Propaganda British Menentang Jepun di Tanah Melayu Semasa Perang Dunia Kedua (1941-1945) (British Propaganda Against Japan in Malaya During the Second World War (1941-1945))

Abstract

Propaganda is an effort by the conflicting parties to undermine the interests of their opponent. It functions to influence the audience not to support them regardless of whether the facts presented are true or otherwise. The Second World War has shown this phenomenon through the forms of propaganda used. In this case, the British and Japanese were military powers competing for influence in Southeast Asia, especially Malaya. The early defeat of the British at the Japanese hands forced them to carry out propaganda actions to restore their image. This paper aims to discuss British propaganda in its efforts to oppose Japan in Malaya during the Second World War. Among the forms of propaganda used for this purpose include through film screenings, public speeches, newspapers, posters, pamphlets, currency, photographs and radio broadcasts. These forms of propaganda will be examined through documents from the National Archives of Malaysia consisting of Colonial Office (CO) reports, meeting minutes, correspondence and reports from the Publicity and Printing Department as well as personal collections. In addition, newspaper clippings can also be accessed through the SG News website at the National Library of Singapore. Meanwhile, journal articles, books and theses were obtained from the Tun Sri Lanang Library and the Centre for the Study of History, Politics and International Affairs, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia as a complement. This paper further found that the public who were somewhat influenced by Japanese propaganda began to change their stance. This proved the effectiveness of the British in changing the stance of the public through their propaganda. However, this positive impact was only short-term because the tarnishing of the British image at the hands of the Japanese opened the eyes of the local community to be more confident in voicing their desire to demand independence through the establishment of political parties later.