Summary

Among those four colonists, it was the British and Japanese who left the greatest impact on the country. The British wisely intervened in the administration of the Malay states and introduced different forms of administration such as Resident System, the Federated Malay States and the Non-Federated Malay States. It was the British who created plural society with different economic, social and political functions. The Japanese on the other hand, had created tension among the people especially between the Chinese and the Malays. It was the Japanese who driven the Chinese to form communist guerillas. The activities of communists became rampant until the British government had to declare the emergency throughout the country. The era of emergency had witnessed the loss of lives and the destruction of property. However, the emergency was also a blessing because it expedited the process of achieving independence.