Open AccessTHE DEMOCRATIZATION OF THE REID COMMISSION: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ALLIANCE PARTY’S LEADERSHIP
Author(s) -
Mohd Sohaimi Esa,
Irma Wani Othman,
Romzi Ationg,
Mohd Azri Ibrahim,
Sharifah Darmia Sharif Adam,
Jais Abdul Hamid,
Mohd Nur Hidayat Hasbollah Hajimin
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of law, government and communication
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 0128-1763
DOI - 10.35631/ijlgc.6230011
Subject(s) - alliance , commission , political science , independence (probability theory) , constitution , law , dilemma , public administration , government (linguistics) , democratization , sociology , democracy , politics , philosophy , statistics , mathematics , epistemology , linguistics
By independence, the leader of the Alliance Party has failed to reach a consensus on some controversial issues such as citizenship, the national language, and the special position of the Malays. Such matter was later handed over to an independent commission with the hopes that all races in Malaya will be fairly treated. Subsequently, the British government and the Malay Rulers were agreed to the formation of an independent commission namely the Reid Commission draw up a draft of Independent Malaya’s Constitution in March 1956. By applying a historical approach/method through an analysis of historical documents sought from the Public Records Office, London, and the National Archives of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, this paper discusses the significance of the Alliance Party leadership in the Reid Commission. This paper also discusses the dilemma faced by the Alliance Party leaders in seeking the consensus on the number of issues, including the key characteristics of a nation-state they intended to create after the independence. Moreover, debates between the delegation of the Alliance Party and the Reid Commission have also been given due attention. Accordingly, the study found that the credibility, as well as the tolerance shown by the leaders of the Alliance Party significantly, made the Reid Commission accepts the motion of independence. This is crucial as it was a key to the creation of the Federation of Malaya Constitution that led to the independence of Malaya in 1957.