Speaking at the launch of his book on Sabah’s political history yesterday, the writer and columnist argued that British decolonisation plans predated Cold War anxieties and were driven primarily by strategic and economic considerations rather than “communist threats”.
Responding to a question from an audience member who recalled being warned as a student that communism would “take over” if Sabah and Sarawak did not join Malaysia, Johan said he remained unconvinced that communist threats were as central as often portrayed in official accounts and historical writings.
“The communism you mention … I’m not so sure if the threats were real. I have read this many times, the early writings about the domino effect theory and so on. Much of the narrative surrounding the so-called domino effect emerged from Cold War thinking,” he said.
He was speaking at the launch of his book, “Sabah’s Rocky Road to Malaysia: Events that Shaped Sabah’s Political and Economic Realities”. His remarks were part of a wider discussion at a public forum on the Malaysian compact and future challenges.
Johan acknowledged that communist parties did exist in Malaya and elsewhere at the time, but argued that their presence should not be conflated with an existential threat.
“A lot of books try to say that the fear of communism spreading was why Sabah and Sarawak, together with Singapore, formed Malaysia. For me, that is not true,” he said.
He said British plans for decolonisation – restructuring and eventual withdrawal from their colonies – had begun as early as World War II, which led towards moves for the formation of Malaysia – what was called the ‘grand design’ of the British.
“They were already planning decolonisation because it was costing them a lot of money to sustain security, the navy and the air force,” he said.
Britain’s weakened position after fighting both Japan and Germany made maintaining a far-flung empire economically unsustainable. “They could no longer afford to keep it up.”
He suggested that communist threats were later emphasised in historical narratives as a convenient justification for political decisions.
Focusing on Sabah and Sarawak, Johan highlighted other geopolitical factors he said were more immediately relevant, including the Philippines’ claim over Sabah, and Indonesia’s confrontation with the proposed Malaysian federation.
“These external pressures played a more tangible role in shaping political decisions than internal communist movements,” he contended. “To me, communism is being played up. Communism existed, but it had no direct influence on the formation of Malaysia.”
Instead, Johan pointed to growing international pressure, particularly from the United Nations. “It was more that the British decided to decolonise after pressure to give up and allow countries self-determination,” he said.