When the Japanese took over from the British, a divisive method of ruling was retained in the management of the island's different races. The races were still kept apart from each other like little discrete pieces of mosaic. The unfortunate legacy from the Japanese Occupation was that the various races perceived each other with mistrust even though each community was subjected to massacres and acts of brutality. The Chinese had their Sook Ching, the Malays sacrificed at Pasir Panjang Ridge, and Eurasians and Indians loyal to the British cause were also massacred.
1. The Chinese
From the first days of Syonan-To, the Chinese population had been regarded with distrust by their Japanese conquerors. After the horrendous Sook Ching operation, the Japanese followed up by forming the Overseas Chinese Association (OCA) under the unwilling leadership of Lim Boon Keng who knew this was a means through which the Gunseikanbu could control the Chinese. Lim Boon Keng was a well-known Chinese who was rescued by a sympathetic Japanese official, Mamoru Shinozaki. The Japanese assessment of the Chinese was brutally simple: Not to be trusted but could be exploited for their economic wealth. Within two months of the Occupation on 9 April 1942, the Chinese community was forced by the Gunseikanbu to provide a "gift" of $50 million. The war had affected the financial status of the Chinese who were thus unable to raise the amount of money in time. Finally, two months later, the OCA presented the cheque of $50 million to the Japanese after having raised $28 million and borrowed the remaining $22 million from the Yokohama Specie Bank. The raising of $28 million dollars was in the form of a land tax which penalized the Straits Chinese and established business magnates since they were the only ones that owned property. This squeezing of financial resources did not end here. In the propaganda newspaper, Syonan Shimbun, an article on 9 February 1944 reported that the OCA had "donated" a fighter plane to the Japanese empire's war efforts. The OCA performed other tasks : it helped to raise labour corps, repatriate destitute Chinese from the Peninsula, finance orphanages and a home for the aged.In addition, it participated in numerous campaigns launched by the Japanese administration. The harsh treatment under the Japanese drove many Chinese to support the underground resistance movement and left a generation of Chinese with a lingering hatred for all things Japanese.
2. The Malays
Towards the Malays, the Japanese were generally friendly. The Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM), a left-wing nationalist organization, responded positively to the Japanese even before the start of the campaign in Malaya. In exchange for all help rendered, the KMM demanded that the Japanese respect their religion, customs and possessions. In most instances, the Japanese showed Muslims special consideration, with extended holidays and a month's pay in advance for Ramadan, the fasting month. Matters related to Islam were also left to the Malay religious elite. Besides showing concern for Malay welfare, the rulers of Syonan, actively encouraged Malays to emerge from the kampongs and participate in the defence of Syonan-Malai. All Malays automatically became members of the Malay Welfare Association formed in December 1943. The Japanese also attempted to teach all Malays, regardless of gender, new skills so that they could be employed in factory, office and other jobs that were mainly handled by non-Malays. Whatever the truth was, a brave band of soldiers known as the Malay Regiment had fought bravely in defence at Pasir Panjang Ridge and were massacred by the Japanese troops. Unfortunately, the racial stereotypes and prejudices that came about during the Japanese Occupation helped create racial tension after the war.
3. The Indians
When the Japanese blitzed through Asia and disposed of all the European colonial masters, it proclaimed itself as the liberators of the oppressed Asian countries. Indians, like the Malays, were wooed by the Japanese. The Japanese assisted in building up a network of Indian intelligence activities, particularly among Indian troops stationed in northern Malaya. The Indian Independence League (IIL) was quickly organized and it soon grew in stature under the leadership of the charismatic Subhas Chandra Bose. Bose came to Syonan to provide the much-needed leadership for the Indian National Army (INA) and IIL. Bose later organized the Free India Army (Azad Hind Faud) and the Free India Provisional Government. Men who had earlier refused to become involved, rushed to enlist when Bose pressed for a total mobilization of the manpower and financial resources of the community for the liberation of India. In addition, 600 women initially formed a Rani of Jhansi Regiment. Ultimately, all these resistance forces against the British did not help the Japanese empire achieve its objective of driving the British out from India. However, they did evoke an element of distrust between the Indians and other racial groups as the Indians were seen to be in close proximity to the cruel Japanese.
4. The Eurasians
The Syonan years were almost as traumatic for Eurasians as for Chinese. The Eurasians were treated with distrust since they had depended on their "blood relatives" (the British) and the majority "still clung to their old ideas of European respectability and superiority". The Eurasians who had previously worked in the electrical, water and engineering industries or held other key appointments were ordered back to work towards the smooth functioning of Syonan-To. Absenteeism was to be dealt with severely. Like the Chinese community, the Tokubetsu-si also set up a community self-help group called "Eurasian Welfare Association". Dr. C.J. Paglar, a prominent Eurasian, was installed as its leader on 1 September 1942. The Association served as an intermediary between the Gunseikanbu and the Eurasian community. The community's reaction towards Paglar at the end of the war was mixed. While some maintained their respect for him for having protected Eurasian interests during the war, others pilloried him for going out of his way to help the Japanese. He was brought to trial and charged with treason after the war. Though he was never formally charged, he was never formally acquitted either. He died with many remembering him as a philanthropist.
Lacking local knowledge, the Japanese needed the assistance of people and self-help groups/associations in understanding the languages, societies and mind-set of the people of Malaya. The Japanese strongly desired a united Asia (one to be led by the Japanese) and urged the people to think of themselves as Asians first. This Asian identity was used as a platform to oppose the West, be immersed in all things Japanese and work under the Japanese Emperor. However, in the promotion of such an "Asian Unity" and with the treatment of the local population as inferiors by the Japanese soldiers and officials, all propaganda efforts by the Japanese produced negative results.^^^
