INDEPENDENCE – 1957

THE REID COMMISSION

A Commonwealth Commission was then set up under a Chairman, Lord Reid, to plan a new constitution for Malaya. This Commission consisted of members from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India and Pakistan. No Malayan were members of the Commission.
The Reid Commission held its meeting in Malaya between May and October, 1956. It consulted the Alliance and the British Government. The Commission’s proposals were then put forward to the Sultans, the Malayan and British Governments. They accepted the proposals with only a few changes. The proposals became the Constitution for an independent Malaya.


THE CONSTITUTION OF MALAYA

A Constitutional Monarchy

According to the Constitution Malaya would remain a federation. The states and their Sultans were to retain certain rights and powers. A central government would have supreme power in all-important matters.
The Government was to be a Constitutional Monarchy. The Yang diPertuan Agong would be the Head of State. The Sultans would elect from among themselves the Yang diPertuan Agong and the Deputy Yang diPertuang Agong. Both of them would be elected for a period of five years.
The Cabinet of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister would carry out the government of the country. The Prime Minister was to be appointed by the Yang diPertuan Agong. The Prime Minister would be the leader of the party with a majority in the House of Representatives of Lower House.



THE PARLIAMENT

There would be a new Parliament consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Parliament could sit for not more than five years. New elections were to be held every five years.
The House of Representatives had most of the powers. The Senate mainly represented special interests such as the Aborigines, and the tin and rubber industries. It had only the power to delay for a period of one year legislation (except Money Bills) which had been passed by the House of Representatives.



THE STATE GOVERNMENT

Each of the States and Settlements had its own government. Each Sultan would be Head of his own State government. Penang and Malacca would have Governor instead of Sultan. He would choose the leader of the majority party in the State legislature as the Mentri Besar.
Each state was to have a fully elected Legislative Assembly. Its Executive Council of Ministers would be chosen from the party which had a majority of elected members in the Assembly. Elections would be held every four years.
The State governments were to have control of local government, Muslim law and custom, land, agriculture and forestry. Both Federal and State governments were to be responsible for public health and social welfare.




CITIZENSHIP

All those who were born in Malaya after the independence would become citizens automatically. Those who were born in the Federation before independence and who had lived there for 5 out 7 years would be given citizenship. They should have some knowledge of Malay and would have to take an oath of loyalty to the Federation.
Those who had lived in the Federation for 8 out of the 12 years at the time of independence could also become citizens. But they also should have some knowledge of Malay and had to take the oath of loyalty.
No new privileges would be given to Malays but those special rights which they already had should be continued for 15 years after independence. Privileges such as civil service employment and scholarships were to be continued to allow them to improve their economic position.



MALAY, THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE

Malay would become the national language of the country after 1967. Until then Malay and English were to be the official languages.
At the time the Federation became independent the Federal Legislature was not fully elected. Provision was made to hold elections for the House of Representatives within two years after independence. By then more people would have qualified for the new citizenship.


INDEPENDENCE – 1957

The Federation of Malaya Agreement, by which Malaya was to become an independent nation, was signed in Kuala Lumpur on 5th August 1957.
On 31st August 1957 Malaya was proclaimed independent at a ceremony held in the Merdeka Stadium in Kuala Lumpur. This day became known as Merdeka Day. The representative of Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Gloucester, presented the charter of Independence to Tengku Abdul Rahman, the first Prime Minister of the independent Federation of Malaya.
The Yang diPertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Abdul Rahman ibni Tuanku Muhammad was installed the first Yang diPertuan Agong on 2nd September 1957.
Malaya became a member of the Commonwealth. Britain continued to give military and economic aid o 17th September 1957 the Federation of Malaya became the 82nd member of the United Nation Organisations.



ELECTIONS – 1959

FRIENDLY RELATIONS ESTABLISHED

Since Independence Day, the Tengku has strived to ensure a stable, responsible government in Malaya, and good relations abroad. He has made Malaya into a tryly Malayan nation. He exchanged visits with the Heads of other governments, thus increasing friendly relations with other countries.
In 1958 the Tengku made goodwill visits to Vietnam, Ceylon and Japan. In June he made a pilgrimage to Mecca for having obtained the Independence for Malaya peacefully. In September he made an official visit to Brunei. In January 1959 he visited the Philippines. There he suggested the formation of an association for close economic and cultural cooperation between the countries of Southeast Asia. This was the beginning of the Association of Southeast Asia (ASA).
Towards the end of 1958 the President of the Republic of India, and the Prime Minister of Canada visited Malaya. In early 1959 the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr Dag Hammarskjoeld, and the Prime Minister of Indonesia also visited Malaya.


THE ELECTIONS OF 1959

In August 1959 the first elections for a fully elected House of Representatives were held. This was in accordance with the provision made in the Federal Constitution to hold the elections within two years from Independence. The Alliance won 74 out of the 104 seats in the Lower House of the new Parliament. The PMIP was the strongest of the opposition parties. It was very successful in Kelantan and Terengganu.
The Alliance regained power to continue to rule Malaya for five more years. Tengku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj again became the Prime Minister of Malaya. Tun Abdul Razak bin Dato Hussein became Deputy Prime Minister. Tun Abdul Razak was deputy president of the UMNO. He had taken part in the mission to London which obtained independence for Malaya. He is an excellent administrator and is mainly responsible for the success of the Rural Development Scheme.
In April 1960 the first Yang diPertuan Agong died. He was succeeded by the Sultan of Selangor, Tuanku Hisamuddin Alam Shah.


PROGRESS UNTIL 1961

On 31st July 1960 the Tengku declred the end of Emergency. Although the Communists had failed, Communism in Malaya has not ended. Efforts are still being made to check and end Communist activities in Malaya.
The Federation of Malaya celebrated its third anniversary of Independence on 31st August 1960. The Second Yang diPertuan Agong died the next day. The Conference of Rulers elected the Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Putra, as the third Yang diPertuan Agong. He was installed in office in January 1961.
In February 1961 the Philippines and Thailand agreed to Tengku’s suggestion of ASA. It was only in July that Malaya, the Philippines and Thailand signed the agreement for the formation of ASA in Bangkok.