Independence of British, Spanish & Japanese Colonies in SEA

QUESTION 1

It is interesting to reflect on why Malaya achieved its independence 9 years later than nations which achieved their independence in the late 1940s. Have you ever wondered why? Why? Why was Malaya slow in achieving its independence? What actually went on or went wrong?

Philippines' independence: 12 June 1898 (from Spain)

Indonesian independence: 17 August 1945 (from Japan)

India's independence: 15 August 1947 (from Britain)

Malayan independence: 31 August 1957 (from Britain)

Singapore's independence: 31 August 1963 (from Britain); 9 August 1965 (from Malaysia)


QUESTION 2

Who were the people behind Malaya's independence?

1) Mustapha Hussain (second person in KMM; his youngest daughter is Insun Sony Mustapha Fenner. Insun Sony is in Facebook. Insun Sony wrote 5 books about her father.)

2) Yusof bin Ishak (he was the first President of Singapore; a relative of Mustapha Hussain; both were descendants of Datuk Jenaton)

3) Burhanudin Helmy (he was KMM leader; he was an early Malay doctor)

4) Other??


QUESTION 3

What was the origin of the Malay reformers for the Malayan independence?

1) Datuk Jenaton (Datuk Jenaton group is in Facebook. The history of Datuk Jenaton is at a different website given in Insun Sony's Facebook.)

2) Pagarruyung (the Pagarruyung palace was razed to the ground in the battle called Perang Paderi. Many Malay princes escaped to Malaya at that time.)

3) West Sumatra (the Arab descendants of the Minangkabau princes could have come from Aceh. The Arabs of Aceh had significant control over the region before the arrival of the Dutch East India Company.)

4) Other??