Merdeka! The British Rule and The Struggle for Independence in Malaya 1945-1957

by Khong Kim Hoong

Merdeka! describes the explosive situation in Malaya between the end of the second World War until the termination of direct British rule in 1957. It discusses how the leading contenders for power and influence manoeuvered for pre-eminence in the political arena. The study fills in certain gaps in existing knowledge of this critical period in Malayan politics, with analysis of the conflicts between the British Military Administration and the Communists, the radical reaction to the Malayan Union proposals and the Federation of Malayan Agreement, and the agitation for constitutional democracy. The communist-led revolt in 1948 is interpreted in the light of post-war British policy. The author suggests that the political reforms of the 1950s and the British government's support of and final transfer of power to the non-communist Alliance coalition were due to the inability of the British to suppress the communist revolt otherwise.

333 pages

Reviews

[Emily Ding]

Found this a good primer on Malayan politics from the end of Japanese Occupation in 1945 to independence in 1957. There is not a great emphasis on individual leaders in this book, but it is really clear in terms of explaining the cause and effect of events and the motivations of the actors behind them—so clear that one can't help wondering if there might have been some oversimplifications made. Anyway, it's a good base of knowledge from which to compare other perspectives. A must-read on the history of Malaysia's independence.