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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 December 2014
The ‘Malayan Saga’: diary from the Reid Commission, 1956–1957
‘Constitutional Changes Implicit in the Terms of Reference’ of the Reid Commission, 23 August 1956
The State Constitutions, 31 August 1956
1 William Reid, Baron Reid. British Lord of Appeal in Ordinary and former Solicitor-General of Scotland.
2 Kuala Lumpur.
3 H.P. Hall, Secretary to the Commission.
4 Helena, Lady Jennings (his wife).
5 Justice Abdul Hamid was a Pakistani judge who had also been Secretary to the Law Ministry of West Pakistan; a member of the Commission.
6 Sir William McKell came from Australia, where he had been the Labor Premier of New South Wales and Governor-General, 1947–1953; a member of the Commission.
7 Malayan Civil Service.
8 Sir Donald MacGillivray, the last British High Commissioner in Malaya. The office of High Commissioner was the highest British position in the Colonial Administration of Malaya.
9 Tunku Abdul Rahman, United Malays National Organisation politician; Chief Minister of the Malayan Federation from 1955; Prime Minister, 1957–1970. He was often referred to as ‘the Tunku’, which is a Malayan title of nobility.
10 Justice B. Malik, a member of the Reid Commission, had been Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court in India.
11 Jennings was also chairing the Royal Commission on Common Land.
12 Sir Oliver E. Goonetilleke. See p. 19, n. 2.
13 Assistant superintendent of police.
14 Aide-de-camp.
15 The official residence of the British High Commissioner.
16 British agent.
17 The Crown Prince of Johor.
18 British Commissioner-General of South-East Asia.
19 (Later Sir) William Goode, Chief Secretary of Singapore, 1953–1957; Governor of Singapore, 1957–1959.
20 J.M. Jumabhoy, Labour Front Singaporean Cabinet Minister.
21 District officer.
22 (Later Sir) David Watherston, Chief Secretary of Malaya, 1952–1957.
23 Executive Council.
24 Colonial Office.
25 Palace.
26 Royal Commission on Common Land.
27 Her Majesty's Government.
28 Constitution.
29 E.O. Laird of the Malayan Civil Service.
30 Malayan Chinese Association.
31 Secretary of State.
32 Rulers’ Counsel, Neil Lawson QC.
33 Britain, France, and Israel occupied the Suez canal through military action in October 1956.
34 Fellows of Trinity Hall.
35 The political coalition that represented the three main political organizations (and communities): the United Malays National Organisation, the Malayan Chinese Association, and the Malayan Indian Congress.
36 United Malays National Organisation, the dominant political party of Malaya (and later Malaysia).
37 Trinity Hall.
38 The article concerning conditions of preventative detention.
39 The Indian Princely States were formally separate from British India and in the run-up to British withdrawal in August 1947 were given the choice to accede to either the Dominion of India or the Dominion of Pakistan. Malaya also had states not under direct British rule headed by indigenous rulers and, like the Indian Princely States, their powers were subject to British approval in practice.
40 This refers to the Straits Settlements comprising of Penang and Malacca, which were formally British colonial territories and together with the nine Malay States from 1948 made the Federation of Malaya. They were later joined in 1963 by Singapore (briefly), Sabah, and Sarawak.
41 Independent Commonwealth states are represented in Commonwealth states by a High Commissioner who heads the High Commission. The post of High Commissioner is purely a diplomatic post and very different from the colonial-era British High Commissioner in Malaya, who held executive and domestic powers within the Federation.
42 The constitutional head of state of the Federation. The Yang di-Pertuan Besar (later renamed the Yang di-Pertuan Agung) is a constitutional monarch elected every five years by and from the hereditary rulers of the nine Malay States.
43 Eventually called the Dewan Rakyat.
44 Eventually called the Dewan Negara.
45 Not included.
46 Not found.
47 The Chief Minister in a Malay State.
48 Among other reforms, the 1927 Donoughmore Commission to Ceylon established a system of executive committees based on the London County Council, rather than the Cabinet model that the local politicians wished for.
49 In the 1955 and 1956 Tasmanian State elections there had been a hung parliament, with the incumbent Labor government and Liberal Party opposition holding the same number of seats.