Towards the Negotiating Table
The road to independence was not won by war but through patient constitutional bargaining. The turning point came with the first Federal Legislative Council election in 1955, in which the Alliance (UMNO, a Malay nationalist party, together with the MCA and MIC) captured 51 of the 52 elected seats. This overwhelming mandate made Tunku Abdul Rahman the first Chief Minister and gave the local leadership the moral authority to demand self-rule from Britain.
The Baling Talks
Before independence could be discussed seriously, the British insisted that the armed communist insurgency be dealt with. In December 1955 Tunku Abdul Rahman, together with Tan Cheng Lock and Singapore's David Marshall, met the communist leader Chin Peng at the Baling Talks in Kedah. The aim was to persuade the Malayan Communist Party to end the Emergency by laying down its weapons. The talks collapsed because the communists refused to disband unconditionally, but they strengthened Tunku's standing as a leader speaking for the whole nation.
The London Mission
In January and February 1956 a delegation of four Alliance ministers and four representatives of the Malay Rulers travelled to London for talks at Lancaster House with the Colonial Secretary, Alan Lennox-Boyd. The negotiations succeeded: Britain agreed that the Federation of Malaya would become independent by 31 August 1957. On returning home, Tunku made the famous public announcement of the Merdeka date at Bandar Hilir, Malacca, on 20 February 1956.
Key idea
Malayan independence was achieved through peaceful negotiation: a strong electoral mandate in 1955 led to the London talks of 1956, where Britain fixed independence for 31 August 1957.
Remember
- 1955 election: Alliance won 51 of 52 seats.
- Baling Talks (Dec 1955) with Chin Peng failed to end the Emergency.
- London talks (1956) at Lancaster House fixed Merdeka for 31 Aug 1957.