Malaysia and Singapore

1. MALAYSIA & SINGAPORE

2. Introduction
• Malaysia’s population 24 million consists of
64% Bumiputera group, 27 Chinese and 8%
Indian.
• Malaysia has experienced Islamic culture since
the 15th century, then faced the colonial eras,
and its history since WWII.

3. Early History
• Since the first millennium AD both the Malay
peninsula and the northern Borneo coast were
important for maritime trading networks.
• There was a very important ancient kingdom
called Sri Vijaya, its capital in a place called
Melayu.

4. Melaka and Malay Culture: 15th
• Founded about 1400, Malaka was both a major
trade centre and a great cultural one.
• Its position was excellent and it took care to
become a tributary of China, Majapahit, and
Ayudhya.
• A Chinese community settled and became a
feature of Malakan society.
• In 15th century, its rulers adopted Islam, making it
a favored destination for Arab and Indian Muslim
traders.

5. Melaka and Malay Culture: 15th
• Along with its religion, the port cities also
tended to adopt the Malakan form of
government and Malay became the most
widely understood language in the region.
• The golden age of Melaka ended in August
1511, and its ruling elite and their followers
established the sultanate of Johor.

6. A Threatening World: 16th – 18th
• In 1641, Johor helped the Dutch oust the
Portuguese from Malaka, outlying base in a
growing Dutch empire.
• The Dutch took care to concentrate their naval
and military resources against any state which
emerged threat.
• Many Malay states faced internal instability.
• In the late 18th and early 19th, the northern Malay
states of Patani, Kelantan, Kedah, Perak, and
Trengganu all experienced Thai pressures

7. The British Advance 19th
• The British established the Straits Settlements
in Singapore, Melaka and Penang.
• By the 1860s these states were in anarchy and
demands for official British intervention grew.
• In 1874, one of the leading Malay disputants
and the Governor of the Straits Settlements
signed met agreement called the Pangkor
Treaty, which the British took control most
financial and administrative matters.

8. The Colonial Era
• The British set about creating an environment for
economic expansion.
• Tin, rubber, pepper, sugar and coffee had
significantly grown; but no significant
industrialization occurred.
• Chinese immigration swelled in the colonial era,
while the British had also recruited Indian labour.
• Divisions between Malays, Chinese and Indians
were deepened by British perception and policies.

9. • Japanese forces attacked British Malay on 8
December 1941
• Malayan People’s Anti-Japanese Army under the
Communist Party of Malaysia.
• The British introduced a plan for Malayan Union
• United Malays National Organization (UMNO)-
the largest and best political party, Malaysian-
Chinese Association, and Malaysian-Indian
Congress.
• In 1957, the Alliance achieve independence for
the Federation of Malay

10. • The creation of Malaysia
• The 1969 crisis: after the1969 elections,
Violent clashed erupted in Kuala Lumpur
• UMNO became the dominant party in
Malaysia over the next two decades, and in
1976 the Alliance was superseded by a broader
coalition of parties, Barisan.
• Until 1990 general election, Barisan comprised
nine parties, held 127 of the 180 seats.

11. • The New Economic Policy (NEP) set two goals with a 1990
target date: reduce and eradicate poverty and identification
of economic function with race.
– The volumes of public investment and public consumption
expenditure increased
– The government promoted the education and training of
Bumiputeras
• In the years 1971-90, the country’s annual average growth
in GNP was 6.8% and per-capita GDP $380 to $2,200.
• However, NEP benefits had tended to be spread to UMNO’s
political advantage rather than on the basic of equity.

12. • 1981 Malaysia met a complex political
personality, Dr. Mahathir, who promoted Islam
• He centralized all the significant power in the
hands
• His biggest political challenge occurred in 1986-
87.
• He detained 106 people including opposition
personalities; three newspaper were closed.
• He remained so powerful for more than 20 years
until his resignation in 2003.

27. Singapore
• A thriving city-state, with a population of 4.2 million,
people is Singapore live in the highest per-capita
income in Asia.
• There are minority Indian and Malay communities,
but political, commercial and cultural power is in the
hands of the Chinese.

28. Colonialism
• Stamford Raffles hoisted the British flag on the island
of Singapore on 29 January 1819
• Firstly, this small island off the southern tip of the
Malay peninsula known as Temasek (See Town), and
later as Singa-pura (Lion City)
• The Straits Settlements remained in EIC control
• By the 1830s, Singapore had become the major
regional trading port because its geographic location,
its status as free port; its linkages into the British
commercial and industrial empire.

29. Colonialism
• Most Chinese came to Singapore as impoverished
indentured labourers, and in 19th century, the Chinese
population of Singapore were predominantly male.
• Chinese and European investors in the tin-mining
industry in Singapore
• On the eve of WWII, more than two-thirds of Malay’s
imports and exports went through the port of
Singapore.
• By the late 19th century, it was an important financial
and commercial cetnre.

30. Colonialism
• Before 1960, Singapore was a place of food
processing including tin and rubber.
• By the early 2oth century, there was no sense of being
Singaporean.
• There was Indian minority varying 6 to 12 % of the
population

31. • Singapore fell under the Japanese Army on 15
February 1942.
• The Chinese were still suffered the most

32. Towards Independence
• British retook Singapore in 1945
• Post-war British policy towards Singapore differed
from that towards Malaya.
• Limited self-government was introduce into
Singapore in 1955.
• In 1959, the People’s Action Party (PAP) gained
majority seats in the Legislative Assembly

33. Towards Independence
• The creation of Malaysia seemed to solve all
problems by forming Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak
in a new state of Malaysia
• When Malaysia was formed on 16 September 1963,
Singapore separated from Malaysia in Sep. 1965.
• At the first, Singapore feared that its economy was
too small and too vulnerable to anti-Chinese feeling
among its neighbors.
• Identity question, leadership, a regional economic
powerhouse in under 40 years.

34. Towards Independence
• However, 40 years later, this country is a major
economic success story.
• Singapore had moved from entrepot economy to a
predominantly industrial and service-based economy.
• The PAP has brought strong, stable and corruption-
free government to Singapore
• They created a Central Provident Fund
• Developed an excellent comprehensive education
system