World War II
   In early December 1941, Japan began it's conquest of Malaysia. Sweeping down from Kota Bahru(Kelantan) , the Japanese barely took 3 months to gain control of the Peninsula and Singapore. Sabah and Sarawak fell by mid-January 1942. The harshness of the Japanese rule shocked the Malaysians. Their policy was aimed at attracting resources to aid their war efforts. The Japanese had no intention on granting independence to the country because of it's natural resources. The draconian rule of the Japanese led to the formation of the Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Rule(MPAJA). A communist organization formed by the aid of the British to carry out guerrilla warfare.

The Malayan Union
   The suppressive efforts of the Japanese against the locals did much to foster upsurge of nationalism. The disorder of post war years gave local people to organize themselves in order to make political demands.
  Then came the defeat of the Japanese in the World War II, after their retreat, the MPAJA mounted a campaign of terror for 2 weeks in August and early September 1945, they were in control of the whole country. The action of the Chinese dominated MPAJA caused serious racial conflicts between the Malays(locals), riots occurred in parts of the country.

Preparing the Union - Road to Freedom ( Independence )
   In the midst of racial conflicts the British introduced constituitional changes for the country. They set up a Malayan Plannning unit for the construction towards a self governance of the country. Therefore the creation of UMNO - United Malay's National Organization in May 1946. The congress elected Dato Onn as it's first president. The party was also introduced in Sabah and Sarawak. There was also the establishment of the Malayan Chinese Association(MCA) and the Malayan Indian Congress which formed an the Alliance Party, led by a new leader Tunku Abdul Rahman.
  The Alliance consisting of the 3 main races took part in a meeting held in London which was a successful one where all the 3 parties agreed to the terms and constituitional laws drafted out.
  Then in August 31 1957, Malaya became an independent country and Tunku Abdul Rahman became the first Prime Minister.
Malaysia consisted of Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan, Terengganu, Penang, Pahang, Perak, Melaka, Selangor, Johor, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore. Not until 1965 did Singapore gained it's independence from Malaysia because of racial conflicts and disunity.

Overview of Important Landmark History Dates

The Rise of Johor | British Reign in Malaysia | Colonial Rule in Malaysia | World War II in Malaysia| Important Historical Dates |