WI: Communist Malaysia

Armored Diplomacy

In OTL, the Malayan Emergency ended with Chin Peng's Communist guerrillas defeated, and the British negotiating Malaysian independence with more moderate groups.

Suppose, however, that the Malaysian Communists wore down the British and forced them out, and Chin Peng was then free to declare the People's Republic of Malaysia.

So what are the effects on the region and the Cold War, as well as Malaysia itself?
 

jeckl

It would be difficult for the Malayan communists to win because they mostly came from the ethnic Chinese, as well as other issues in the way Britain dealt with it, such as it being a smaller war then Vietnam and Britain knew more about dealing with insurgents.

But if they did win, you would see Britain hold onto Singapore in an Iron like grip, maybe more troops in Vietnam and maybe Indonesia making it self out as anti-communist in order to get western backing in a war.
 

Armored Diplomacy

jeckl said:
It would be difficult for the Malayan communists to win because they mostly came from the ethnic Chinese, as well as other issues in the way Britain dealt with it, such as it being a smaller war then Vietnam and Britain knew more about dealing with insurgents.

But if they did win, you would see Britain hold onto Singapore in an Iron like grip, maybe more troops in Vietnam and maybe Indonesia making it self out as anti-communist in order to get western backing in a war.
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Alternatively, though, you could have the Communists conducting their war from Thailand and China beat the newly independent government of Malaysia. Chin Peng's insurgency did not end with Malaysian independence; he kept up a campaign against the Malaysian government until 1989. Suppose that they won after Singapore already became independent?
 

MarshalBraginsky

Banned
A Communist Malaya would also have attracted the Philippines to gain Sabah on the grounds that it was owned by the Sultanate of Sulu.
 

RousseauX

Donor
Armored Diplomacy said:
In OTL, the Malayan Emergency ended with Chin Peng's Communist guerrillas defeated, and the British negotiating Malaysian independence with more moderate groups.

Suppose, however, that the Malaysian Communists wore down the British and forced them out, and Chin Peng was then free to declare the People's Republic of Malaysia.

So what are the effects on the region and the Cold War, as well as Malaysia itself?
Click to expand...
A Communist Malaysia was never in the cards, the Communists were basically supported by a minority within the minority Chinese population, it's pretty hard to see how they are suppose to win out when the majority of the country is against them.
 

Kishan

The Communists had no chance in Malaysia as they had no support of the majority Malay population. Their influence was confined to the Chinese minority. By waging a guerrilla war they could only create some headache for the Government and that was the only thing they achieved.
 
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