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Malaya attained independence on August 31, 1957 fromBritain. However this new nation faced a communist insurgencyknown today as the ?Malayan Emergency? (1948-1960). Thenin 1961, Tunku announced a wider federation of ?Malaysia?,viz. Malaya, British Crown Colonies of Singapore, Sarawakand North Borneo, and the protectorate of Brunei. Counteringcommunism was a principal motive for ?Malaysia?.Sarawak?s leftist elements were rejected with an armedopposition. Malaysia was formed excluding Brunei. Amidstits birth pangs, Malaysia faced hostile neighbors Indonesiaand the Philippines; the former objected by way ofKonfrontasi (1963-1967) while the latter laid claim to Sabah(formerly North Borneo). Malaya/ Malaysia was borne in themidst of the Cold War (1947?1991), a bipolar world betweenthe US and the USSR. Malaya/Malaysia is utilized as a caseof analysis and evaluation in the context of the twin trendsof continuities and transformations in tracing the historicaldevelopments from the 1950?s to the 1990?s. The risks,motives, and challenges that prompted the shift in foreignrelations reveal as much of the personality of the political leadership, the prevailing situations, and conditions fromwithin and circumstances from without. |
