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Singapore's 1964 race riots : Malay sources and perspectives
Author
Junaidah Jaffar
Supervisor
Hack, Karl
Abstract
This academic exercise focuses on Malay perspectives concerning the riots which happened on 21st July, 1964 during a religious procession to mark the Prophet Mohammad's Birthday. The existing Singapore historiography on these suggests that the riots were manufactured by what Singapore Prime Minister (PM) Lee Kuan Yew termed the "Ultras" (notably the Secretary-General of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Syed Ja'afar bin Hassan Alhar). According to Lee, they indulged in "inflammatory racist propaganda" through their mouthpiece, the Utusan Melavu (LIM). This contributed to a structural build-up of tensions which erupted during the procession.
In contrast, according to the Malaysian PM, Tunku Abdul Rahman and his Deputy, Tun Razak, Indonesian saboteurs took advantage of the politically-charged atmosphere to incite the Malays against the Chinese. This was allegedly part of their Confrontation campaign against Malaysia.
This exercise attempts to present the Malay perspectives of the events surrounding the riots with the use of Malay language newspapers ((iM and Harian) and oral interviews with members of the Malay community, as well as official documents from the Australian Public Relations Office. The Malay perspectives include the opinions of the Malaysian and Singaporean Malay politicians as well as those of the common people.
This examination of Malay perspectives and sources strongly suggests that a combination of inter and intra party as well as communal factors blended to produce a dangerous situation, notably UMNO-PAP and intra-UMNO tensions. The proposed resettlement of residents of the Kallang Basin then became the focal point of this rivalry, when the people to be affected appealed to UMNO's Singapore branch (SUMNO) for help. Consequently, the Malay members of the PAP were sharply criticised by UMNO and SUMNO for not defending Malay interests.
The large procession of 21st July, containing politicised elements from all these factions passing through Kallang Basin and Geylang Serai where there were secret society elements. Thus, political, geographic and contextual factors blended into a dangerous cocktail of ingredients, which duly felled the riots.
It is hoped that this academic exercise will be useful in providing a more nuanced picture of the riots than that presented by the above historiographies.
In contrast, according to the Malaysian PM, Tunku Abdul Rahman and his Deputy, Tun Razak, Indonesian saboteurs took advantage of the politically-charged atmosphere to incite the Malays against the Chinese. This was allegedly part of their Confrontation campaign against Malaysia.
This exercise attempts to present the Malay perspectives of the events surrounding the riots with the use of Malay language newspapers ((iM and Harian) and oral interviews with members of the Malay community, as well as official documents from the Australian Public Relations Office. The Malay perspectives include the opinions of the Malaysian and Singaporean Malay politicians as well as those of the common people.
This examination of Malay perspectives and sources strongly suggests that a combination of inter and intra party as well as communal factors blended to produce a dangerous situation, notably UMNO-PAP and intra-UMNO tensions. The proposed resettlement of residents of the Kallang Basin then became the focal point of this rivalry, when the people to be affected appealed to UMNO's Singapore branch (SUMNO) for help. Consequently, the Malay members of the PAP were sharply criticised by UMNO and SUMNO for not defending Malay interests.
The large procession of 21st July, containing politicised elements from all these factions passing through Kallang Basin and Geylang Serai where there were secret society elements. Thus, political, geographic and contextual factors blended into a dangerous cocktail of ingredients, which duly felled the riots.
It is hoped that this academic exercise will be useful in providing a more nuanced picture of the riots than that presented by the above historiographies.
Date Issued
2005
Call Number
DS610.6 Jun
Date Submitted
2005