Adult Suffrage Comes to Penang and Malaysia, 1951

By Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

October 2011 WINDOW INTO HISTORY
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On December 1, 1951, the first case of universal adult suffrage took place in Malaya. This was when Penang held its first municipal election. This followed swiftly after the Local Authorities Elections Ordinance, 1950 for the Federation of Malaya, became law on January 1, 1951.The Report on the Introduction of Elections in the Municipality of George Town, Penang (Kuala Lumpur: Government Press, 1951), written by the Supervisor of Elections, A.S.M. Hawkins, was ready for public viewing by the end of...

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Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

is the Executive Director of Penang Institute. His latest book is Signals in the Noise: Notes on Penang, Malaysia and the World (Singapore: Faction Press) Homepage: wikibeng.com.

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