ABSTRACT
In the foregoing pages, I have discussed the strategies of proscription, surveillance and self-criticism which led to the detection, arrest and censure of persons and institutions held responsible for the outbreak of the Maria Hertogh riots. Yet, to fully comprehend the dynamics and intricacies of British colonialism in post-war Southeast Asia, particularly in the event of mass violence, one must also appreciate the interplay and manipulation of strategies that sought not only to discipline the colonised subjects, but also to reconcile them to continued colonial rule. Frank Heinlein pointedly observes that the global environment of the post-Second World War period posed an array of serious challenges to the relevance of the British Empire. The employment of brute force alone in the management of colonies was no longer viable ‘at least if Britain wanted to retain the support of its allies.’1 The waning of British power in an era of decolonisation also meant that the threats posed by ‘extremists’ had to be counteracted by the maintenance of relationships of close collaboration with the ‘moderates’ within the colonised society. With these considerations in mind, the remaining parts of this book will examine British strategies of reconciliation and reforms which were integral to their efforts to restore their tarnished image and regain their agency. ‘Reconciliation’, which was conceivably a more arduous and convoluted undertaking, is the main subject of this chapter.
