THIS D O C U M E N T IS T H E P R O P E R T Y O F HIS B R I T A N N I C M A J E S T Y ' S

GOVERNMENT)

CONFIDENTIAL
C . P . ( 5 0 ) 129 16TH JUNE, 1953
CABINET
COPY NO, 3

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S T A T E M E N T TO THE HOUSE O F COMMONS

ON VISIT T O M A L A Y A
N o t e b y t h e S e c r e t a r y of S t a t e f o r t h e C o l o n i e s
I c i r c u l a t e , f o r t h e i n f o r m a t i o n of m y c o l l e a g u e s , t h e t e x t of a s t a t e m e n t w h i c h I p r o p o s e to m a k e to the H o u s e on M o n d a y , 19th J u n e , on m y r e c e n t v i s i t t o M a l a y a a n d S i n g a p o r e .

J.G.

Colonial Office, S . W . 1 ,
16TH JUNE, 1950.

S T A T E M E N T T O THE HOUSE O F

COMMONS

T h e House will a p p r e c i a t e that I m u s t confine m y s e l f to the salient impressions Singapore. w h i c h I b r i n g b a c k f r o m m y t o u r of M a l a y a a n d way

I a m i n d e b t e d to a l l t h o s e r e s p o n s i b l e for t h e a d m i r a b l e I w a s able to m e e t and talk with p e o p l e

in w h i c h it w a s a r r a n g e d .

from

e v e r y s e c t i o n of t h e c o m m u n i t y , to s e e t h e s i t u a t i o n f o r m y s e l f in m a n y d i f f e r e n t p a r t s of t h e c o u n t r y , a n d t o d i s c u s s w i t h t h e l e a d e r s , and unofficial, their p r e s e n t and future problems. official

T h e f i r s t o b j e c t of t h e S e c r e t a r y of S t a t e f o r W a r a n d m y s e l f w a s to s e e what m o r e could be done t o w a r d s ending the e m e r g e n c y . We d i s

c u s s e d fully with G e n e r a l B r i g g s , and the civil and m i l i t a r y a u t h o r i t i e s , t h e p l a n of o p e r a t i o n s o n w h i c h G e n e r a l B r i g g s h a s n o w e m b a r k e d . w o u l d n o t b e in t h e p u b l i c i n t e r e s t f o r m e t o g i v e d e t a i l s of t h i s p l a n , It

which i n v o l v e s c o m p l e t e c o - o r d i n a t i o n b e t w e e n the A r m y , the the civil a d m i n i s t r a t i o n . Police and B u t we a r e c o n v i n c e d it i s a r e a l i s t i c a n d

e f f e c t i v e p l a n a n d o u r c o n f i d e n c e in G e n e r a l B r i g g s is s h a r e d t h r o u g h out M a l a y a . I a m not going to say how long the plan will take to s u c c e e d . the

I m u s t w a r n the House not to e x p e c t quick and s p e c t a c u l a r r e s u l t s :

a i m is s t e a d y and d e l i b e r a t e p r o g r e s s , c o n s o l i d a t i n g t h e gains at e v e r y s t a g e - and t h a t is the r i g h t w a y . H a v i n g s e e n t h e d i f f i c u l t i e s of t e r r a i n on t h e

and c o m m u n i c a t i o n s for m y s e l f , I do not u n d e r e s t i m a t e the t a s k : o t h e r h a n d , I k n o w it i s a t a s k t h a t w e c a n f a c e s q u a r e l y a n d In s a y i n g t h a t , I a m e n c o u r a g e d

confidently.

by the undoubted fact that the opposed

v a s t m a j o r i t y of t h e p e o p l e i n M a l a y a , of e v e r y c o m m u n i t y , a r e to the C o m m u n i s t s .

We h a v e t h e i r g o o d - w i l l i n t h i s j o i n t b a t t l e , t o The t e r r o r i s t movement

which they a r e making a g r e a t contribution.

h a s no r o o t s in any l e g i t i m a t e n a t i o n a l a s p i r a t i o n s - I w a n t to m a k e t h a t c l e a r - a n d i n d e e d t h e M a l a y s t h e m s e l v e s h a v e s e n t t h o u s a n d s of m e n i n t o the s e c u r i t y f o r c e s to defend t h e i r t o w n s and v i l l a g e s . I do n o t i g n o r e t h e f a c t t h a t t h r e a t s a n d i n t i m i d a t i o n m a k e c e r t a i n s e c t i o n s of t h e c o m m u n i t y f e a r f u l t o w i t h h o l d a i d f r o m t e r r o r i s t s or to s u p p l y i n f o r m a t i o n to the a u t h o r i t i e s . t h i s c a m p a i g n to cut the t e r r o r i s t s

1

the

It i s v i t a l i n communica

c h a n n e l s of s u p p l y a n d

t i o n a n d t o i m p r o v e o u r o w n s o u r c e s of i n t e l l i g e n c e .

T h a t is v e r y

l a r g e l y a p r o b l e m of p r o v i d i n g p r o t e c t i o n f o r t h e c i v i l i a n p o p u l a t i o n a n d of b r i n g i n g s c a t t e r e d c o m m u n i t i e s w i t h i n t h e o r b i t of a d m i n i s t r a t i o n , such m e a s u r e s as the s e t t l e m e n t s c h e m e s which a r e now u n d e r way. by

It i s o n e of t h e m a i n o b j e c t i v e s of t h e B r i g g s p l a n t o c r e a t e t h e c o n d i t i o n s in w h i c h effective a c t i o n to t h a t end will b e c o m e oos s i b l e . M a n - p o w e r r e q u i r e m e n t s f o r t h e p o l i c e a n d c.ivil a d m i n i s t r a t i o n h a v e b e e n r e a s s e s s e d in t h e l i g h t of t h e B r i g g s p l a n , a n d u r g e n t s t e p s n o w b e i n g t a k e n t o r e c r u i t in t h e U n i t e d K i n g d o m n e a r l y 3 0 0 p o l i c e are increasingly

o f f i c e r s and N . C . O ' s . within the next few m o n t h s , a s w e l l a s administrative officers.

additional

I f o u n d in t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n s of M a l a y a a n d S i n g a p o r e , a s w e l l a s a m o n g the people e v e r y w h e r e , not only a d e t e r m i n a t i o n to end the e m e r g e n c y a s s o o n a s p o s s i b l e , b u t a l s o a k e e n a p p r e c i a t i o n of t h e n e e d f o r d e v e l o p i n g t h e r e s o u r c e s of t h e c o u n t r y , f o r i m p r o v i n g t h e social

s e r v i c e s a n d s t a n d a r d of l i v i n g , a n d f o r s t e a d y p o l i t i c a l a n d c o n s t i t u t i o n a l progress. D e s p i t e t h e e m e r g e n c y , p l a n s for s o c i a l and e c o n o m i c In

d e v e l o p m e n t a r e being laid which a r e imaginative and f a r - s i g h t e d . p a r t i c u l a r , I w e l c o m e the s c h e m e s for m e e t i n g the v a s t l y increased

d e m a n d s for e d u c a t i o n b o t h in t h e F e d e r a t i o n and in S i n g a p o r e , and for t h e e c o n o m i c d e v e l o p m e n t of t h e r u r a l a r e a s of M a l a y a . The Federation

of M a l a y a p u t t o m e a r e q u e s t f o r f u r t h e r f i n a n c i a l a s s i s t a n c e t o w a r d s t h e e m e r g e n c y , in o r d e r t h a t t h o s e p l a n s s h o u l d not be h a m p e r e d . r e q u e s t is being c o n s i d e r e d u r g e n t l y and s y m p a t h e t i c a l l y by His Majesty's Government. In t h e p o l i t i c a l s p h e r e , I found on e v e r y h a n d t h e friendship t o w a r d s G r e a t Britain and a f i r m d e s i r e that the warmest association That

b e t w e e n t h e p e o o l e s of B r i t a i n a n d M a l a y a s h o u l d b e m a i n t a i n e d a n d strengthened. I f o u n d a l s o , i n t h e w o r k of t h e C o m m u n i t i e s Liaison Unions,

C o m m i t t e e o n c o n s t i t u t i o n a l a n d p o l i t i c a l p r o b l e m s , in t h e T r a d e i n t h e P o l i c e F o r c e , a n d i n e v e r y a s p e c t of e v e r y d a y l i f e , a m o s t e n c o u r a g i n g s p i r i t of c o - o p e r a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e v a r i o u s

communities. self-government

It i s f o r t h e p e o p l e s of M a l a y a , i n t h e i r p r o g r e s s t o w a r d s

w i t h i n t h e C o m m o n w e a l t h , t o b u i l d u p for t h e m s e l v e s a d e m o c r a c y w h i c h is f i r m l y r o o t e d in a g r e e m e n t a n d c o m m o n l o y a l t y a m o n g the communities

a n d t h e r e i s g o o d h o p e t h a t t h e m a i n l i n e s of c o n s t i t u t i o n a l a d v a n c e i n t h e future will increasingly evolve from such a g r e e m e n t .

I s h o u l d like to p a y t r i b u t e to the p l a n t e r s and m i n e r s , a n d all t h o s e r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e r e m a r k a b l e e c o n o m i c r e c o v e r y of M a l a y a s i n c e the w a r : and to a c k n o w l e d g e the g r e a t c o n t r i b u t i o n t h e y a r e

m a k i n g , d e s p i t e d i f f i c u l t i e s a n d d a n g e r s , t o t h e e c o n o m i c s t r e n g t h of the C o m m o n w e a l t h . A s a n old t r a d e u n i o n i s t , I w a s a l s o g r e a t l y encoura

by the t a l k s I had with T r a d e Union r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s in M a l a y a and Singapore. T h e y r e a f f i r m e d t o m e t h e i r u n q u a l i f i e d s u p p o r t of t h e and made plain

G o v e r n m e n t in the c a m p a i g n a g a i n s t the t e r r o r i s t s ;

t h e i r r e c o g n i t i o n of t h e r e s p o n s i b l e p a r t w h i c h t h e y h a d t o p l a y i n t h e d e m o c r a t i c d e v e l o p m e n t of t h e i r country. and

I w a s c o n c e r n e d t o f i n d in s o m e q u a r t e r s t h a t t h e c l e a r

u n e q u i v o c a l m e a n i n g of t h e s t a t e m e n t m a d e b y t h e P r i m e M i n i s t e r t o the H o u s e l a s t M a r c h a b o u t G r e a t B r i t a i n ' s i n t e n t i o n s in M a l a y a h a d not been fully a p p r e c i a t e d . I t o o k e v e r y o p p o r t u n i t y of a s s u r i n g t h e

p e o p l e of M a l a y a t h a t w e s h o u l d b e a t t h e i r s i d e n o t o n l y i n w i n n i n g t h e e m e r g e n c y b u t a l s o i n b u i l d i n g t h e M a l a y a of t h e future.

In c o n c l u s i o n , I s h o u l d like to e x p r e s s m y g r a t i t u d e for t h e k i n d n e s s a n d h o s p i t a l i t y w i t h w h i c h I w a s r e c e i v e d e v e r y w h e r e in M a l a y a a n d m y a d m i r a t i o n for all t h o s e who a r e s o c o u r a g e o u s l y and r e s o l u t e l y c a r r y i n g o n w i t h t h e i r d a i l y t a s k s a n d k e e p i n g t h e e c o n o m i c w h e e l s of t h e country turning.

CONFIDENTIAL

c;pT(5orrg"o
The a t t a c h e d p a p e r is relevant

t o I t e m 1 of t h e a g e n d a f o r t h e m e e t i n g of t h e C a b i n e t o n M o n d a y , 1 9 t h J u n e , a t 11. 0 a. m .

C a b i n e t Office, S . W . 1 , 1 6TH J U N E , 1950.