British Business and Post-Colonial Malaysia, 1957-70: Neo-colonialism or Disengagement? (Routledgecurzon Studies in the Modern History of Asia, 21)

Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 List of illustrations......Page 8 Preface......Page 9 Acknowledgements......Page 11 List of abbreviations and acronyms......Page 13 Introduction: dependence, interdependence and disengagement in the Malaysian context......Page 18 Moments of anguish: the making and unmaking of 'Greater Malaysia'......Page 41 Political business: politics and economic nationalism in the post-colonial state......Page 75 The years of living dangerously: instability and insecurity in the post-colonial state......Page 114 Looking after the old staples: rubber and tin in the post-colonial era......Page 142 Oil palms and factories: diversifying the post-colonial economy......Page 181 Conclusion: business, government and the aftermath of empire......Page 214 Glossary......Page 240 Select who's who......Page 242 Bibliography......Page 249 Index......Page 261

This book explores the limits of the idea of 'neo-colonialism' - the idea that in the period immediately after independence Malaya/Malaysia enjoyed only a 'pseudo-independence', largely because of the entrenched and dominant position of British business interests allied to indigenous elites. The author argues that, although British business did indeed have a strong position in Malaysia in this period, Malaysian politicians and administrators were able to utilise British business, which was relatively weak vis-a-vis the Malaysian state, for their own ends, at the same time as indigenous businesses and foreign, non-British competitors were gathering strength. In addition, despite the commitment of both Conservative and Labour governments in the UK to preserving British influence worldwide through the Commonwealth relationship, British firms in Malaysia received only limited support from the British post-imperial state.