Dr Maung Maung: Gentleman, Scholar, Patriot

Malaya

332 Section IV, D, Profile MALAYA Reproduced from Maung Maung, “Malaya” in The Guardian II, no. 8 (June 1955): 31–33, by permission of Daw Khin Myint, wife of the late Dr Maung Maung. Iexpect Eric Wee is in the elected wing of the Singapore legislalature now. When I met him, a few months ago in a fashionable Singapore hotel in the company of the Burmese Consul U Ba Thaung, I knew that he was for that seat of power destined. Eric was young, may be under 30; he was a good speaker; he came of a good family which enjoyed excellent social connections; he was literally bursting with confidence. He had, when I met him, only recently been “elected” president of the world “Youth Assembly” at which balding British scouters and “social workers” had played a prominent part. At public meetings Eric was wanted. When Singapore welcomed Madame Pandit, it was Eric who thanked her in extravagant language, on behalf of Malayan youth, for being good enough to come to Singapore. Eric, a prominent leader of a political party which had campaign headquarters in fashionable hotels and banks, was just the type of politician that the British loved. Eric could wax eloquent and sentimental when 04D฀DrMaung.indd฀฀฀332 1/24/08฀฀฀3:53:52฀PM Malaya 333 talking about freedom and democracy, but he was not a radical, he was not a fire-eating revolutionary. He believed in the slow and gradual development of nationhood, for look, Britain herself came up that way, without a written constitution, without any direction on deliberateness, just like a poem she grew. So, Eric wanted Singapore and the Federation of Malaya to grow, gently under the guidance of the British and sane and sober leaders like himself. Eric therefore fought for freedom under the British. He wanted more native Chinese and Malayans to get top government jobs. He wanted some elected councillors in the legislative assembly where men of education, of good lineage, could show a grateful nation how lucky they were to have such great leaders. There was no deep difference between the British and Eric; they both needed each other. The British needed Eric as a window-dressing for democracy. Eric needed the British as a sort of friendly sparring partner in the gentleman’s political boxing game. I talked with Eric Wee for over one hour and gradually the vision opened before me of the great future that awaited him: a knighthood, surely, and political posts, wealth and power and fame. When we rose to part and shook hands, I thought Eric gave me his hand kindly, condescendingly, as would a lord to his liege. x x x x x Singapore is thus soft. The Socialism that some “Socialists” in Singapore practise is of a very diluted kind. Even the British are impatient and revolutionary compared to the native Socialists. The British have been building new housing estates, new hospitals and clinics, new schools and welfare centres, and these welfare projects have gathered earnestness and speed since the emancipation of India and Burma. Britain wants to keep Malaya and to do so she must keep Malaya happy. Everything in Singapore is therefore pretty and well laid out; there is a little bit of London here in the city, a little bit of the English country there, and an English businessman or administrator who finds himself profitably stranded in Singapore should find everything available that he enjoys at home. The Socialists in Malaya are not unlike Eric Wee in political outlook. They like to talk and dream but they still want the British to plan their 04D฀DrMaung.indd฀฀฀333 1/24/08฀฀฀3:53:52฀PM 334 DR MAUNG MAUNG: Gentleman, Scholar, Patriot future and tackle their problems. And the Socialists have little to fight for. Singapore, for example, is luxury land and the rich find pleasure in the beautiful island, the poor get their measure of welfare. The Socialists may try to whet the people’s appetite for political freedom but what is that compared to bread and butter and the basic needs of life. Freedom of press and assembly, democracy and self-government, what do they matter to the few million Malayans and the Chinese of equal number whom the Malayans fear and hate. The law is kind; it does not bother the common man who is not involved in serious efforts...