POLITICAL BANISHMENT IN MALAYA, 1900-1941

Abstract

Most histories on British rule in Malaya have been of a general nature, paying little attention to the specifics, which have hitherto eluded full academic scrutiny. This is especially so with regards to political banishment, that is, use of the Banishment Ordinance against political troublemakers. This academic exercise seeks to throw some light on this little explored but highly controversial issue of political banishment. It attempts to examine the application of political banishment between 1900 and 1941. The study begins with the year 1900 as this marked a period of rising political consciousness and participation among the various ethnic communities in Malaya, particularly the Chinese. The study ends with the year 1941 as British rule was then temporarily interrupted with the Japanese invasion and subsequent occupation in Malaya. Given the limitations of time, space and competence, this study will only focus on the application of the Banishment Ordinance against the various political activists deemed detrimental to British rule in Malaya. In the process, this study hopes to examine the variations in the application of the Banishment Ordinance among the different ethnic and political groupings in Malaya. A number of difficulties were encountered while preparing this academic exercise. In particular, the minutes of the Executive Council Proceedings (C.O. 275), which would have shown more light on this topic were not available in Singapore. This prevented a more thorough investigation of the subject. Nevertheless, key official documents such as the C.O. 273, C.O. 717, Monthly Review of Chinese Affairs and Malayan Bulletin of Political Intelligence have proven invaluable for this research. Thus, the study of political banishment in this academic exercise does not claim to be an exhaustive one. It is hope that future scholars and historians would be able to expand their research in this controversial but relatively untrodden path in our colonial history.