Tunku Abdul Rahman played a pivotal role in the struggle for Malaya’s independence and the subsequent formation of Malaysia, demonstrating leadership skills, navigating complex ethnic relations, and promoting multiculturalism while protecting Malay rights and fostering racial harmony to maintain stability
In the 15th century, the Malacca Sultanate covered most of Peninsular Malaysia’s east coast and Sumatra. The sultanate’s strategic location between East Asia and the Middle East made it a major spice trading center and drew European colonial powers. In 1509, the Portuguese attempted to get a trading deal but faced opposition given their reputation as ‘fanatical’ enemies of Islam.
An Alfonso de Albuquerque-led force in 1511 attacked and captured Malacca to destroy the Sultanate as a trading power and a centre for Islamic study and propagation apart from wresting control of the lucrative spice trade from Muslims to undermine the economies of Cairo and Mecca. The occupation of Malays also meant control of the shortest sea route between India and China—the Strait of Malacca—and one of the world’s busiest shipping channels.
The Pourtagees rule lasted for over a century before the Dutch took over in 1641, and the British in 1824. The anti-colonial resistance gained strength in the 1920s and 1930s when a new generation of Malay leaders educated abroad used mass media—newspapers and magazines—to organize themselves and formed associations such as the Kesatuan Melayu Muda and Kesatuan Melayu Singapura to achieve self-governance.
Rise of the Prince
While decolonization gathered steam in the aftermath of the Second World War, the British sought to centralise Malaya’s control by establishing the Malayan Union in 1946 after the end of the brief Japanese occupation (1941-1945). The move diluted Malay influence by relaxing citizenship laws and stripped their rulers of authority. Dato Onn Jaafar led the resistance against the plan before Tunku or Prince Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj (1903–1990), the seventh son of Abdul Rahman Ibni who ruled the northern principality of Kedah for 61 years, deftly led Malaya in securing full sovereignty.
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Tunku Abdul Rahman chose diplomacy and ensured a peaceful power transition on August 31, 1957. He negotiated Malaya’s full independence on his terms, making most of his close relationship with Queen Elizabeth II. The Tunku ensured the Malay rulers remained constitutional monarchs and a special position for Malays in the Constitution. He avoided confrontation and convinced the British that Malaya was prepared for self-governance. The Tunku paved the way for the 1948 Federation of Malaya Agreement restoring the Malay rulers’ authority.
The Tunku led a multiracial delegation that secured the pact for full independence without conditions, unlike what the Malayan Union envisaged. His commitment to protecting Malay rights did not prevent him from fostering racial harmony. He devised a social contract that secured Malay rights in education, civil service, and the economy under the Constitution’s Article 153. He balanced the Malay position with the rights of other groups.
Advancement Through Participation
The Tunku’s inclusive policies as the first Prime Minister and father of independence helped Malays economically and politically without alienating other communities besides delivering development and peaceful transition of power unlike in many newly independent nations. He envisioned Malay advancement through education, economic participation, and political unity by avoiding conflict.
Tunku Abdul Rahman was of mixed heritage. His mother Makche Menjelara was half Burmese and half Thai daughter of Siamese Shan (modern-day Myanmar) chieftain Luang Mira. When he passed away in 1990, The New York Times described the Tunku as a gregarious noble, whose ability and predisposition to lead were doubted during his student days.
The Tunku received his baccalaureate from Cambridge University’s St Catherine’s College in 1925. The Second World War cut short his law studies. He was admitted to the bar in London in 1949. The Tunku did not do particularly well as a law student in England. He joked he must be the only student to be admitted to the bar on his silver jubilee when it happened when he was 47.
The Tunku was better known for his interest in sports—golf, soccer, and tennis—and poker until returning to Malaya from Britain and serving as a civil servant in Malaya’s remote areas. He got to know his land and the people better when he often traveled across the hinterlands on foot and elephants. The Tunku came to be known as Rahmaniah (compassionate) after he worked as a manual laborer to help build a mosque.
Tunku Abdul Rahman helped hide escapees from Japanese death camps as a civil servant during the Japanese occupation. He stayed in touch with the British supplying arms to anti-Japanese Communist irregulars and the Malayan independence movement. Younger Malay looked to him as he built a following in his native Kedah after joining the United Malay Nationalist Organization (UMNO). The Tunku’s followers began pushing him for the party leadership.
In 1951, the Tunku took over as the UMNO leader. He curbed anti-Chinese sentiment in the party and reached out to the Chinese and Indian leaders to unite behind him. He sold his expensive cars and most of his property to his help UMNO. He recalled working like mad and living and sleeping on trains. Often home only one day a month, his hard work paid off when in the 1955 general election, his alliance swept 51 of the 52 seats in the federal legislature.
When Tunku Abdul Rahman took over as chief minister under the British high commissioner, he immediately started a mega project for building roads, schools, and clinics to boost the standard of living. The Tunku allowed Britain’s economic and military presence for Malayan stability. A British officer commanded the Malayan army. Five British civil servants held key positions in the Malayan government. The British businessmen controlled over half of the rubber industry in the 1960s.
Unifying Force
Tunku Abdul Rahman proved his critics wrong by showing the patience and skills needed to lead the Malays and the Chinese in a government that was not expected to be wieldy. The Tunku, two of whose four adopted children were Chinese, brought rivals UMNO and the Malayan Chinese Association together as he emerged as a unifying force. The Tunku walked the line between ethnic groups in a country where the minority Chinese outstripped Malays economically by dominating business, industry, and trade. He won their trust to achieve the Malay-Chinese political cooperation.
The Tunku was elevated to the post of the first prime minister in 1957. He continued in the position until 1970 as a leader for all races embracing multiculturalism and racial diversity. The Tunku was admired for his self-effacing wit, common sense, and easy-going nature. Visiting diplomats were often surprised to see children of his house help in the sitting room and climb onto the Tunku’s lap during meetings.
The Realist
The Tunku had no interest in unrealistic schemes. He wanted food instead of bullets, clothing instead of uniforms, and houses instead of barracks. His ambition was not a mighty but happy Malaysia. His army had only seven battalions. The Tunku offered a five-year tax holiday to new industries as part of a diversification programme and pushed land development for new cash crops.
The Tunku played a key role in the formation of Malaysia by having four countries sign a federation agreement and serve as its first Prime Minister. Singapore’s Cambridge-educated leader Lee Kuan Yew convinced the Tunku that a potentially communist Singapore could spell trouble for Malaya. The Tunku was also worried that Singapore could become ‘a Chinese Cuba.’ A merger was seen as a solution to the problem and allowed Malaya’s powerful internal security police to help Singapore check the Communist subversion.
To balance the population, the Tunku offered the Borneo 70 seats in the federal parliament against 15 for more populous Singapore and 104 for Malaya. He promised tax concessions and a $12 million aid annually to Borneo. The new nation of Malaysia came into being on August 31, 1963. Racial riots in September 1964 led to Singapore’s separation from Malaysia in August with the union lasting for less than 23 months.
Another bout of violence between the Malays and the Chinese in 1969 ended Tunku Abdul Rahman’s public life in 1970. He broke down on national radio as the violence left hundreds dead. The UMNO removed him as its leader and eventually as the prime minister. The National Operations Council formed earlier under Tun Razak took major decisions undermining the Tunku’s power. Tunku Abdul Rahman did not even have money to settle his outstanding income tax upon his retirement. Money had to be collected to pay, underscoring why his legacy extends beyond his political achievements.
