Topic > About the Japanese Occupation of Malaya

During World War II, the Japanese army takes control of Malaya. The Japanese occupation caused uncertainty and chaos among local residents. During the Japanese occupation in Malaya for 3 and a half years, all the local people were controlled by the Japanese and they suffered a lot at the time as the policies brought social, economic and political impact in the life of Malaysia. At that time people were suffering and depressed due to the Japanese government's policies. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The social impact of the Japanese occupation of Malaya led to a more distant relationship between the local races. Malays, Indians and Chinese were treated unfairly. The Malays were named Japanese secret police, specifically "Kempeitai". While the Chinese were killed and tortured by the Japanese and the Indians were used as labor and are forced to work as construction workers. Food shortages cause diseases that cause many deaths, until the railway is known as the "Death Railway". In that period there was a lack of food, especially rice, and this was the cause of various diseases. Among the many deadly diseases are malaria and beriberi. This problem becomes more serious as there is a shortage of drugs, especially since the Japanese seized the drugs for their need in Malaysia. Japan appointed the Malays as its police and army forces. The reason for the Malaysian police and army is because the Japanese use them to resist giving them the consistent appearance of Chinese people. The Japanese wanted to add more anger to the Chinese. As a result, after the Japanese occupation, racial classes occurred between Malays and Chinese. In addition to this, when the products of pineapple leaf juice, coconut sugar, Japan's industrious occupation among the Malays and the spirit of self-reliance, Japan's occupation realizes the importance of teaching Malaysians, raise awareness. Japan has adopted its culture into the local community, especially the Malay community. In this regard, Japan has expanded the Japanese language in Malaysia. The medium of instruction in school was changed from English to Japanese. To promote the language, the government has taken the initiative to organize short Japanese language courses for locals. The adoption of Japanese culture was carried out by the entire community as a public holiday during the festival season in Japan. The Japanese government has also banned the use of the Chinese language in Chinese schools located in Malaysia. Japan is also involved in Malaysia's school system which it has fully implemented to require singing the Japanese national anthem (Kamigayo) every morning and respecting the Japanese flag so that the people of Malaysia honor the Emperor of Japan. Malaysia's economy is also severely affected during the Japanese occupation. The Malaysian economy is mainly dependent on rubber exports, but eventually all rubber reduced production due to the war and also due to the “Scorched Earth” policy implemented by the British. The British are damaging all the rubber trees, factories, mines and mining machinery before leaving Malaysia. The British reason is that they don't want to prevent it from falling into Japanese hands. If the English did not destroy the trees, the Japanese would import their production into their country. During the Japanese occupation, Malaysia had access to consumer goods, especially food. Malaysia produces only 40% of the population's rice. They were ordered by the Japanesetaken several measures to increase rice production in Malaysia. The result is that the Malaysian people rely on other crops, such as corn, bananas, cassava and others. Malaysian banknotes amount to 40 million dollars, 2 million dollars for professional distribution of banknotes in Japan. Due to the deterioration of the Japanese economy, Malaysia's communications systems and other infrastructure suffer irreparable damage. Although Japan has implemented a number of industries, such as shoe factories, tires and others, but it is not a success. After dominating the Malays, the Japanese administration restructures the organization by placing Malaya under military management called the Malayan Military Government (MMA). in accordance with the state of war at that time. The main objective of the MMA is to restore law and order, to exploit the resources necessary to support the war economy and the needs of the troops in Malaya, to ensure sufficiency. The MMA leadership helps the Japanese secret police and intelligence agencies called the Japanese Kempeitai. Under the direct control of the Straits (NNS) they are managed directly by the Japanese Governor and continue the systems in other states as well. The real power, however, is in the hands of the Japanese. To gain the support of the Malays, Japan maintains the institutions of the Sultan as administrator together with the Japanese. In the early stages of the Japanese occupation of Malaya, Sumatra united under a single administration based in Singapore (Shonan). However, this combination failed and was separated from the terms of administration of NNM Sumatra in 1944. The economic impact of Malaya, especially the politics of Malaya, is aware of enhancing the patriotic spirit of Malaya's independence from Japan and the British. Propaganda is spread by the Japanese, when they inculcate the nationalist spirit for Malaysia, the Chinese and Indians come into conflict with each other. Therefore, the gap between Malays, Chinese and Indians and ethnic tensions further complicate the process of national unity. The suffering and Japanese propaganda "Asia for Asia's sake" sensitized the local population to fight for freedom and the policy of independence. Japan hopes to gain the support of the Indians as the Japanese intend to dominate India. They encourage Indians to cooperate with Japan, for the liberation of India from the British. The Indian National Army (MIA) was founded by the Japanese in Malaya. Japanese policy towards Indians was a problem in trying to create a national consciousness among Indians in Malaya. They were expelled, the treatment of prisoners by the Japanese and another decline in British dignity. The British failed to remind them that they cannot rely on the British defense of Malaya. Aware of this scenario, the local population finds itself having to defend its rights and interests alone, as well as its homeland. During the Japanese occupation, the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) began to gain widespread support, especially from the Chinese, and is regarded as Japan's oppression of their patron. They join the Malayan Anti-Japanese Union (GROW), founded by the British. The MCP's Anti-Japanese People's Army established the Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA). The MPAJA, in particular, a team of 136 people gets help, weapons, food, medicine and training from allies. During the Japanese occupation, the MCP became a powerful and well-organized political party. Remembering the services of the MCP to help the British against the Japanese, people think that this is a legitimate political party since 1945. Failed to achieve the Constitution, causing armed rebellionof the MCP from 16 June 1948 to further their objectives: the capture of Malaya and then established the Malayan Communist Republic. The Japanese occupation led to the emergence of a political consciousness of assembly and association among the Malay people after the Japanese occupation. Among the existing political parties are UMNO, MCA, MIC, API, ATTENTION, PKMM, Hizbul Muslims and others. These parties are also available as a separate idea, due to the Japanese occupation. It was promised to grant independence to Malaysia under the "Indonesia Raya". To this end, the People's Union of the Indonesian Peninsula (KRIS) was established in July 1945. The leaders of the two countries, Dr. Yaacob Ibrahim Burhandin and Indonesian leader Sukarno and Hatta, held the speech towards achieving mutual independence. As the conclusion of the Japanese occupation of Malaya, following an incendiary act, which destroyed many Japanese cities, the Allies prepared for the costly Japanese invasion. At the end of the war in Europe, Nazi Germany signed the Instrument of Surrender. Together with the United Kingdom and the Republic of the United States, the Japanese surrender, “the Potsdam Declaration of July 26, 1945, the threat to Japan,” rapid and total destruction. The Japanese government ignored this ultimatu, and the United States deployed two nuclear weapons developed by the Manhattan Project. The little boy of American pilots dropped the city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, the fat man in Nagasaki on August 9. In the first two to four months of the bombing a severe impact occurred, with the deaths of 90,000-166,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,000-80,000 in Nagasaki, approximately half of the deaths occurring on the first day of each city. The Malayan Union Proposal The British had revealed the Malayan Union Plan in a White Paper in late January 1946 after obtaining these treaties from the Malay sultans through Sir MacMichael. According to this thesis, the main issues included in this proposal are: The Malayan Union proposal seeks to change the status of the Malay States from the state under the protection of the British government during the past World War II to one of a British colony. This means that the British have the authority and power over the administration of the states of Malaya. This can be achieved by ceding the power of the Malay sultan to the British government and the possibility of implementing the External Power Act in Malaya to protect British interests in this government. Create unitary states comprising the Federated Malay States (FMS), Unfederated Malay States (UMS), Penang and Malacca with the central government, a governor and a legislature under the Executive Council. The governor of the central government will coordinate all the administration of these states. To maintain Singapore as a separate colony due to fears that Malay opposition to Singapore would prevent acceptance of the Union. It will be administered by a British governor based in Singapore. The other reason to separate Singapore is because it has a lot of Chinese population, so if Singapore Chinese were combined with Malaysian Chinese, the Chinese population would be higher than the Malaysian population. According to the Malayan Union, the Malay sultans were to maintain their positions but their sovereignty was to be transferred to the British Crown. The British have the right to interfere in Muslim religious affairs and other Malay ceremonial activities. The British government formed the Malayan Consultative Body under which the sultans are members of that body while the British governor will be its president. The Treaty on the Malayan Union also stipulated that the meeting of the states will remain, but it will be the administration of the central government center to control and manage all aspects of local government. Every stateof the Malayan Union will have a High Commissioner whereby he will be selected as the chief administration at the state level and the man answerable to the central government. All citizens of the new Malayan Union would have equal rights including admission into the Union Malayan Civil Administrative Service. The concept of "Jus Soli" was implemented and with this concept, all foreigners born in Malaysia or Singapore and those aged between 18 years and above have stayed for more than 10-15 years before 15 February 1942 are qualified for have a citizenship of Malaysia. This concept has been extended to all races without discrimination. People's Opposition With the revelation of the major problems in the 1946 Malayan Union Proposal, there are two different reactions from the main races of Malaya. The reaction of the non-Malays was to remain silent on this issue because the White Paper within the treaties of the Malayan Union gave an advantage for them and at that time they did not have a strong leader to come forward to face the British. On the other hand, the Malays have shown clear opposition towards this White Paper and the reasons why they do not agree with the main issues of this proposal are because: The Malays had accused the British of using force and manipulation before the agreement that were made with the Malay sultans. The British had threatened the sultans: if the sultans did not accept the agreement of the Malayan union, they would be accused of involvement with Japan in the Second World War. They will reverse their current positions and replace with someone who agreed with the deal that was proposed. The sultans and Malay rulers were given short notice to think and discuss the implications of implementing the Malay Union. It was so important to the States and its future because if a detailed discussion was not made, it is possible that this would jeopardize the status of the Malays in the future. So, by doing so, the British forced the Malay rulers to accept this agreement without giving a chance to analyze the consequences after implementation. The fear of the sultans and Malay rulers lost the power and sovereignty of the states according to the letter in Malay Union, which states that the status was changed from the states under British protection to the states which are one of the British colonies. That is why sultans must transfer their sovereignty to the British crown and will only keep their titles and positions without having the right to administer their own states. They can only manage the aspect relating to religious issues. They are concerned about the status of Malays in their own country. This threat came from the Chinese who exploit in the economic sectors and their associations will be so strong when the Malayan Union is implemented. With the implementation of the Malayan Union, all rights will be equal for everyone, so the Chinese will receive the support of the British. If the Chinese got the same rights as the Malays, they would certainly become the main threat to the Malays, especially during the 1931 period, whereby the total population of non-Malays in this country exceeds the Malays themselves. Besides that, the cold relationship between Chinese and Malays during that period added some threat to the Malays. The invalid treaties which obtained from the British to declare the Malay Union, because according to the rules of the Malay states, the Malay sultans or rulers must discuss with the leaders of the other Malays before agreeing and signing the agreement with the foreigners. Sultans are not allowed to cede any area or district of even half of the states to foreigners. These types of rules were clearly stated in Johor's legislative rules. The Malayan Union was a political onebefore the war. Thus, after the war, the nationalist spirit developed among the Malays especially when they saw Japan's victory over the Americans and the British. The failure of the British to defend Malaya brought a new lesson learned to the Malay leaders that they cannot hope for the British to defend their country in the future. So, for those ambitions they have to fight for independence from the British government. Based on the above factors, that is why the proposal of the Malayan Union in 1946 was not accepted by the Malays. Also for this reason, the inauguration of the Malay Union on 1 April 1946 did not receive a declaration from the Malays, but on the other hand they used it as a platform to fight for their rights and states of independence. Also due to this opposition, the British government needs to rethink that proposal and discuss with the Malaysian representative to find a solution. At the time, their opposition to the Malayan Union led to the birth of the United Malay National Organization or UMNO – which was inaugurated on 11 May 1946 in Johor Baru – and the emergence of Datuk Onn Jaafar as its first president. UMNO gained support from all strata of Malay society who opposed the Malayan Union: aristocrats, the radical Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (Malay Nationalist Party or MNP), Islamic groups, civil servants, rural leaders such as the penghulus ( village leaders), and even the police and personnel on duty. UMNO opposed the Malayan Union because it limited the powers of Malay rulers and special Malay privileges, granted citizenship and equal rights to qualified non-Malays on birth, residence and other terms. UMNO called for a return to the pre-war political structures, established in the Malay states under treaties signed with the Malay rulers under which the British "protected" the Malay states and advised the rulers in all matters except Islam and Malay customs. Protests and demonstrations against the Malayan Union saw Malay women breaking tradition by joining marches and carrying placards. Many Malays wrap a white cloth around their songkok (cap) as a symbol of mourning. UMNO urged Malay civil servants to boycott the Malay Union government by refusing to do any work. Also at UMNO's urging, the Malay rulers boycotted the installation of Sir Edward Gent as governor of the Malayan Union. Non-Malays were also inspired to fight for their rights and organized political parties such as the Malayan Indian Congress (MIC) and the Malay Democratic Union, which came under an umbrella organisation: the All Malaya Joint Action Council (AMCJA ), led by prominent Chinese leader Tan Cheng Lock. Several trade unions and women's groups aligned with the then semi-legal Communist Party of Malaya also joined the AMCJA. For the first time, politics during the Malayan Union led to the formation of a multiracial alliance between the non-Malay AMCJA and the Malaya-based Pusat Tenaga Rakyat (PUTERA), a coalition under the leadership of the MNP that included the its youth and women's wings, and Malay cultural bodies. Dr Burhanuddin Al-Helmy became president of Putera-AMCJA, with Tan as vice-president. This followed the MNP's departure from UMNO due to differences regarding the UMNO flag. The MNP decided to partner with the AMCJA to fight for an independent United Malaysia with equal citizenship for all and an elected Parliament in which Malay rulers would become constitutional monarchs. The coalition parties also agreed that Malay would be the national language, and all citizens would be known as “Melayu” citizens. The proposed nationality “Melayu” was controversial, but it was quite different from the Bangsa Melayu and was not an identity.