Word: templer
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...Hard Way. Templer's technique of fighting the guerrillas closely paralleled that of Asia's only other successful Communist killer, Philippines President Magsaysay. Both men combined ruthless military pressure with an all-out effort to get the majority of the people on their side...
...Templer's greatest asset was his unsuspected humanity. He would drop in on a Malay wedding and drink to the health of the bride; sometimes he staggered subordinates by doffing his mask of harshness and leading them ("Louder . . . louder") in some ribald army ballad. Once when a Malay woman complained that her policeman-husband had stopped her allowances, Templer replied in person. Within days the policeman reformed...
...Nation. Templer's favorite theme, in kampong and city alike, was Malayan nationhood. He saw no way of reconciling the 2,000,000 industrious Chinese (who dominate the economy) with the 2,700,000 easygoing Malays (who dominate the politics), except in a sense of common patriotism. To break down the color bar, Templer forced the diehard British to open their posh clubs to men of all races. To give the Chinese a stake in the country, he pressed for (and got) common citizenship, entitling the Chinese to vote. The Malays, appalled, called Templer pro-Chinese, but he turned...
...Templer saw plainly that there could be no real prospect of uniting and strengthening Malaya unless its people, of all races, had the hope of political freedom. With the full approval of the British government, he junked the outmoded notions of imperialism and promised, in their place, that "Malaya will become, in due course, a self-governing nation . . . within the British Commonwealth." Templer pushed through a constitutional revision which will 1) permit national elections, 2) give the National Assembly a narrow majority of elected (over appointed) members. In principle, at least, the new constitution is a big step towards nationhood...
Legend in the Kampongs. At his last press conference, Templer introduced his successor. He is capable Sir Donald McGillivray, 47, the Scottish diplomat who had been Templer's political deputy since 1952. McGillivray's appointment symbolized the changeover from a largely military to a mainly political emergency in Malaya. Said Templer generously: "I couldn't have done without...