Letters to the Editor
Identifying Independence Mohamed Sopiee identifying the Prisoner Leslie Reade, P. R. Mursell Another Crack at Crevecitur Cyril Ray Child Murders and the Press 'Axed, Rev. Austin Lee G. St. John
Sweeping the Streets David Linton Housewives' Paintings
G. Mervyn Levy L. Stamps Reginald Pound
MALAYAN INDEPENDENCE Edinger's I am prepared to respect Mr. George 1"linger's opinions on Malayan matters (though I do not agree with some of them), I think it necessary for me to point out certain factual inaccuracies in his
article 'Malayan Independence,' published in your issue _ of August 30. He says 'The very concept of "independence" is an alien one. There is no word in Malay for it. Alerdeka,. has been made to serve. But "Merdeka" .15 Sumatran, imported into the Peninsula five years :Igo and most accurately translated into English as Free Will." .
qualification referred to 'British correspondents whose -,Tanheation appears to be an ignorance of any of the local Asian languages,' one would have expected Mr. Edinger to be more knowledgeable than to make such a statement. If only he had looked up a die- 1i(lrla,ry (for example, Wilkinson's Malay-English Dictionary, compiled fifty years ago) he would have round, that 'Merdeka' (or its other form, 'Merdelieka) 1,3. a Malay word, meaning freedom, in contradiction 3 servitude; free; liberty; independent or indepen- d" jtrce. Old Malay literature such as the well-known ik.a•vat A hdullah (Abdul lah's Autobiography), Which is over 100 years old, contains this word Merdeka,' which is of Sanskrit origin (Maharddhika). The word can also be found in the Sejarah Melayu ‘,..,alay Annals) which is a few hundred years old, in ","caYat Abu's-sem:oh, Ilikayal Bestaman, Buskin (u-salatin, etc.
He also says : 'The new Constitution of Malaya • has been framed to give to the Malays, numeri- .
cally a minority, . . . an overwhelming and per- manent majority in government,' and refers to 'the 1,119migrant Chinese, nearly half the population (were Singapore included, rather more).'
Are the Malays 'numerically a minority' when they number 2,967,233 as compared to 2,286,883 Chinese
a total population of 6,058,371 in the 'Federation of Malaya? Do the Chinese (those who have been born In the country and may be second- or third-generation Malayans and those who are immigrants) in the Federation and Singapore constitute more than half the Population when they number 3;213,336 in a total Population of 7,268,851? E. qually false is the statement that the new Consti- tution has been framed to give the Malays an over- whelming and permanent majority in government. Citizenship, and the right to vote that springs from It, are the vital factors that will determine the com- Position of the government in the futwe. The new Constitution represents a very liberal concession by the Malays (who now constitute the major political force in the country) to the Chinese and others. All those who are already Federal citizens will keep their citizenship. Everyone born after Independence Day have not been born in the Federation but have resided in the country for eight years are now eligible for citizenship. In short, everyone who is in the country now who wants to become a citizen could be one. There is nothing to prevent a Malayan of Chinese or Indian origin from becoming a Prime Minister if he had sufficient support in Parliament. A Chinese has been appointed Governor of the State of Malacca. A Chinese has also been installed as the first Chief Minister of the State of Penang. Under the new Constitution, it would be possible for non- Malays to become Mentri Besar (Chief Minister) in the other States of the Federation. The State of Perak hA amended its State Constitution to make this possible and the other States will no doubt follow in amending their respective State Constitu- tions, since the Mentri Besar will in future have to command the support of the majority in their respec- tive State Legislatures. It is true that at present the Malays have a majority in government, but the Constitution has not been framed to give them majority permanently.
. Mr. Edinger's assertion that 'the Chinese right, to vote boils down roughly to having either been Malaya-born or being "politically reliable"', is as mischievous as it is misleading. The right to vote in Malaya is reserved for citizens of the Federation and is based on laws similar to those of the United Kingdom. Every citizen, be he Chinese or Malay or European. has equal rights to vote and to stand for elections.—Yours faithfully, MOHAMED SOPIEE, Information Officer
()dice of the High Commissioner for the Federation of Malaya, Malaya House, 57 Trafalgar Square, WC2
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