The “Left” is a broad term that we apply to a wide range of anti-colonial movements that originated in Malaya in the first third of the 20th century, who would go on to have a major influence on the decolonisation movements of both Singapore and the Federation after the war. They are the defining forces of Malayan history, but despite their massive importance, we know relatively little about them. In this episode, PJ Thum discusses their origins, sketches out broad patterns by which we can define the “Left”, and discusses the two pre-WWII main strands of the “Left”: The Chinese/Indonesian Malayan Communist Party, and the Malay Kesatuan Melayu Muda.

Note: Ibrahim Yaakob's text was voiced by BFM's Ezra Zaid.

Please send questions, comments, and feedback to thehistoryofsingapore@gmail.com or visit thehistoryofsingapore.com. Support the show at patreon.com/pjthum. For all the previous episodes in this series, search for "History of Singapore" on bfm.my.