negotiator. But these accusations were refuted vehemently by the Secretary of State for the Colonies in the House of Commons.

26. Hidup Melayu, an UMNO's Pamphlet, Published by the Department of Malayan Union Affairs of Malay League of Perak, (no date of publication), p. 11.

27. Parliamentary Debates, Vol. 414, 1945/46, Oct. 9–26, p. 254.

28. Ten Years of UMNO, p. 25.

29. Malay Mail, 63.1946.

30. The Repeal of Straits Settlement Act of 1860.

31. Captain Cammans, Squadron-Leader Donner and others.

32. Parliamentary Debates, Vol. 420, March 4–22, p. 727.

33. Parliamentary Debates, p. 643.

34. Copy of telegram to Mr. Attlee, published in Majlis, 15.3.1946.

35. Parliamentary Debates, Vol. 420, p. 2671.

36. Minutes of Congress, 30.3.1946.

37. Dato' Onn's Speech. Malay Mail, 2.4.1946. (White is the Muslim colour of mourning).

38. Minutes of the Congress, 30.3.1946.

39. Dato Onn, Malay Mail, 2.4.1946.

40. Ibid.

41. Minutes of the UMNO General Assembly, 11.5.1946.

42. Rees-Williams, D. R., Pacific Affairs, Vol. 20, 1947, p. 174.Google Scholar

43. Tuan Syed Nasser, interview with the writer on 27.12.1958.

44. Captain Gamman's Letter to Sunday Times, London, quoted in the Malay Mail, 11.6.1946.

45. Ten Years of UMNO, p. 42.

46. Federation of Malaya — Summary of Revised Constitutional Proposals, July, 1947, p. 3.

47. Federation of Malaya — Summary of Revised Proposals (Constitutional) July, 1947, p. 3.

48. The Statement of Secretary of States for the Colonies, Parliamenary Debates, Vol. 432, p. 228.

48a. The Malay Nationalist Party and Pan-Malayan Council of Joint Action and others were opposed vehemently to the recommendations of the Working Committee.

49. Minutes of the General Assembly of the UMNO, 11.5.1946.

50. Suara UMNO, 1.9.1951. It has to be noted that this passage was written after Dato' Onn had left the Organisation and that there is a certain degree of criticism against Dato' Onn's resignation for some Malays felt that Dato' Onn had left the Malays in the cold by resigning from the UMNO.

51. Minutes of General Assembly of UMNO (No. 1/1947)

52. Minutes of the 2nd General Assembly held in Ipoh on 29, 30.6.1946.

53. The real reason why the MNP and the JMOAS left the UMNO, according to Dato' Onn, was that they could not raise the funds commensurate to the large membership that they claimed. But the reason was deeper than what Dato' Onn construed it to be. The MNP could not go along with the UMNO any longer for it was obvious to the MNP and its ally that the UMNO was defending the position of the Rulers whom the MNP wanted to do away with in a Republic of Malaya federated to the Republic of Indonesia.

54. Minutes of the General Assembly of UMNO (SG. No. 2/47).

55. Ibid., 2/9/1947.

56. Ten Years of UMNO, p. 49.

57. Dato' Onn, interview with the writer on 20.12.1958.

58. Minutes of UMNO's General Assembly, 11, 12, 13.5.1947.

59. Minutes, 30.5.1949.

60. A Collection of Correspondence by Dato Sir Cheng-Lock Tan, K.B.E., C.B.E., D.P.M.J., Letter, J.P. to Peet, G. L., dated 30.9.1948.Google Scholar

61. At the time, the Malays when they referred to their ‘country’, meant that Malaya belonged to the Malays to the exclusion of the other races. The majority of the Malays still looked upon the Chinese as sojourners, making money in Malaya with the intention of returning to their land of origin.

62. Memorandum presented to Mr. (now Sir) Anthony Eden on the occasion of his visit to Malaya in March, 1949, by the Selaneor Division of the UMNO, dated 20.3.1949.

63. Majlis, Editorial, Chinese on the Fence. 24.10.1948.

64. A collection of Correspondence by Dato' Sir Cheng-Lock Tan.

65. This is a controversial fact, but Dato' Onn claimed that he invited the leaders at nobody's suggestion.

66. Straits Times, 11.1.1949, Malay-Chinese Goodwill Move — Nine Leaders Work For Racial Harmony.

67. Straits Times, 11.1.49, Malay-Chinese Goodwill Move — Nine Leaders Work For Racial Harmony.

68. Dato' Sir Cheng-Lock Tan was Chairman of the All-Malaya Joint Council of Action formed in 1946. The Council was the most vocal against the Federation Agreement. Until September 30, 1948, Dato' Sir Cheng-Lock Tan was still bitter against the Federation Agreement. His confidential letter to G. L. Peet of the Straits Times Press Ltd. of that date reveals this bitterness and speaks derogatorily of the Malays.

69. Utusan Melayu, Editorial, 6.1.1949.

70. Tuan Syed Nasser bin Ismail, interviewed by the writer on 27.12.1958. He had been an active Representative of the Batu Pahat Division to the UMNO General Assemblies since the foundation of the Organisation. He was a close friend of Dato' Onn when the Dato' was President. He was later elected Chairman of Johore Bahru Division. He is now a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Organisation.

71. Minutes of UMNO General Assembly held at Butterworth, Penang on 29 and 30 May, 1949.

72. Onn's speech to the General Assembly at Butterworth reported in the Malay Mail, 30.5.1949.

73. Dato' Onn's speech to the General Assembly of the UMNO held at Arau on 28 August, 1949 reported in the Utusan Meiayu, 29.8.1949.

74. Utusan Meiayu, Editorial, 6.7.1949.

75. Ibid., 28.8.1949.

76. Straits Times, 16.10.1949.

77. Sunday Times, Call For Sovereignty, Elections — C.L.C. Ask for ‘Nationhood’; see also Straits Times, Broader Citizenship is urged — New Proposals by C.L.C. 19.4.1950.

78. Vide Para XIII of all State Agreements.

79. Straits Times, A Manifesto For UMNO from the University Malays, 19.5.1950.

80. Minutes of the General Assembly of the UMNO, No. (27A) in UMNO/SG — 114/50.

81. Che' Gu Alias bin Ali, a delegate to the Assembly of 20.5.50. He was interviewed by the writer on 20 Oct. 1958. He could still recount what happened at that particular Assembly. He was then Chairman of the UMNO Youth Section of Kuala Pilah Division.

82. Minutes of General Assembly, No. (27A) etc.

83. Straits Times, A Lawyer Talks to Laymen on — Nationality For the non-Malays, 9.6.1951.

84. Malay Mail, 13.6.1950.

85. Sunday Times, Sa'adon Clashed With Dato' Onn, 11.6.1950.

86. Stiaits Times, 12.6.1950.

87. Strait Times. Mass Meeting to Plead With Onn — UMNO Cannot Afford to Loss His Guidance. 27.7.1950.

88. Minutes of the General Assembly of the UMNO on 27.8.1950.

89. The figure was quoted by Dato' Onn in his speech to the Half-Yearly Assembly of the UMNO on 23.3.1951. The speech is reported Verbatim in Suara UMNO, 1.4.1951.

90. Suara UMNO, 1.4.1951. The figure was for 18 out of 32 Divisions of the UMNO. The rest of the Divisions had not yet sent in their membership returns by 1 April, 1951.

91. The Case was in connection with a Dutch girl, who, during the capture of Singapore by the Japanese, was left behind by her mother to a Malay servant who brought her up in accordance with Malay Customs. In 1950, the parents filed a suit reclaiming the guardianship of the girl, who was then 14, and the High Court of Singapore gave judgment in favour of the Dutch parents. This judgment was construed by a section of the Muslims of Singapore as an interference by the British Authorities in the Muslim religion. The issue ended in an outbreak of serious riots in Singapore. Dato' Onn condemned the action of the Muslims and Malays involved in the rioting, and UMNO made no protests against the British Authorities in Singapore. Hence, the Malays in the Federation who sympathised with the rioters felt dissatisfied with the attitude the UMNO adopted.

92. Suara UMNO, 1.4.51.

93. The party was founded in Dec. 1950. Relatively, it was very much more racial in its outlook than the UMNO.

94. Stiaits Times, 21.11.50.

95. Suara UMNO, Editorial, 1.6.51, Welcoming the Opening the Door of the UMNO to the Non-Malays.

96. Suara UMNO, 1.4.1951.

97. Ten Years of UMNO, p. 75.

98. Memoranda by these two bodies were cited in Parliamentary Debates, 1950/51, Vol. 484, Feb. 12 to March 2, p. 390.

99. Suara UMNO, 1.5.1951.

100. Suara UMNO, 15.1.1951.

101. Suara UMNO, 1.3.51.

102. Straits Times, UMNO Plan for Surrender — PMU/Chief 28.3.51.

103. Suara UMNO, 1.2.51.

104. UMNO, 1.2.51.

105. Utusan Melayu, 21.5.1951.

107. Dato' Onn's speech at the Convention of the UMNO Youth in Kuala Lumpur reported verbatim by the Suara UMNO of 15.2.1951.

108. Minufes of the half-yearly General Assembly of the UMNO dated 24.3.1951.

109. Ibid., 14.6.1951.

110. Straits Times, 14.6.51.

111. Straits Times, Editorial, 14.6.1951.

112. Suara UMNO, 15.6.1951.

113. Suara UMNO, 1.8.1951.

114. Straits Times, Dato' Onn Makes His Last Bow to UMNO, 28.8.51.

115. The UMNO Annual Report for the Year 1951/52, p. 9.

116. Straits Times, 17.9.1951.

117. The Federation of Malaya Agreement, 1948, p. 2.Google Scholar

118. Constitution of UMNO, Malaya, 1949, Clause 2(b).Google Scholar

119. Carnell, F. G., Malayan Citizenship Legislation, The International and Comparative Law Quarterly, 1952, p. 204.Google Scholar

120. Straits Times, 17.9.1951.

121. Straits Times, 17.9.1951.

122. Minutes of General Assembly of the UMNO, 10.6.1950.

123. Minutes. 27.8.1951.

124. Suara UMNO, 15.11.1951.

125. The UMNO's Memorandum to Mr. Lyttleton, 2.12.1951.

126. Parliamentary Debates, 1951/52, Vol. 496, Feb. 19 to Feb. 29, p. 25.

127. Parliamentary Debates, 1951/52, Vol. 496, Feb. 19 to Feb. 29, p. 25.

128. Proceedings of Federal Legislative Council, Feb. 1951 to Feb. 1952.

129. By the Federation Agreement, 1948, members of the Legislative Council were appointed by the High Commissioner.

130. UMNO Annual Report, 1951/52, p. 13.

131. Written answer to the question put by the Perak Division of the UMNO regarding the appointment of a Deputy High Commissioner.

132. Minutes of the UMNO General Assembly, 29–30.3.1952.

133. Tengku Abdul Rahman's Letter to writer, dated 23.12.1958.

134. Tengku Abdul Rahman's Speech to the Convention of Malay Political Parties in Malaya on 14.8.1953. This speech is reported verbatim in Ten Years Of UMNO, pp. 182, 183, 184 and 185.

135. ‘National’ Party.