CO537-1651 — Page 203

MEMORANDUM BY THE INDO-MALAYA ASSOCIATION

ON

RECONSTITUTION OF THE SINGAPORE

MUNICIALITY.

1.

Singapore to-day is not what it was in pre-war days. By this is meant the general feeling of restlessness everywhere. One thing to our mind has become very pronounced, namely, the communal issue. The Nipponese Military have undoubtedly driven a wedge between the more prominent Asiatic races in Singapore. Before the Wer, Singapore was a land of peace and plenty and the verious communities lived in harmony. To-day we can not for curtain say that this is truc. Various demands are being made and will be made and Government will have to decide boldly and quickly.

2.

That the Municipality must be reconstituted is the unanimous opinion of this Association. The Indo-Malaya Association is to the Malaya-born Indians what the Straits Chinese British Associstion is to the Straits-born Chinese. It seeks to safeguard and develop the civic, social, economic and cultural interests of its members who are Malayn-born Indians. It concerns itself primarily with Malaya yesterday, to-day and to-morrow and aims at bringing together amongst the various races an objective which is a United Malaya as against a purely communal outlook. That Indians will think Indian, Chinese on things Chinese, Malays the Orang Melayu is only natural, but there is no reason on earth why with careful nursing and patient but diligent educating the Malay, the Chinese, the Indian, the Eurasian, the European, the Arab, the Jew and the Ceylonese can not think Malayan and love Malaya.

3.

The United States of America is a case in point and this Association ventures to point out that in the past the Government of this country has not taken to trust the peoples of Singapore, has not given them oivic responsibilities until perhaps pressed to do so. To-day while this association is convinced that trust begets trust Government must give to the peoples of Singapore more say in the electing of the Municipal Commissioners. "How we are governed" is distinctly a concern of our own, and if the Government has no need of our individual knowledge, certainly it has no use for our ignorance. Let us begin here at least and guide the progress by stages.

It has been suggested that the pre-war practice of representation by Communal bodies should be done away with and that Municipal Commissioners be elected on the large scale voting system. This Association does not altogether favour this.

What it opines is that the pre-war practice of representation by communal bodies should be continued but modified and augmented along these lines, that is to say :-

(a) Representatives of the various communities should find seats on

the Commission. A seat for each of the Communities - Malay, Chinese, Indian, Eurasien, European, Arab, Ceylonese and Jewish, not forgetting of course that the local-born element of these Communities should be elected in preference, second in the order being those domiciled here, the period of domicile, we suggest, to be uninterrupted residence in this country, in the case of Wards in the Ward, for six months and over

We concede this short period only because we recognise the democratic principle that a ratepayer should be given voting rights. But we do not agree that this principle should apply in the case of seats in the Councils of the Colony.

(b) Associations and bodies who watch over special interests, e.g.

Commercial, as the Chambers of Commerce Chinese, Indian and European; economic and general well-being, as the Clerical Union, Ratepayers' Association; civic and political, as the Straits Settlements Association - these should be represented on the Commission, one or two seats for each Association.

To this end we suggest

(c) The Choice of the men in the street.

that following the Police division, Singapore be divided into 7 moin divisions, that is:-

"A" Division "B"

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"E"

Central Area

Kandang Kerbau

Beach Road

Tanjong Pagar Orchard Road