Treaty of London 1956

In July 1955 the first federal elections were held for seats on the new Federal Legislative Council; 51 of the 52 unofficial seats were captured by Alliance, which consisted of UMNO, the MCA and MIC. Tunku Abdul Rahman as president of UMNO and head of the Alliance became chief Minister.

Tunku Abdul Rahman and his alliance now pressed hard for a timetable for independence within the Commonwealth. A mission was led by Tunku Abdul Rahman to London to negotiate for independence.

A Federation of Malay Constitutional Conference met in London in January 1956, attended by representatives of the Malay rulers, the Alliance and the United Kingdom.

In was announced on February 6 that an agreement had been reached. Tunku Abdul Rahman signed an agreement, The London Treaty on 8 February 1956.

Tunku Abdul Rahman

He later announced the date of the Malayan independence and cried the historic Merdeka victory cry at Pandang Banda Hilir in Malacca on 20 February 1956. Again he cried the Merdeka victory cry at Merdeka Stadium in Kuala Lumpur in 31 August 1957.

A draft constitution for independent Malaya was published in February, 1957. The new constitution was included provisions for the following:
*The establishment of a new strong central government with the states and these settlements enjoying a measure of autonomy
*The safeguarding of the position and prestige of the Malay rulers
*The constitutional head of state for the Federation to be chosen from among the Malay rulers
*A common nationality for the whole of the Federation
*The safeguarding of the special position of the Malays and the legitimate interest of other communities

Under the terms of the treaty the United Kingdom would be given the right to maintain in the federation the forces necessary to fulfill its Commonwealth and international obligation.
Treaty of London 1956

Briggs' Plan in Malaya

The Malayan Emergency in British-rules Malaya was declared in June 1948 in response to attempts by the mainly Chinese-dominated Malayan Communist Party to overthrow British colonial rule.

However British did not at first respond seriously to the threat posed by the communists until October 1951, upon the assassination of Sir Henry Gurney High Commissioner to Malaya.

With the implementation of the Briggs Plan, or to give it is full name the ‘Federation Plan for the Elimination of the Communist Organization and Armed Forces in Malaya’, the scene was set to enter a new phase that marked the beginning of the end of the Emergency and the defeat of the communist uprising.

Within this plan, Briggs stated his belief that the British government needed to demonstrate ‘effective administration and control of all populated areas.’

Lieutenant General Sir Harold Briggs a retired regular Indian Army officer arrived in Kuala Lumpur in 3 April 1950, to take up a new post as Director of Operations.

He had served throughout with the Indian Army, and with his thirty-four years’ experience of warfare in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, he was extremely well qualified for the position.

One of the major features of Briggs Plan, which had already been implemented before Briggs arrived, was the resettlement of thousands of Chinese squatters who lived near the jungle fringes and were thought to provide the communist insurgents with their primary source of food, assistance, and information.

Briggs Plan recognized that because of food could only be cultivated in jungle clearing, the insurgent’s primary source of both food and intelligence was ethnic Chinese squatters ringing the impenetrable jungles. 

Briggs restructured the plan, more thoroughly by coordinating the civil, army and police authority.

The Briggs Plan took over three years to implement and encountered several obstacles along the way. At one point in late 1950, Briggs believed the situation has so deteriorated he flew to London to plead his case directly with the prime minister.

After Briggs retired owing to poor health and after the death of Sir Henry, it fell to General Sir Gerald Templer to implement the Briggs Plan.
Briggs' Plan in Malaya