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The communists present in Singapore added to the post-war problems. They were dissatisfied with what the British had done to improve the lives of the people. They aimed to gather the support of the local people against the British. |
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In the beginning, the communists used peaceful means to stir up anti-British feelings in the people. When their plans proved ineffective, they resorted to violence. Before we go any further, let us understand first what communism is. |
HOW COMMUNISM CAME ABOUT COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES (1945 - 1948)
| During the period 1945-1948, the Malayan Communist Party (M.C.P.) Was a legal organisation in Singapore and Malaya. The communists took advantage of the post-war problems and started to stir up the people’s feelings against the British. Through trade unions, they encouraged the workers to fight for better working conditions and higher pay. Many workers went on strike in 1946 and 1947. There were so many outbreaks of strikes that 1947 was known as "The Year of Strikes". |
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However, the workers gradually grew tired of going on strikes. Those who did not succeed in their strikes found themselves worse off as they received no pay at all when they went on strike. They also realised that the communist-controlled trade unions were not genuine in fighting for the workers’ rights. They were more interested in stirring up trouble for the employers. |
COMMUNISTS’ ARMED STRUGGLE (1948 - 1960) When the communists realised that they had failed to stir up anti-British feelings in the people, they resorted to violent means. Many of them left the towns and went into the jungles of Malaya. IN MALAYA During the first half of 1948, the communists attacked the rubber plantations and tin mines in Malaya. They aimed to close down the plantations and mines and then get the unemployed workers to join them. Their attacks became so frequent and serious that the British government had to declare a state of Emergency over Malaya and Singapore. During the Emergency, the government banned the M.C.P. and increased the number of policemen, soldiers and guards to fight the communists. IN SINGAPORE When the communists realised that their activities in Malaya yielded no positive results, they turned their attention to Singapore. Trade unions and Chinese school students were their targets.
| Trade Unions: The communists tried to gain control of some important unions. Through trade unions, they would be able to influence the workers and get them to go on strikes. Lim Chin Siong was the leader of a group of unions which had their headquarters in Middle Road. He organised many strikes among the workers. He even tried to get the students to participate in the strikes. |
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Chinese Schools: The communists were able to make use of the students in Chinese schools because the schools were not under government control. Furthermore, the Chinese school students were unhappy with the British government because they were not given equal opportunities for the entrance to the University. Chinese school students also could not get well-paid jobs. |
The Chinese High School and Nanyang Girls’ High School were two schools which acted as main centres for pro-communist student activities. THE RIOTS The communists were successful in stirring up anti-British feelings in the Chinese school students. Whenever the students were unhappy with the British government, they held demonstrations. For example, in May 1954, some Chinese school students demonstrated against the colonial government’s decision to make young do part-time military service. The demonstration eventually led to rioting and the police had too resolve the problem.
| A Riot By The Chinese School Students: When the government closed down the Singapore Chinese Middle School Students’ Union in October 1956, the Chinese school students were agitated. The arrest of four Chinese school students and expulsion of students who were involved in Communist activities made things worse. The Chinese school students reacted by starting a riot. |
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The Workers Joined The Riot: The student protestors were later joined by some workers. Riots by the students and workers broke out in many parts of the city. Public transportation was made impossible. The army was called to help the police stop the riots. They set up roadblocks to keep the crowds small and managed to stop the riots. Despite this, the communists continued its violent activities until 1960. The Emergency then came to an end in that very year. |
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