The partition of Malaya in 1946, separating Singapore from the rest of Malaya, was directly influenced by British failures in Palestine, and led to the creation of two artificial nation-states that were riddled with contradictions, particularly around three crucial questions: “What is decolonisation?”, “How do we end capitalist exploitation?”, and “What is Malayan identity?” This lecture, delivered by Dr PJ Thum at Durham University on 23 October 2025, examines the history of Malaysia to show how the form of the nation-state became a tool for oppression and exploitation by reproducing colonial hierarchies under the new colours of an independent country. Just as Malayan decolonisation grew out of the mistakes of Palestine, this lecture draws upon the decolonisation of Malaysia to suggest a framework for the future decolonisation of Palestine to avoid the mistakes of the past.
For a full text, please visit https://newnaratif.com/from-palestine-to-malaysia/
