The Malayan Union was a confederation of the Malay states and the Straits Settlements excluding Singapore, which was placed as a crown colony under direct British rule. It was the successor to British Malaya and was conceived to simplify the administration of British colonies in the Malay Peninsula. It was formed on April 1, 1946 by the British. Few of the key details of the Union were: Malayan citizenship that would give equal rights to all would be citizens regardless of race citizenship based on the jus soli principle the transformation of the title Sultan to President. In a way, the Sultans, the traditional rulers of the Malay states, would concede all their powers to the British Crown except in the matters of culture and religion. The Union would be ultimately placed under the rule of a British Governor. The idea of the Union was first expressed by the British on October 1945 in the aftermath of the Second World War by the British Military Administration. Sir Harold MacMichael was assigned the task of gathering the Malay state rulers' approval for the Malayan Union in the same month. In a short period of time, he managed to obtain all the Rulers' signatures through intimidation. On April 1, 1946, the Malayan Union officially came into existence with Sir Edward Gent as its first governor. The capital of the Union was Kuala Lumpur. -From Wikipedia.

• published: 24 Oct 2007
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• author: 10tahun