§ 22. Mr. Charles Smithasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what was the extent and what were the aims of the general strike which took place in Malaya on 20th October; and whether he has any statement to make.
Mr. Creech JonesThe hartal held throughout the Malayan Union and Singapore on 20th October was sponsored by certain political organisations and the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce, as a protest against the Federation Scheme summarised in Cmd. 7171. Though the hartal was widely observed by Chinese, I am informed that the Malays, in general, took no part, and that there was little evidence of widespread enthusiasm even among the Chinese, many of whom were ignorant of the issues involved.