History - Kuala Lumpur Melaka and Penang - page 430

Federation of Malaya
In 1946 the British persuaded the sultans to agree to the Malayan Union, which amalgam-
ated all the peninsular Malayan states into a central authority and came with the offer of
citizenship to all residents regardless of race. In the process, the sultans were reduced to the
level of paid advisers, the system of special privileges for Malays was abandoned and ulti-
mate sovereignty passed to the king of England.
The normally acquiescent Malay population were less enthusiastic about the venture
than the sultans. Rowdy protest meetings were held throughout the country, and the first
Malay political party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO; www.umno-on-
line.com ) was formed. This led to the dissolution of the Malayan Union and the creation of
the Federation of Malaya in 1948, which reinstated the sovereignty of the sultans and the
special privileges of the Malays.
Revolusi '48 ( http://revolusi48.blogspot.com , in Bahasa Malaysia), the sequel to Fahmi Reza's doco 10 Tahun
Sebelum Merdeka (10 Years Before Merdeka), chronicles the largely forgotten armed revolution for national
liberation launched against British colonial rule in Malaya in 1948.