Abstract
The Malayan Indian Congress (MIC) emerged amid the chaos of the immediate postwar period in Malaya to represent the interests of the minority Indian community. Several Indian leaders who had been involved in the Indian Independence League during the war decided that a national organisation was needed to serve as the voice of the Indian community. Within a few years, the party became the leading representative of the Indian community. But the MIC's transformation was not without serious challenges from within and from other Indian political movements. This article examines the early period of the party's history to trace the growth of the MIC into the leading political movement of the Indians in Malaya, its internal problems and significant rivalry with other Indian-based organisations during this period and the issues that arose. The article shows that a pragmatic approach by the party leadership, in particular its discontinuance of the boycott of the 1948 Federation Constitution and its principled position on citizenship, enabled the party to overcome the challenge posed by rival Indian organisations to become the leading voice of the Indians by 1950.
Highlights
The Malayan Indian Congress (MIC), which celebrated its 70th anniversary recently, became the leading political party representing the Indians in Malaya by the early 1950s
These sources include some recently available documents related to the MIC, Malayan Indian Association (MIA), and Federation of Indian Organisations (FIO); United Malays National Organization (UMNO) secretariat files related to the MIC activities; and Colonial Office files which contain useful information on the MIC
The discussion above shows that the MIC faced considerable challenges within the party and strong rivalry from other Indian organisations in Malaya in the early period of the party's formation on a range of issues and in its effort to become the leading voice of the Indian community
Summary
The Malayan Indian Congress (MIC), which celebrated its 70th anniversary recently, became the leading political party representing the Indians in Malaya by the early 1950s. In recent years, more sources related to Indian-based organisations have become available in the archives and libraries and this enables a deeper consideration of these political rivalries These sources include some recently available documents related to the MIC, Malayan Indian Association (MIA), and Federation of Indian Organisations (FIO); United Malays National Organization (UMNO) secretariat files related to the MIC activities; and Colonial Office files (such as the CO 537 series) which contain useful information on the MIC. The MIC was founded shortly after the end of the Second World War in August 1945 to fill a need for a national organisation to represent the interests of the Indian community in Malaya It was the culmination of a collective effort by several leaders to rally the Indians behind a national organisation that could safeguard the rights and interests of the minority community in the changing political environment in Malaya.
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