ABSTRACT
Sixteen years ago I started my excursion into the subject of intellectuals in developing societies in a talk on Radio Malaya at Kuala Lumpur in which I took the Federation of Malaya as an example. 1 I inquired into the subject of whether a group of functioning intellectuals existed in Malaya at the time. The answer was no. Among the evidence adduced was the absence of theoreticians in the political parties and the rarity of intellectuals in the administrative service, though degree-holders were not uncommon. Among the causes I assigned to this state of affairs were a few rather conspicuous ones. For one thing, the educational institutions of the country, at least for the last three generations, had not been geared to produce creative individuals, but rather to provide the certificates and qualifications needed to fill government posts. Another factor was the home environment, the family being the most influential of all forces that mould a human personality. As there were very few families in Malaya with real intellectual interests, children were not exposed in their homes to an intellectual atmosphere or attitude of mind conductive to creative development. The combined influence of the family and the educational institutions was the most disturbing obstacle to the birth of a class of intellectuals.
