Rundingan Baling 1955 dan Kesannya ke Atas Usaha Kemerdekaan Tanah Melayu (The Baling Talks 1955 and Their Impact on The Malayan Independence Efforts)

Abstract

This article discusses the moments of Baling Negotiations, 1955 and their impact on the efforts towards Malayan independence. Communists were the main national threat and security needed to be restored before the country’s independence was achieved. The amnesty announced on 8 September 1955 after the Alliance’s victory in the 1955 General Election attracted the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) to hold discussions. The negotiations brought together several communist personalities such as Chin Peng, Chen Tien and Rashid Maidin with government representatives namely Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tan Cheng Lock, David Marshall and a delegation at Baling English School, Baling, Kedah. This study aims to discuss the efforts made by Tunku after the 1955 General Election and the Baling Talks to gain national independence. This study uses a qualitative approach by examining primary sources such as British Colonial Office records, archive files and newspapers. This study also refers to a number of secondary sources such as books and articles. The study shows that the efforts made by Tunku Abdul Rahman and the delegation in the Baling Talks show the seriousness of gaining the confidence of the communists. The face-to-face meeting shows the serious efforts made by the government in obtaining peace before the independence of Malaya was negotiated with the British. The results of the study found that although the communists failed to reach an agreement, further action in the form of racial compromise became a priority in the efforts to dissolve the MCP. This highlights the importance of the event which is This highlights the significant importance of the Baling Talks in the government’s efforts to demand independence for the homeland. Tunku Abdul Rahman’s credibility and firmness were one of the factors that caused the British government to relax the conditions for granting independence to its colonies.