Preparation For Withdrawal

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31843, 22 November 1968, Page 2

Preparation For Withdrawal

Singapore and Malaysia were accepting British withdrawal from the area in 1971 philosophically and were preparing to fill the military and economic void, Mrs Bee Bee Tan, from Singapore, and Miss Joy Lee, of Kuala Lumpur, said in Christchurch yesterday.

“Malaysians view the British pull-out as necessary and inevitable —we knew it would come and are relieved it is at a time when we can cope. Now we are concentrating on building up our own defence,” said Miss Lee. In Singapore the people had responded by rallying round their Government. Mrs Tan attributes this unity, “which has never happened before in Singapore,” to the personal popularity of the Prime Minister (Mr Lee Kwan Yew). “The reason we are so calm in Singapore is that we feel our Government is capable of looking after us. We trust the Prime Minister to do what is right, and we are very proud of him,” she said. Both Chinese Both the young women, who are travelling through New Zealand with a party of travel agents, are Chinese. Miss Lee, whose family have lived in Malaysia for several generations, said many Malaysians also admired Mr Lee’s dynamic ways. Reaction to legislation limiting trade union power recently passed in Singapore was an illustration of the people’s willingness to do what is best for the country in the long run, she said.

“Our Government has been trying to encourage invest-

ment from abroad to build up our capital base for the time when the British withdraw. “Until now unions have had tremendous power. They could force companies to give very big bonuses and gratuities and most employers would comply rather than have strikes—it was getting to be a racket. Now we have to work longer hours for less money,” said Mrs Tan. A working girl herself, Mrs Tan approves of the new state of affairs, nonetheless. “We lose money now, we will make it up later.” Few Grumbles The people “grumbled very little” and this she takes as a sign of their willingness to make a personal sacrifice. “They have been very quiet about it. If they really minded there would have been demonstrations. The bill was passed in Parliament with very little argument, and the press, which can be stinging, approves,” she said. Such unity of purpose was not so easy to achieve in Malaysia, a country divided betwen the Malays and the two minority races—Chinese and Indians, said Miss Lee. The Malay people, who regarded themselves as the country's true “sons of the earth” felt overwhelmed by the industrious Chinese who “hold the purse strings.” In an effort to change the balance of power the Government had introduced a policy of privilege for the largely rural, and usually less educated Malays. All employers must employ a certain quota of Malays and they must also be admitted to senior ranks in all spheres of business and government. The Chinese population in Malaysia, most of whom were i third-generation Malaysians I who felt they belonged in the I country, deeply resented this ■ policy, said Miss Lee. The photograph shows from left: Mrs Tan, Miss Betty Hoh, from Singapore, and Miss Lee on their arrival in Christchurch yesterday.