Malays Defended and Protected Singapura and The Chinese

Transcript:

We know that the Chinese never fought for Singapura. Their focus and their support were directed towards their motherland, China.  

What about the Malays?

Our focus was directed to our motherland. 

Tanah Melayu. Malaya and Singapura.

There were two main camps among the Malays.

One camp, as represented by Lt Adnan Saidi and the Malay Regiment, fought the Japanese to the last bullet. They stood in defence of Tanah Melayu. While our governmental administration was colonised by the British, these men fought for the land and people. They stood, fought and bled even as they were outnumbered while the British soldiers and Chinese volunteers ran.

The other group was the Malay nationalists who wanted to see the British gone. They heard Japan’s “Asia for Asians” call and supported it.

Their goal was to end colonial rule. 

But even as the Japanese claimed victory, as in the words of Mustapha Hussain, “The war is not over yet … This victory is not our victory.”.

They knew the Japanese occupation was just the beginning of decolonisation. 

And when it comes to how Malays treated the Chinese under Japanese occupation, the reality is this: many Malays protected their Chinese neighbours from Japanese violence.

We have oral histories of Malays digging pits to hide Chinese families, lying to Japanese soldiers, and even claiming Chinese neighbours were part of their own families to save them from Sook Ching round-ups.

Of course, there were a few who did inform the Japanese, hoping for reward, or settling old grudges. That happened too. But the main response was to protect.

So let’s remember: the Malay response to the Japanese was to defend our land and people and to get rid of both colonisers.

Some fought.

Some thought Japan might help them be free but changed their minds soon after.

And when the time came, many Malays stood between the Japanese guns and their Chinese neighbours.

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