Malaya Prepares For Its First Elections

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27709, 13 July 1955, Page 13

Malaya Prepares For Its First Elections

(Rcc. 10 p.m.) SINGAPORE, July 12. Against the dark background of the eight-years-old antiCommunist emergency, the Federation of Malaya is preparing for its first General Elections on July 27. Communist attempts to interfere in the elections have not as yet been reported, but candidates for some of the Legislative Council’s 52 elected seats have police guards when they travel along “black” roads, and meetings are timed to fit in with curfew arrangements. More than 1,820.000 Malays, Chinese. Indians, Siamese and others will elect 52 “waklis” or representatives, to the new council. The remaining 46 members of the Legislature will be nominated by the rubber and tin industries, by commerce and trade unions and by the minority races—Eurasians, Ceylonese and Aborigines. From the elected members will come nine “ministers” (to be called “members”) who will form the Cabinet headed by the High Commissioner (Sir Donald McGillivray) and three ex-officio members. The High Commissioner retains the power of veto, and in other respects the new constitution parallels that of the colony of Singapore.

The new council will have most powers of self-government, with the exception of the vital ones of defence and internal security. Critics of the Constitution—and they are many—complain that the elections give only a fraction of the Chinese in Malaya a vote. In fact, the Chinese are mainly not citizens of the various Malay States or of the Britishcontrolled province of Wellesley. An analysis of those entitled to the vote shows that 82 per cent, are Malays and 11 per cent. Chinese. Of Malaya’s population of about 5.500 00.0. about half are Chinese and half Malay. Voting is expected to be along communal. or racial, lines, with the Triple Alliance, representing Chinese, Malaya and Indian associations, in a strong position. The next most powerful is the Party Negara (Country Party). Party Negara’s leaders are the conservative “upper crust” of Malays in the government administration, and Chinese and Europeans in business. Party Negara has not the money nor the organisation of the powerful Alliance, with its backing of wealthy Chinese. It is contesting 30 seats, but has skilfully maneuvered the position so that in every constituency where the Alliance has a Chinese candidate—a total of 15—he will be opposed by a Malay from Party Negara.

Inevitably, the early ending of the emergency and the restrictive regulations associated with it is the basic plank in the platforms of both the main parties. Both parties also promise independence, the Alliance by 1959 and the Party Negara by 1960. Malaya, recognised as the balancing point of South-east Asia and a vital anti-Communist bastion in the area, appears to be well on the way to defeating militant communism in the [jungles. Government authorities hope that, after the police-guarded mobile polling stations on trucks along lonelv roads or in canoes up rivers, have brought back the votes, the British pnlicv of gradual self-government will prove to be a help in beatinc subversion in the federation. They think that the policy of showing good faith in helping Malaya towards independence will prove ■ valuable counter to Communist “freedom” propaganda.