This question is on the impacts of British colonial rule in Malaya.

6. ‘The main social impact of British colonial rule in Malaya to c.1900 was the creation of
western-educated elites.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
[O LEVEL 2020] [12]

British rule did not have social benefits as there was little social development of public facilities.
Since the British needed to train a small group of English-educated personnel to staff
administration in FMS, widespread education was not required. Education for Malays was limited
to their role to farm land. The education of Chinese and Indian immigrants, from the British view, was
not needed as they were labourers who would return home. Thus British rule socially benefited a
small group of educated elites socially divided from the masses.

The British also implemented a policy of divide between the races. They made sure Indian
immigrants worked in plantations while the Chinese worked in tin mines. They also protected the
interests of Malays and appease them by introducing the Malay Land Reservation System,
ensuring Malay land cannot be sold to non-Malays, encouraging the racial division of society to
suppress nationalistic sentiment and prevent unification of multi-racial society, leading to racial
riots and tensions in the 20th century. Hence, British rule did not bring social benefits.

British rule brought social benefits such as urbanisation as it led to creation of cities and towns.
Economic developments resulted in social changes. Transportation networks improved as roads
and railways were built to link plantations to towns and ports. Towns sprang up and availability
of jobs led to an influx of Chinese and Indian immigrants, causing the increasing population of
different ethnic groups for a more plural society. Some revenue was utilized to improve
healthcare and provide water and electricity, causing the people in the FMS to enjoy higher
standard of living in UFMS which remained backward. Hence, British rule brought social benefits.

In the short run, British rule did bring social advantages to the people of Malaya as it brought
modernisation to FMS. However in the long run, British rule brought limited social benefits as these
were limited to the FMS where economic exploitation occurred and thus locals living in UFMS did not
benefit. These benefits were also largely limited to Malays as the British showed favoritism towards
Malays to gain their support. Social benefits also came out not because of humanitarian reasons but
were an indirect result of economic exploitation.