Clementi's Decentralisation Policy
In 1930 Clifford's successor, Sir Cecil Clementi^ revived the decentralisation policy. This seems to have been partly influenced by
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Guillemard's despatch of 21 October 1924, His move came at a time when British officials in the FMS were still bent on maintaining the status quo in the Federation,^ Nor were the commercial interests inclined to support a decentralisation policy when the country had just come under the great depression of the early 1930s, Only the Malays favoured the move since their discontent with overcentralisation had not been overcome by Guille mard's policy. According to Clementi, they appealed to him individually soon after his arrival in Malaya and collectively during the Klang Durbar
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in September 1930 for a policy of decentralisation. Under the circum stances Clementi's policy was bound to meet strong opposition from official and unofficial circles.
Clementi and His Objectives
A nephew of a former Malayan Governor, Sir Cecil Clementi Smith, Clementi was a headstrong, forceful and determined personality. He was the most intransigent Governor-High Commissioner in 20th century Malaya, who was in the habit of committing the Government publicly to policies
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before consultation with the Secretary of State. This autocratic
approach was also evident in his relations with the Malayan British offi cials and with unofficial community representatives. Clementi was
particularly impatient of the Rulers' susceptibilities and tended to hurry them into taking measures without adequate consultation. Such a
G o v e rn o r-H ig h C om m issioner was u n l i k e l y t o r e s t c o n te n t u n l e s s he e x e r c i s e d r e a l c o n t r o l o v e r b o th th e C olony and t h e M alay S t a t e s , But h i s a p p ro a c h was c e r t a i n t o e n c o u n te r immense d i f f i c u l t i e s i n a c o u n try w ith su c h a w ide r a n g e o f d i f f e r i n g and a t tim e s c o n f l i c t i n g r a c i a l and o t h e r i n t e r e s t s
a s M a la y a . I t was s p e c i a l l y u n s u i t a b l e i n th e UMS w here t h e cu sto m ary a p p ro a c h i n p u b l i c a f f a i r s was one o f c o n s u l t a t i o n , c o n c i l i a t i o n and accom m odation b etw ee n th e B r i t i s h and th e M alay e l i t e .
O x f o r d - t r a i n e d , C le m e n ti h a d s e r v e d i n Hong Kong, I n d i a , C h in a and C ey lo n b e f o r e he came t o M alay a . As C o lo n ia l S e c r e t a r y i n C ey lo n 1 9 2 2 -2 5 , C le m e n ti w itn e s s e d th e p o l i t i c a l i n s t a b i l i t y t h a t a r o s e from th e i n t r o d u c -
g
t i o n o f an u n o f f i c i a l m a jo r ity i n th e l e g i s l a t u r e . Owing t o t h e c o n s t a n t o p p o s i t i o n o f th e C e y lo n e se m em bers, t h e r e w ere 'f r e q u e n t d e a d lo c k s ' b e tw e e n t h e l e g i s l a t u r e and th e e x e c u t i v e . The C eylon G overnm ent was re d u c e d ' t o im p o te n c e w ith o u t p r o v id i n g any means o f t r a i n i n g th e u n o f f i c i a l members
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i n t h e a s s u m p tio n o f e x e c u tiv e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y ’ . L ik e S i r Hugh C l i f f o r d ,
g
h i s s u c c e s s o r a s G o v ern o r o f C ey lo n 1 9 2 5 -2 7 , C le m e n ti seem ed t o h ave l e f t t h e c o u n try w ith a s t r o n g d i s t a s t e f o r t h e i d e a o f an u n o f f i c i a l m a j o r i t y i n a c o l o n i a l l e g i s l a t u r e .
I n O c to b e r 1925 C le m e n ti was p ro m o ted G o v ern o r o f Hong Kong w here h e a r r i v e d i n t h e m id st o f a p o w e r f u l a n t i - B r i t i s h moverment w hich b r o u g h t t h e i s l a n d t o a s t a n d s t i l l . The g e n e r a l s t r i k e and t h e b o y c o tt o f B r i t i s h s h ip p in g d id n o t end t i l l l a t e i n 1 9 2 6 .^ T h is e x p e r ie n c e seem s t o h av e i n c r e a s e d h i s f e a r and h o s t i l i t y t o t h e KMT, and s tr e n g t h e n e d h i s d e s i r e 10 t o s e e a s t r o n g i m p e r i a l p o l i c y to w a rd s N a t i o n a l i s t C h in a . Though h e had 11 a r e p u t a t i o n a s a C h in e se s c h o l a r who u n d e r s to o d t h e C h in e s e , C le m e n ti seem s t o have come t o M alaya d e te rm in e d t o d e a l s e v e r e l y w ith i n t r a n s i g e n t C h in e s e . A few d ay s a f t e r h i s a r r i v a l i n F e b ru a ry 1 930i h e e n f o r c e d t h e b an im posed on th e KMT f i v e y e a r s e a r l i e r w ith o u t t h e p r i o r s a n c t i o n o f t h e C o lo n i a l O f f i c e . H is e x p e r ie n c e i n C ey lo n and Hong Kong a p p e a r s t o h av e
had an im p o r ta n t b e a r i n g on h i s d e c e n t r a l i s a t i o n p o l i c y i n t h e FMS.
H aving s p e n t t h e m ost im p o r ta n t p e r i o d s o f h i s c a r e e r i n w e l l - e s t a b l i s h e d crow n c o l o n i e s , C le m e n ti seemed t o f i n d t h e d i v e r s e r e s t r a i n t s in h e r e n t i n t h e M alayan s i t u a t i o n irk so m e t o h i s d e s i r e t o e x e r c i s e u n d iv id e d c o n t r o l o v e r t h e w hole c o u n t r y . By t h e 1930s t h e p a tc h -w o rk c o n s t i t u t i o n a l s e t - u p a l s o a p p e a re d i n c r e a s i n g l y anom alous i n a c o u n try th e s i z e o f M alay a . The c e n t r a l g o a l o f C le m e n ti* s d e c e n t r a l i s a t i o n p o l i c y t h e r e f o r e was a M alayan u n io n c o m p ris in g th e C olony and t h e M alay S t a t e s . To b e g in w ith he p o in t e d o u t t h a t i n an a r e a n e a r l y a s l a r g e a s E n g lan d t h e r e w ere no fe w e r th a n t e n a d m i n i s t r a t i o n s : t h e Colony and t h e n in e M alay S t a t e s . Even i f t h e FMS w ere ta k e n a s a s i n g l e e n t i t y , t h e r e w ere s t i l l se v e n a d m i n i s t r a t i v e u n i t s , e x i s t i n g ( a s i t w ere) i n w a t e r - t i g h t c o m p a rtm e n ts, and r e l a t e d t o e a c h o t h e r
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o n ly th r o u g h th e s i n g l e G o v ern o r-H ig h C o m m issio n er. The u n i f i c a t i o n o f t h e s e s e p a r a t e s t a t e s w ould s i m p l i f y a d m i n i s t r a t i o n , r e s u l t i n s u b s t a n t i a l e c o n o m ie s , and re d u c e f r i c t i o n b etw ee n t h e v a r io u s u n i t s . As C le m e n ti s t a t e d i n 1931:
I lo o k fo rw a rd in d e e d t o t h e em ergence o f a b r o th e r h o o d o f M alay n a t i o n s , e a c h p r o u d ly g u a r d in g i t s h i s t o r i c a l i n d i v i d u a l i t y and autonom y, b u t j o i n i n g h an d s w ith th e r e s t i n e n t e r p r i s e t h a t may b e f o r t h e good o f t h e M alays o f t h i s P e n in s u la a s a w hole and o f th e im m ig ra n ts o f o t h e r r a c e s who have made t h i s c o u n try t h e i r home. I n s u c h a M alayan L eague th e C olony w i l l , I t r u s t , ta k e i t s p l a c e . 13
I n i t i a l l y t h i s M alayan f e d e r a t i o n w ould be a lo o s e —k n i t u n i t . S u b se q u e n tly t h e f e d e r a l bond w ould be r e t i g h t e n e d s u b s t a n t i a l l y o v e r t h e member s t a t e s . T h is f e d e r a t i o n was in te n d e d t o be a s t r o n g one s i n c e C le m e n ti hoped t o earm ark t h e more im p o r ta n t re v e n u e i t e m s , su c h a s cu sto m s r e v e n u e ,
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f o r t h e f e d e r a l g o v e rn m e n t. U nder t h e new c o n s t i t u t i o n a l , o r d e r , t h e c e n t r e o f governm ent w ould be l o c a t e d i n S in g a p o re u n d e r a S e c r e t a r y t o t h e H igh C o m m issio n er. C le m e n ti v i s u a l i s e d t h e H igh C om m issioner a s t h e s t r o n g head o f t h i s M alayan f e d e r a t i o n , e f f e c t i v e l y d i r e c t i n g i t s a f f a i r s from S in g a p o r e . Somewhat c o n t r a d i c t o r y t o t h i s was h i s d e s i r e t o r e v i t a l i s e th e