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The Kuomintang Movement in British Malaya, 1912-1949
The Kuomintang (KMT)--the first legalized political party and movement in modern Malaysian and Singaporean history-- is studied against the background of British colonial rule, the changing political circumstances and fortunes in China and the rising and waning of Malayan Chinese nationalism from 1894. While it highlights the development of the Malayan KMT Movement in terms of leadership, organization and ideology, it also analyzes changing British colonial policy and management techniques toward the Movement.
326 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1990
About the author
C.F. Yong
5 booksDr C.F. Yong is Reader in History, Flinders University of South Australia, Australia and author of Tan Kah-Kee: The Making of an Overseas Chinese Legends (Singapore, OUP, 1989) and Chinese Leadership and Power in Colonial Singapore (Singapore, Times Academic Press, 1994) and co-author, with R.B. Mckenna of The Kuomintang Movement in British Malaya, 1912-1949 (Singapore, Singapore University Press, 1990).
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October 19, 2012
This book is about the Malayan branch of the Kuomintang (KMT) or the Nationalist Party which ruled mainland China from 1911 to 1949 and the ruling party of the Republic of China (Chinese Taipei) today. Compared to the Chinese communist movement in colonial Malaya and Singapore, the Chinese nationalist was significantly less studied. Thus, the authors in the book’s preface make a strong case for the need to fill in this gap.
The book covers in great detail: the development of the Malayan KMT movement against the background of British colonial rule, the changing political situation in Malaya, Britain and China and the rise and wane of Malayan Chinese nationalism. The book traces how KMT movement in Malaya and its complex and evolving relationship with the colonial authorities. It also assessed the legacies of the KMT movement in Malaya.
The book begins with a historical background of the Chinese community in Malaya which was mainly divided between the Strait Chinese and the more recent arrivals from China of who were further subdivided into various clans along linguistic lines. It documents how the British manages the Chinese population via the Protectorate System. It was against such a background when revolutionary fervour in mainland China during the sunset years of the Manchu Dynasty spread to the Chinese living in British Malaya.
Chapters 2 and 3 deals with the first phase of the KMT movement from 1911 to 1925. Fresh from the victory in China, the Malayan KMT movement was invigorated from their mainland counterparts’ successes. The British monitored the KMT activities with increasing alarm as concerns over their threat to British rule grew. It was in this context that the British banned the KMT for the first time in 1925.
Chapters 4, 5 and 6 recount how the KMT movement operated under a ban by the British and how the colonial authorities grappled with the KMT movement. Despite a ban by the British, the movement remained a political force among the Chinese in Malaya. It succeeded in creating political awareness among the Chinese and advocated strongly for Chinese culture and language causes. However, when Britain and China established diplomatic relationship in 1928, the Malayan KMT created a ‘divided colonial mind’ on how to grapple with the KMT. Fully aware of the need to balance Britain- KMT China relations and uphold Britain’s hold of the Chinese community in Malaya, successive colonial Governors attempted various approaches to control the Malayan KMT movement.
Finally, Chapters 7 and 8 deal with the retardation and the revival of the KMT during the 1930s as well as the high point of the KMT movement in a victorious aftermath of World War 2. During Governor Cecil Clementi’s term in office from 1930 to 1934, the KMT was again banned and punitive measures were imposed. However, it became a serious international issue as KMT China and Britain’s Foreign Office came into the picture and compromises were reached in 1931 when the Malayan Chinese were allowed to be China KMT members but were not permitted to propagate KMT ideology in Malaya. The KMT’s fortunes improved when the British enlisted their aid to combat Japanese aggression during World War 2. The KMT’s involvement in the resistance against the Japanese Occupiers was small relative to the communist-led MPAJA. In post-war Malaya, the KMT was legalised again as British sought to enlist all political parties’ support as they returned to establish their rule in Malaya.
The book concludes with the closure of the Malayan KMT after the defeat of the Chinese KMT to the Chinese Communist Party in the mainland in 1949. Many Malayan KMT members reoriented from China to Malaya and joined the new Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) while some remained loyal to the defeated Nationalist government in Taipei. In Malaya, together with the United Malay National Organisation (UMNO) and Malayan Indian Congress (MIC), the MCA spearheaded efforts for Malaya’s independence in the following decades. It remains part of the ruling coalition in Malaysia today.
The book’s main argument is the significance of the KMT in the course of Malayan history. It engages the KMT movement in terms of leadership, organisation and ideology vis-à-vis the changing British colonial policy and management techniques toward the movement. In spite of the various containment measures against the KMT by the colonial rulers, the book argues that the KMT made a significant impact for the Chinese community over a generation. The anti-communist nature of the movement gave the Chinese an alternative political ideology apart from the communism. Its successor- the MCA provided alternative political leadership for the Chinese against the Chinese-dominated communists during the Malayan Emergency.
To develop their argument, the authors employed various sources such as official records from the British, Malaysia and Singapore archives, private papers, newspapers, journals, articles, books, published papers and theses.
The book is a direct response to the more common accounts of the Chinese-dominated communist movements in Malaya and Singapore. Books such as Red Star over Malaya by Cheah Boon Keng, the Jungles are Neutral by F. Spencer Chapman and War of the Running Dogs: Malaya, 1948-1960 by Noel Barber are a few examples of the book covering the Communist Perspective. The book might spark similar works on the Malayan Chinese political movement such as Malaysian Chinese and Nation-Building: Before Merdeka and Fifty Years After by Voon Phin Keong and Chinese Politics in Malaysia: A History of the Malaysian Chinese Association (East Asian Historical Monographs) by Pek Koon Heng.
On the whole, the book covers the Malayan KMT in great detail, even documenting the names of the key members involved in the movement. It would be better if the KMT’s resistance efforts during the Japanese Occupation years were covered. After all, the much-celebrated war hero Lim Bo Seng was a KMT officer and the mainland KMT was leading the war against the invading Japanese forces. In addition, the book could have covered in greater detail about the struggles of the KMT members in deciding whether to remain China-focused or switch to the Malayan-oriented worldview in 1949 when the KMT lost to the communists in the mainland and the colonial administration was fighting their Malayan counterparts in the jungles. It would have been intriguing to delve deeper into the internal motivations and struggles for the nationalists in their process of orientating their political loyalties during this period of great political changes.
In conclusion, this is a great book for readers interested in finding out more about the genealogy of the KMT/MCA movement in Malaya and how they operated under various regimes before emerging as part of the ruling coalition in Malaysia today. As the contemporary Malaysian Chinese community faces serious questions over their identity in today’s Malaysia, it is certainly insightful to know that the movement treated as a threat to the authorities during the colonial Malaya was co-opted into the ruling coalition in Malaya’s path to political independence. Perhaps the best way to win your enemies is to make them your closest friends.
The book covers in great detail: the development of the Malayan KMT movement against the background of British colonial rule, the changing political situation in Malaya, Britain and China and the rise and wane of Malayan Chinese nationalism. The book traces how KMT movement in Malaya and its complex and evolving relationship with the colonial authorities. It also assessed the legacies of the KMT movement in Malaya.
The book begins with a historical background of the Chinese community in Malaya which was mainly divided between the Strait Chinese and the more recent arrivals from China of who were further subdivided into various clans along linguistic lines. It documents how the British manages the Chinese population via the Protectorate System. It was against such a background when revolutionary fervour in mainland China during the sunset years of the Manchu Dynasty spread to the Chinese living in British Malaya.
Chapters 2 and 3 deals with the first phase of the KMT movement from 1911 to 1925. Fresh from the victory in China, the Malayan KMT movement was invigorated from their mainland counterparts’ successes. The British monitored the KMT activities with increasing alarm as concerns over their threat to British rule grew. It was in this context that the British banned the KMT for the first time in 1925.
Chapters 4, 5 and 6 recount how the KMT movement operated under a ban by the British and how the colonial authorities grappled with the KMT movement. Despite a ban by the British, the movement remained a political force among the Chinese in Malaya. It succeeded in creating political awareness among the Chinese and advocated strongly for Chinese culture and language causes. However, when Britain and China established diplomatic relationship in 1928, the Malayan KMT created a ‘divided colonial mind’ on how to grapple with the KMT. Fully aware of the need to balance Britain- KMT China relations and uphold Britain’s hold of the Chinese community in Malaya, successive colonial Governors attempted various approaches to control the Malayan KMT movement.
Finally, Chapters 7 and 8 deal with the retardation and the revival of the KMT during the 1930s as well as the high point of the KMT movement in a victorious aftermath of World War 2. During Governor Cecil Clementi’s term in office from 1930 to 1934, the KMT was again banned and punitive measures were imposed. However, it became a serious international issue as KMT China and Britain’s Foreign Office came into the picture and compromises were reached in 1931 when the Malayan Chinese were allowed to be China KMT members but were not permitted to propagate KMT ideology in Malaya. The KMT’s fortunes improved when the British enlisted their aid to combat Japanese aggression during World War 2. The KMT’s involvement in the resistance against the Japanese Occupiers was small relative to the communist-led MPAJA. In post-war Malaya, the KMT was legalised again as British sought to enlist all political parties’ support as they returned to establish their rule in Malaya.
The book concludes with the closure of the Malayan KMT after the defeat of the Chinese KMT to the Chinese Communist Party in the mainland in 1949. Many Malayan KMT members reoriented from China to Malaya and joined the new Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) while some remained loyal to the defeated Nationalist government in Taipei. In Malaya, together with the United Malay National Organisation (UMNO) and Malayan Indian Congress (MIC), the MCA spearheaded efforts for Malaya’s independence in the following decades. It remains part of the ruling coalition in Malaysia today.
The book’s main argument is the significance of the KMT in the course of Malayan history. It engages the KMT movement in terms of leadership, organisation and ideology vis-à-vis the changing British colonial policy and management techniques toward the movement. In spite of the various containment measures against the KMT by the colonial rulers, the book argues that the KMT made a significant impact for the Chinese community over a generation. The anti-communist nature of the movement gave the Chinese an alternative political ideology apart from the communism. Its successor- the MCA provided alternative political leadership for the Chinese against the Chinese-dominated communists during the Malayan Emergency.
To develop their argument, the authors employed various sources such as official records from the British, Malaysia and Singapore archives, private papers, newspapers, journals, articles, books, published papers and theses.
The book is a direct response to the more common accounts of the Chinese-dominated communist movements in Malaya and Singapore. Books such as Red Star over Malaya by Cheah Boon Keng, the Jungles are Neutral by F. Spencer Chapman and War of the Running Dogs: Malaya, 1948-1960 by Noel Barber are a few examples of the book covering the Communist Perspective. The book might spark similar works on the Malayan Chinese political movement such as Malaysian Chinese and Nation-Building: Before Merdeka and Fifty Years After by Voon Phin Keong and Chinese Politics in Malaysia: A History of the Malaysian Chinese Association (East Asian Historical Monographs) by Pek Koon Heng.
On the whole, the book covers the Malayan KMT in great detail, even documenting the names of the key members involved in the movement. It would be better if the KMT’s resistance efforts during the Japanese Occupation years were covered. After all, the much-celebrated war hero Lim Bo Seng was a KMT officer and the mainland KMT was leading the war against the invading Japanese forces. In addition, the book could have covered in greater detail about the struggles of the KMT members in deciding whether to remain China-focused or switch to the Malayan-oriented worldview in 1949 when the KMT lost to the communists in the mainland and the colonial administration was fighting their Malayan counterparts in the jungles. It would have been intriguing to delve deeper into the internal motivations and struggles for the nationalists in their process of orientating their political loyalties during this period of great political changes.
In conclusion, this is a great book for readers interested in finding out more about the genealogy of the KMT/MCA movement in Malaya and how they operated under various regimes before emerging as part of the ruling coalition in Malaysia today. As the contemporary Malaysian Chinese community faces serious questions over their identity in today’s Malaysia, it is certainly insightful to know that the movement treated as a threat to the authorities during the colonial Malaya was co-opted into the ruling coalition in Malaya’s path to political independence. Perhaps the best way to win your enemies is to make them your closest friends.
Displaying 1 of 1 review