An Analysis Of Southeast Asia's Route To Independence

I agree with the statement that Southeast Asia’s route to independence is characterised by conflict more than cooperation. From the 1500s to the mid-1950s, colonialism was imposed all over Southeast Asia. Some of the major colonisers were the Europeans, Japanese and the United States and all in all, there were seven colonial powers in Southeast Asia. They imposed their political and cultural domination over the Southeast Asian people and territories and after almost 500 years of being ruled by the colonial powers, only then did the countries of Southeast Asia gain their independence. This route to independence was both one of conflict and cooperation. However, in the case of these five countries, the route to independence can be characterised
When the Japanese surrendered Malaya to the British on 15 August 1945, the economy of Malaysia was disrupted and problems such as unemployment arose, leading to numerous strikes between 1946 and 1948. On 16 June 1948, communist guerrillas in Malaysia took up arms, murdering 3 European plantation managers. The British declared a State of Emergency after the assassination. The Malayan Communist Party was outlawed and any communists could be imprisoned without trial. The MCP retreated to rural areas and formed the Malayan People’s Liberation Army (MPLA) which targeted colonial resources extraction industries. The Communist threat posed during the Malayan Emergency dwindled and an agreement for Malaya to gain independence from the British Empire was made on 8 February 1958. In this case, the conflict was what ultimately led to the independence of Malaysia. When the threat posed during the Malayan Emergency dwindled, it proved to the British that the Malaysian Government would be able to deal with the communists and leftist-groups and gave Malaysia its independence. Therefore, without this conflict, the Malaysian Government would not have been able to prove themselves to the British that they would be able to govern and rule the country well and would not have gain its
Countries like Indonesia, although it is quite clear that the road to independence was a conflicting one, the cooperation of the Dutch, which were the rulers of Indonesia, was the deciding factor that led to the peace and harmony of the two countries. The conflict occurred during World War 2. During World War 2, Indonesia actually helped the Dutch in terms of financial assistance. However, when the Japanese invaded, the Dutch simply gave up on Indonesia. Furthermore, during the war, the Japanese also spiked the Indonesians to fight for independence. As a result, Indonesia did not want to be under Dutch rule again. When the Japanese surrendered in 1945, Sukarno, the first president of Indonesia, proclaimed the end to colonial rule in Indonesia. The Dutch did not recognize this and 4 years of armed conflict followed. Finally in 1949, under much pressure from international governments, the Dutch finally recognised the independence of Indonesia. The conflict in Indonesia’s independence is apparent, however without the cooperation of the two countries and both countries compromising, Indonesia would not have gained its independence. Based on this, some people might argue that Southeast Asia’s route to independence is characterised by cooperation more than