ABSTRACT
In just a little under 60 years, the territories that now comprise the Federation of Malaysian States have survived occupation by the Japanese (1942-45), battled against a Communist insurgency (1948-60), obtained self-rule from die British (1957 onwards), and struggled with merger and identity (1963 and 1965), while facing down the Indonesian government's policy of Konfrontasi ("Confrontation," 1963-66). Since 1965, the 13 states of Malaysia have faced interethnic riots (May 1969), addressed episodic Communist guerilla activity, dealt with an increase in religious extremism and potential fanaticism (1978-80), and survived factionalism and leadership altercations within the dominant party in the ruling coalition (1985-88).
