Out in the Midday Sun

by Margaret Shennan

The story of British Malaya, from the days of Victorian pioneers to the denouement of independence, is a momentous episode in Britain's colonial past. The British came as fortune-seekers to exploit Asian trade shipped through Penang and Singapore. They found a mature Asian culture in a land of palm-fringed shores and primeval jungle. Like modern Romans, they built townships, defences, communications and hill stations, superimposed their law and established an idiosyncratic political system. They also developed the tin and rubber of the Malay States, encouraging Chinese and Indian immigrants by their open-door policy. The outcome was a vibrant multi-racial society - the most cosmopolitan in the East.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Asia

539 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2000

Reviews

[Stephane Chui · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's impressive how detailed this book is about the lives of the British in Malaya. However, this detail-oriented approach takes too much joy out of reading the history, as it interrupts the flow. The book is too dense with names, for example. This results in disengaging the reader in what could be an interesting scenario, like the Japanese attacks. I was expecting a little bit more of a macro overview, not a microscopic one where some facts just don't give life to the book.

[Zaid Rashid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Koleksi cerita-cerita orang putih yang datang dan bekerja di tanah Melayu sejak 1880 sehingga selepas merdeka. Kalau kita baca buku sejarah di sekolah, kita tahu mereka menjajah kita kerana kekayaan hasil bumi dan sebab-sebab lain, tapi jarang sekali diceritakan bagaimana kehidupan mereka seharian di Tanah Melayu. Ada yang beranggapan (seperti diajar di sekolah) bahawa mereka ini menindas kebanyakkan kaum di Tanah Melayu, tetapi tidak kurang juga mereka yang sayangkan Tanah Melayu (dari segala aspek seperti adat, budaya, iklim dsb) sehinggakan enggan untuk pulang selepas era kemerdekaan. Kebanyakkan mereka adalah dari golongan pertengahan di British, yang berhijrah ke sini untuk mencari peluang yang lebih baik. Mereka bekerja di ladang-ladang estet, lombong, pelabuhan, sehingga bekerja di bahagian awam seperti doktor, cikgu, polis. Dekat Selama, Perak pun ada orang putih sampai dia isytihar sebagai 'Rajah Selama' (lawak tapi benar). Cuma agak terkilan bila mereka melaporkan tentang bangsa kita sendiri, sebagai pemalu dan sopan, tetapi susah dipercayai dan pemalas.

[Reza Amiri Praramadhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this well-written book, albeit with rather curious way of ending it, the author brings us throughout the 80 years of British Colonization of Malaya, told through the rose-tinted views of British colonizers. The British, looking for opportunity to expand their already large Empire, stumbled upon Malaya Peninsula, looking to secure the lucrative Anglo-Chinese trade. First pioneers came into Malacca as planters, than as miners. As British influence grew stronger, they ended up “advising” local Sultans, putting everybody into Federated Malay States as a safeguard from stronger local powers such as Kingdom of Siam, or other foreign power such as French Indochina.

Throughout the book, we were served with various perspectives of British Malayans, lazy life under the sun, playing polos and crickets, having tiffin washed with gin and tonic, rather harmonious racial life, with rather relaxed color bar, which rather unprecedented throughout the Empire. World War I brought a brief interruption, followed with post-war Great Depression. Amazingly, British Malaya still holding on, believing in the immanence of British imperialism, which came crushing down in 1941, when Japan overran Malaya and conquered “Fortress” Singapore in a week. Then came 4 years of hardships under Japan occupations, with people crammed into prison camps, or sent to build railway in Burma under hideous conditions.

After the war, came the time of Communist Insurgency or more famously known as the Emergency. In this alternative version of Vietnam War in which the Europeans won, the British set to systematically win the hearts and minds of Malayan People, while preparing the Malayan Malays for independence, an eventuality which was accepted by most British Malayans. Their eagerness to help Malays on the road of independence is probably why British colonialism is remembered quite positively in Malaysia, even more than in Singapore, and most certainly better than India. The most interesting aspect of this book is probably the various perspectives put on by various British Malayans, who clearly loves the land and its people and saddened by the fact that there is no place for most of them in Independent Malay Federation, especially as Malayanization took place and gathered pace, sidelining the British and replacing them with local people.

[Thavakumar Kandiahpillai · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I bought this book, I was expecting a light, nostalgic, read about a bygone age. It turned out to be much, much more. Indeed it is through the eyes of a British expatriate, but it has to be. This is a masterful, well researched romp through the British era in Malaya. There is an amazing amount of detail and the minutiae of names and places are quite astounding. This book exceeded my expectations in every way.

[Ahmad Husni]

Thank you M. Shennan. The book is well researched, nuanced and illuminating. If anyone want to know what it was like in British Malaya, from the view lens of the British, this book in my opinion, is a good read. But as a Malaysian, it has to be read with an open mind. For me, I enjoyed it as I too can relate to some of the episodes as my late grandfather was a senior Malay education officer from 1920 to 1950 n was a writer himself.

[ErnstG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting mixture of history and social history, well researched and well told. I would think those 2 would be the main motive for future readers. For me it was also a trip down memory lane -- I spent some time in Malaysia.

The book starts with an apposite quote from the always-incisive Ogden Nash: "Englishmen are distinguished by their [...] affection for their colonies and their contempt for their colonials"

[Bertrand · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched, the vignettes through primary sources are lovely. But there’s no writing here. Almost as if the author is reluctant to add her own voice in. Was quite a plod.

[Khairul Hezry · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are at all curious at how the 'orang putih' coped with life in Malaya during the Colonial-era, this is a very good book to read. Overall an honest treatise but I felt it was somewhat written with rose-tinted glasses securely fastened, though.

[Sean Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out Mose Conway's World of Books for a review.