Malayan general election, 1955

Malayan general election, 1955

27 July 1955 (timelines)

52 (of the 98) seats to the Federal Legislative Council 27 seats needed for a majority Registered 1,280,855 Turnout 1,027,211 (82.8%)   First party Second party Third party   PMIP Leader Tunku Abdul Rahman Onn Jaafar Abbas Alias Party Alliance National Party PMIP Leader since 23 August 1951 10 May 1946 1953 Leader's seat Sungei Muda No seat No seat Seats won 51 No seats 1 Popular vote 818,013 78,909 40,667 Percentage 81.7% 7.9% 4.1%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   NAP PML Lab Leader D. S. Ramanathan Party National Association of Perak Perak Malay League Labour Party of Malaya Leader since 1953 Leader's seat No seat No seat Seats won No seats No seats No seats Seat change Popular vote 20,996 5,433 4,786 Percentage 2.1% 0.5% 0.5%   Seventh party   PPP Leader D. R. Seenivasagam Party Perak Progressive Party Leader since 1953 Leader's seat No seat Seats won No seats Popular vote 1,081 Percentage 0.1%

Elected Chief Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Alliance

A general election was held on Wednesday, 27 July 1955, the only general election before Malaya's independence in 1957. It was held to elect members of the Federal Legislative Council, which prior to this was fully appointed by the British High Commissioner in Malaya. Voting took place in all 52 federal constituencies of Malaya, each electing one Federal Councillor to the Federal Legislative Council. State elections also took place in all 136 state constituencies in 9 states of Malaya and 2 settlements from 10 October 1954 to 12 November 1955, each electing one Councillor to the State Council or Settlement Council.

The election was the first in which the Malayan Indian Congress (MIC) contested. MIC joined the Alliance Party in 1954.

The Pan-Malayan Islamic Party (PMIP, later known as PAS) was formed primarily to contest in the 1955 election. Before that, PMIP was known as the "Pan-Malayan Islamic Association", as a part of UMNO. PMIP won support by proclaiming its aim of making Islam the base of the Malay society in the north of Malay Peninsula, which was facing the lowest economic growth in Malaya.

The election resulted in a decisive win for the Alliance, which consisted of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) and MIC, and a resounding defeat for Parti Negara, led by former UMNO president Onn Jaafar. Onn himself failed to win a seat, while the Alliance proceeded to form the new government, with its leader Tunku Abdul Rahman becoming Chief Minister.^[1]

Thirty Alliance candidates had majorities of over 10,000 votes. Nine of them had majorities of over 20,000. Forty-three of their opponents lost their deposits.

Timelines

Federal Legislative Council

• Nomination Date : 15 June 1955
• Election day : 27 July 1955

State Council

State	Nomination Date	State election
Johor	1 September 1954	10 October 1954
Terengganu		29 October 1954
Selangor	11 August 1955	27 September 1955
Kedah	14 August 1955	nil
Kelantan	15 August 1955	19 September 1955
Perlis	17 August 1955	24 September 1955
Pahang	25 August 1955	26 September 1955
Negeri Sembilan	8 September 1955	12 October 1955
Perak	1 October 1955	12 November 1955

Settlement Council

Settlement	Nomination Date	State election
Penang	13 January 1955	19 February 1955
Malacca	4 August 1955	nil

Results

Federal Legislative Council

The Alliance Party won around 80% of the total vote and 51 out of 52 seats contested. PMIP won their only seat in Krian, Perak. Its sole winning candidate, Haji Ahmad Tuan Hussein, an Islamic scholar, was subsequently nicknamed "Mr. Opposition". Voter turnout was 82.8%.

 Summary of the 27 July 1955 Malayan Federal Legislative Council election results

Party				Vote		Seats
				Votes	%	Won	%
	Alliance Party[lower-alpha 1]		Alliance	818,013	81.68	51	98.08
		United Malays National Organisation	UMNO	589,933	58.90	34	65.38
		Malayan Chinese Association	MCA	201,212	20.09	15	28.85
		Malayan Indian Congress	MIC	26,868	2.68	2	3.85
	National Party		Negara	78,909	7.88	0	0.00
	Pan-Malayan Islamic Party		PMIP	40,667	4.06	1	1.92
	National Association of Perak		NAP	20,996	2.10	0	0.00
	Perak Malay League		PML	5,433	0.54	0	0.00
	Labour Party of Malaya		Lab	4,786	0.48	0	0.00
	Perak Progressive Party		PPP	1,081	0.11	0	0.00
	Independents		IND	31,642	3.16	0	0.00
Valid votes				1,001,527
Invalid/blank votes				25,684
Overall total (turnout: 82.8%)				1,027,211	100.00	52	100.00
Did not vote				252,789
Registered voters				1,280,855
Source: The Malayan Elections, Francis G. Carnell.[2]

1. Contested using kapal layar election symbol on the ballot papers.

Results by state

Summary of the 27 July 1955 Malayan Federal Legislative Council election results by state

Summary of the 27 July 1955 Malayan Federal Legislative Council election results in Perlis Party Candidates Vote Seats Votes % Won % Alliance Party[lower-alpha 1] Alliance 1 17,769 66.84 1 100.00 United Malays National Organisation UMNO 1 17,769 66.84 1 100.00 Independents IND 1 8,814 33.16 0 0.00 Valid votes 26,583 Invalid/blank votes Total votes (voter turnout: %) ' 100.00 1 100.00 Did not vote Registered voters 30,936 Voting age population (aged 21 years and above) ' Perlis's population ' Source: Contested using kapal layar election symbol on the ballot papers.  Summary of the 27 July 1955 Malayan Federal Legislative Council election results in Kedah Party Candidates Vote Seats Votes % Won % Alliance Party[lower-alpha 1] Alliance 6 155,151 93.34 6 100.00 United Malays National Organisation UMNO 4 106,204 63.89 4 66.67 Malayan Chinese Association MCA 2 48,947 29.45 2 33.33 National Party Negara 4 6,692 4.03 0 0.00 Pan-Malayan Islamic Party PMIP 1 1,563 0.94 0 0.00 Independents IND 2 2,817 1.69 0 0.00 Valid votes 166,223 Invalid/blank votes Total votes (voter turnout: %) ' 100.00 6 100.00 Did not vote Registered voters 193,865 Voting age population (aged 21 years and above) ' Kedah's population ' Source: Contested using kapal layar election symbol on the ballot papers.  Summary of the 27 July 1955 Malayan Federal Legislative Council election results in Kelantan Party Candidates Vote Seats Votes % Won % Alliance Party[lower-alpha 1] Alliance 5 130,513 78.09 5 100.00 United Malays National Organisation UMNO 5 130,513 78.09 5 100.00 National Party Negara 4 20,459 12.24 0 0.00 Pan-Malayan Islamic Party PMIP 3 13,399 8.02 0 0.00 Independents IND 3 2,758 1.65 0 0.00 Valid votes 167,129 Invalid/blank votes Total votes (voter turnout: %) ' 100.00 5 100.00 Did not vote Registered voters 205,901 Voting age population (aged 21 years and above) ' Kelantan's population ' Source: Contested using kapal layar election symbol on the ballot papers.  Summary of the 27 July 1955 Malayan Federal Legislative Council election results in Trengganu Party Candidates Vote Seats Votes % Won % Alliance Party[lower-alpha 1] Alliance 3 57,424 84.87 3 100.00 United Malays National Organisation UMNO 3 57,424 84.87 3 100.00 National Party Negara 3 10,240 15.13 0 0.00 Valid votes 67,664 Invalid/blank votes Total votes (voter turnout: %) ' 100.00 3 100.00 Did not vote Registered voters 92,948 Voting age population (aged 21 years and above) ' Trengganu's population ' Source: Contested using kapal layar election symbol on the ballot papers.  Summary of the 27 July 1955 Malayan Federal Legislative Council election results in Penang Party Candidates Vote Seats Votes % Won % Alliance Party[lower-alpha 1] Alliance 4 37,815 79.88 4 100.00 Malayan Chinese Association MCA 2 22,950 48.48 2 50.00 United Malays National Organisation UMNO 2 14,865 31.40 2 50.00 Pan-Malayan Islamic Party PMIP 1 3,523 7.44 0 0.00 Labour Party of Malaya Lab 1 2,650 5.60 0 0.00 Independents IND 2 3,354 7.08 0 0.00 Valid votes 47,342 Invalid/blank votes Total votes (voter turnout: %) ' 100.00 4 100.00 Did not vote Registered voters 98,780 Voting age population (aged 21 years and above) ' Penang's population ' Source: Contested using kapal layar election symbol on the ballot papers.  Summary of the 27 July 1955 Malayan Federal Legislative Council election results in Perak Party Candidates Vote Seats Votes % Won % Alliance Party[lower-alpha 1] Alliance 10 115,033 70.55 9 90.00 United Malays National Organisation UMNO 6 72,694 44.58 5 50.00 Malayan Chinese Association MCA 3 34,439 21.12 3 30.00 Malayan Indian Congress MIC 1 7,900 4.85 1 10.00 National Association of Perak NAP 9 20,996 12.88 0 0.00 Pan-Malayan Islamic Party PMIP 3 13,694 8.40 1 10.00 Perak Malay League PML 3 5,433 3.33 0 0.00 Labour Party of Malaya Lab 2 1,118 0.69 0 0.00 Perak Progressive Party PPP 2 1,081 0.66 0 0.00 Independents IND 4 5,699 3.50 0 0.00 Valid votes 163,054 Invalid/blank votes Total votes (voter turnout: %) ' 100.00 10 100.00 Did not vote Registered voters 206,466 Voting age population (aged 21 years and above) ' Perak's population ' Source: Contested using kapal layar election symbol on the ballot papers.  Summary of the 27 July 1955 Malayan Federal Legislative Council election results in Pahang Party Candidates Vote Seats Votes % Won % Alliance Party[lower-alpha 1] Alliance 3 46,932 89.95 3 100.00 United Malays National Organisation UMNO 3 46,932 89.95 3 100.00 Pan-Malayan Islamic Party PMIP 1 1,999 3.83 0 0.00 Independents IND 2 3,244 6.22 0 0.00 Valid votes 52,175 Invalid/blank votes Total votes (voter turnout: %) ' 100.00 3 100.00 Did not vote Registered voters 65,240 Voting age population (aged 21 years and above) ' Pahang's population ' Source: Contested using kapal layar election symbol on the ballot papers.  Summary of the 27 July 1955 Malayan Federal Legislative Council election results in Selangor Party Candidates Vote Seats Votes % Won % Alliance Party[lower-alpha 1] Alliance 7 50,178 71.19 7 100.00 United Malays National Organisation UMNO 4 33,069 46.92 4 57.14 Malayan Chinese Association MCA 3 17,109 24.27 3 42.86 National Party Negara 7 11,796 16.74 0 0.00 Pan-Malayan Islamic Party PMIP 2 6,489 9.21 0 0.00 Labour Party of Malaya Lab 1 1,018 1.44 0 0.00 Independents IND 1 1,003 1.42 0 0.00 Valid votes 70,484 Invalid/blank votes Total votes (voter turnout: %) ' 100.00 7 100.00 Did not vote Registered voters 85,579 Voting age population (aged 21 years and above) ' Selangor's population ' Source: Contested using kapal layar election symbol on the ballot papers.  Summary of the 27 July 1955 Malayan Federal Legislative Council election results in Negri Sembilan Party Candidates Vote Seats Votes % Won % Alliance Party[lower-alpha 1] Alliance 3 41,656 83.10 3 100.00 United Malays National Organisation UMNO 2 33,254 66.34 2 66.67 Malayan Chinese Association MCA 1 8,402 16.76 1 33.33 National Party Negara 3 7,968 15.89 0 0.00 Independents IND 1 506 1.01 0 0.00 Valid votes 50,130 Invalid/blank votes Total votes (voter turnout: %) ' 100.00 3 100.00 Did not vote Registered voters 58,318 Voting age population (aged 21 years and above) ' Negri Sembilan's population ' Source: Contested using kapal layar election symbol on the ballot papers.  Summary of the 27 July 1955 Malayan Federal Legislative Council election results in Malacca Party Candidates Vote Seats Votes % Won % Alliance Party[lower-alpha 1] Alliance 2 43,894 87.95 2 100.00 United Malays National Organisation UMNO 1 26,790 53.68 1 50.00 Malayan Chinese Association MCA 1 17,104 34.27 1 50.00 National Party Negara 1 2,821 5.65 0 0.00 Independents IND 1 3,194 6.40 0 0.00 Valid votes 49,909 Invalid/blank votes Total votes (voter turnout: %) ' 100.00 2 100.00 Did not vote Registered voters 64,708 Voting age population (aged 21 years and above) ' Malacca's population ' Source: Contested using kapal layar election symbol on the ballot papers.  Summary of the 27 July 1955 Malayan Federal Legislative Council election results in Johore Party Candidates Vote Seats Votes % Won % Alliance Party[lower-alpha 1] Alliance 8 121,648 86.07 8 100.00 Malayan Chinese Association MCA 3 52,261 36.98 3 37.50 United Malays National Organisation UMNO 4 50,419 35.67 4 50.00 Malayan Indian Congress MIC 1 18,968 13.42 1 12.50 National Party Negara 8 19,433 13.75 0 0.00 Independents IND 1 253 0.18 0 0.00 Valid votes 141,334 Invalid/blank votes Total votes (voter turnout: %) ' 100.00 8 100.00 Did not vote Registered voters 178,114 Voting age population (aged 21 years and above) ' Johore's population ' Source: Contested using kapal layar election symbol on the ballot papers.

State and Settlement Councils

Notes

1. Gill, Ranjit (1990). Of Political Bondage. Sterling Corporate Services. p. 40. ISBN 981-00-2136-4.
2. Carnell, Francis G. (December 1955). "The Malayan Elections". Pacific Affairs. University of British Columbia. 28 (4): 315. doi:10.2307/3035316. ISSN 0030-851X. JSTOR 3035316.

References

• Barbara Watson Andaya dan Leonard Y. Andaya. A History of Malaysia, The MacMlllan Press Ltd. (1982). ISBN 0-333-27673-6.
• The World Book Encyclopedia, World Book International (1994). ISBN 0-7166-6694-4.