However, the rebellion did speed up the independence of Malaya, or as Tunku Abdul Rahman said, “Baling (talks with communist leaders) led straight to Merdeka.” 

Kenya’s brutal past did not prevent its President William Ruto from attending the Queen’s recent funeral. However, he and other “lesser world leaders” (as described by the UK Sunday Times), including our Yang di-Pertuan Agong, were put onto a bus while US President Joe Biden was allowed to use his own armoured limousine (called “The Beast”) plus his own motorcade!

Imperial nostalgia or what?

Britain grabbed Hong Kong in 1841 after Qing Dynasty officials tried to stop the sale of opium in China. But today, the people there do not seem to see the British as drug pushers destroying Chinese lives.

Instead, there were massive queues in the heat to pay tribute to the queen. Some burst into tears or fell to their knees in front of her portrait. Had they forgotten those “No dogs and Chinese allowed” signs put up by the British? Were they “brainwashed” colonial people?

But it’s not so simple. One article analysed that the outpouring of grief reflected both nostalgia for times past (when Hong Kong was much richer than mainland China) and worries about its freedoms and future.

Yes, the British came to this country, Malaya, not to do charity but to exploit our natural resources. But were we impoverished by the British like India? Or did their rule result in a net gain of stability, progress and education, almost as an unintended side effect? A firm foundation to build on to become a first-world country? Like Singapore?

Could local rulers have modernised this country on our own terms, as Emperor Meiji and King Mongkut did in Japan and Thailand? After all, both countries could build their own railways.

Some would say no, not in Malaya. There were too many chaotic civil wars as petty princes fought for state thrones. It reminds us of how PAS, Bersatu, and Umno are now clawing at each other for power and we wonder who is really planning our long-term strategic advancement.

Anyway, it was the battles of Selangor and Perak in the 1870s which allowed for British intervention. This then led, arguably, to “stability”, “modern governance”, and economic development.

But just beneath this veneer of progress was the quasi-slavery and immense suffering (even deaths through disease) of Chinese tin miners and Indian rubber tappers/road builders, plus the neglect of Malay villagers. It didn’t help that British authorities encouraged the sale of opium and toddy to keep the natives lulled.

On the other hand, a good, strong ruler like Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor, with the help of Chinese immigrants, was able to bring about some modern development, without losing independence until 1914.

Longing for a better past?

Yes, the British did build Victoria Institution, Malacca High School, etc, while missionaries set up our La Salle, Convent, and Methodist schools. But we Malaysians have built many of our own schools since independence. Well done! But have we maintained equally high standards?

Our problem begins when the federal government ends up paying five times the original cost of building six new Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) campuses. As PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli revealed, this is due to dubious privatisation deals with certain companies. Does that sound like how the Indian taxpayers were forced to pay double the cost to British companies to build railways during colonial times? 

Suffice to say, the merits and demerits of British colonial rule in Malaya are probably too complex for one short article. But perhaps it’s fair to say that we rather admired the British (at least, they were not as brutal as the Japanese during the war).

For example, the racial exclusion of British-only clubs was not despised. Instead, they became a social aspiration for local elites after Merdeka, keen to be “accepted” into “classy society”. 

A Kathirasen of Free Malaysia Today recalls that the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953 was celebrated in grand style for a week in Malaya. Many towns and villages tried to show their best with singing competitions, exhibitions, processions and parades plus “joget and keronchong parties”.

Kathirasen adds, “Over the years, as a journalist, I have met many senior citizens and they have always told me that although the British did come to Malaya to exploit its people and resources, the streets were safer and the civil service more efficient (and largely honest) during the British administration. This was the case, they said, even after the British left – but only until the 1970s.”

Whatever the sins of British rule, countries like India and Malaysia have been independent for too long to keep blaming the white men for our problems, be it lack of development or corruption.

For example, the New Economic Policy of 1970 was justified to resolve the inequalities of British colonial rule. Is that still valid in 2022?

The British always claimed to “bring civilisation” to “the natives” they ruled over. It’s up to us to prove that was a lie used to cover up their exploitation. That we can indeed build a great nation by ourselves, without having new jokers trying to exploit our fellow Malaysians.