In 1511, Malacca fell into the hands of the Portuguese and that was the beginning of the colonial era in Malaya. After that, Malaya fell into the hands of the Dutch in 1641 and British in 1824 through the Anglo–Dutch Treaty. British colonization was the longest and most influential. The British integrated the Malayan administration which was previously managed by the Malay Rulers with the help of state dignitaries. Some individuals rebelled against the colonial power yet they were easily defeated as the Malay communities were divided.
During the 1920s and 1930s, the local population became more eductaed. As a result, this educated group began to fight for the cause of nationalism. They used media such as newspapers and magazines to spread their ideology. There were also among them who had formed Associations such as the Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM) and Kesatuan Melayu Singapura (KMS) which were aimed at driving away the invaders and forming their own Government. However, the Japanese incursion during World War 2 brought Malaya to another colonial era. Japan occupied Malaya until 1945 before surrendering as a result of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The Japanese withdrawal gave space to the Communist Party of Malaya (PKM) to control Malaya through violence. As a result, in June 1948, Sir Edward Gent declared a national emergency. The PKM was eventually defeated and the British regained control. The British Military Administration, or BMA, was in charge of Malaya between this time and the establishment of the Malayan Union on 1st April 1946. However, the Malay community were not pleased with the abolition the royal institutions and Malay privileges, and the struggle for independence began.
Tunku Abdul RahmanThe emerged as a leader of the Malayan nationalists through his Alliance Party, which promoted unity between the three major ethnic groups, namely Malays, Chinese and Indians. This eventually led to the London Agreement that was signed on 8 February 1956 and laid the groundwork for Malaya to achieve independence on 31 August 1957. Upon returning London, Tunku made a public declaration of independence on 20 February 1956.
On 27 May 1961, Tunku Abdul Rahman suggested the merger of five colonies - Malaya, Singapore, Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei - to form a new country, Malaysia. This was achieved on 16 September 1963; however, without Brunei, which remained independent.
From the 1980s onwards, Malaysia grew rapidly and modernised its economy, becoming known as a Tiger Cub economy. Today, Malaysia has one of the strongest economies in the region with heavyweights in oil and gas, palm oil, banking, retail and IT.
Source: Department of Information, Malaysia 2016