PAP’S VISION OF ‘MALAYSIAN MALAYSIA’: MALAY CONTINUITY AND RESISTANCE, 1964-1969

Abstract

The provision for the special position of the Malays in the constitution of Malaysia has its own rationale and was intended to stimulate the performance of the Malays in all areas, especially in the economy. Indeed since the establishment of that position the non-Malays have been critical towards that privilege which is seen to discriminate the other races. The criticisms of that issue became more open in particular after Singapore joined the federation of Malaysia in 1963. The special position of the Malays was continously challenged through the spread of the PAP non-communal vision, called ‘Malaysian Malaysia,’ which was led by Lee Kuan Yew. PAP’s vision which envisaged absolute equality had caused dissatisfaction among the Malays which resulted in the expulsion of Singapore in 1965. After that, the idea of ‘Malaysian Malaysia’ was inherited by the Democratic Action Party (DAP) through the Setapak Declaration 1967. This article examines the various political debates that surrounded the issue between 1964 and 1969.