Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 66 British Conditions
Colonial Office, Kuala Lumpur.

"Lapek, please believe us no matter what. We Chinese have always been loyal to the British Empire.

As you know, there have been more and more vicious incidents targeting Chinese people in Malaya recently. We also need to protect ourselves. Only by protecting ourselves can we better serve the British Empire.

In the police station office, Li Xiaoshi was talking eloquently to his classmate, the police chief.

There were two cups of fragrant coffee on the desk. Lapek was wearing a shirt with a very high collar and a beautiful bow tie. The high collar made his head tilt back slightly unconsciously.

His back was very straight and he looked like he had taken good care of his body. He had two mustaches under his nose, which were very popular in that era. He was holding a gentleman's stick in his hand and looked like a real gentleman.

But he doesn't look like a policeman at all.

"Oh, Li, you are right. The Chinese are very important partners for us British to rule Malaya. This is the consensus of our entire Colonial Office.

You know, Fendi and the others love you so much, and thanks to your Taiyou machinery, our tax revenue this year has more than doubled compared to last year."

"By the way, I heard that Taiyou Machinery's business is pretty good, right? I heard that you're now working three shifts, producing 24 hours a day, and it seems that you're planning to expand production further?

My goodness, you must have made a lot of money. When will you go public? After you go public, I will definitely buy a large amount of your stock and make a lot of money.

Speaking of Taiyou Machinery, Li Xiaoshi was also proud of it, and even his back straightened a lot.

To be honest, it was precisely because of the existence of Taiyou Machinery that Li Xiaoshi became much more confident in front of his British classmates.

He was no longer a local rich man who could only engage in plantations and mining in the colonies by relying on the political power of the British, which in his eyes was a simple task without any technical difficulty.

His Taiyou Machinery Factory is certainly not as good as the top machinery factories in Europe, but it has at least reached second-rate standards.

In some aspects, it even exceeds the first-class standards, which are even surpassed by the top machinery factories in Europe and the United States.

For example, the application of compressed air.

Almost all the machines and production lines currently designed by Taiyou use a large amount of compressed air, and it is very easy to use.

Zheng Yi likes to use compressed air very much. It seems that this thing is indeed easy to use. Even European and American factories have actively sent engineers to learn and exchange ideas. The pneumatic tools produced by their factories, especially the jackhammers used for mining, are even exported back to the United States.

Exporting industrial products to the United States was something that the Chinese in Southeast Asia would never have dared to think about a few years ago.

"At present, Taiyou Machinery is developing very well and is not short of money. However, Ayi and I have discussed that it is still necessary to go public. We will conduct a trial stock issuance at the latest next year.
When the time comes, we will definitely reserve enough original shares for you and the officials of our Colonial Office. You are all welcome to join us."

"But Lapek, you know, everything has its pros and cons. Because Thai machinery has developed so well, more and more mines and plantations have become industrialized. But precisely because of this industrialization, many workers in the mines and plantations have lost their jobs."

"As for the Chinese, we can handle it ourselves, but it's hard to say about the Malays and Indians. We are all classmates, so please help us.

Griffith and I have already agreed that we will be responsible for the replacement and maintenance of the police force's weapons in Kuala Lumpur. So, if that's the case, why can't we recruit some Chinese people?"

"Lapek, we Chinese make up nearly 60% of the population in Malaya, and nearly 90% in Kuala Lumpur. It's fine that there are no Chinese in the civil service, but why don't we even make up 10% of the police force?"

"If you agree to expand the Chinese presence, you don't even have to pay for the personnel and equipment. I can make the decision. We can save the Colonial Bureau at least several million dollars a year. What's wrong with that?"

"You know, more and more Indians have come to the city recently and become homeless people in Kuala Lumpur.
As far as I know, outside of Kuala Lumpur, six large-scale armed conflicts have occurred in Malay villages and Chinese villages and plantations in just the past two months. Is this good for the Colonial Administration? Don't you, the Colonial Administration, want a Malaya that is safe, stable, and generates more tax revenue year after year?

Seeing that Li Xiaoshi seemed a little anxious, Lapek smiled and gave him a cigar to comfort him, saying, "Have a cigarette, have a cigarette, don't be so anxious."

"Hey, old classmate, I'm not anxious, but I'm really a little scared."

Lapek smiled and said, "Industrialization, in its early stages, will inevitably cause social pain. Rising unemployment is unavoidable. We just have to get through this period and everything will be fine."

"We are old classmates, so I might as well tell you straight, you Chinese in Malaya are already rich, and now you have a large population, and you can also make machines and even weapons.
If you really had an army, wouldn't the Malays and Indians be bullied to death by you? There has to be a balance."

"But……"

But Lapek asked, "Do you want to hear our suggestions?"

"You said."

"Industrialization has led to massive unemployment. It's a fait accompli. From what I've heard, the average wage of workers in Southeast Asia seems to have dropped again. It's not much higher than in your country, is it?"

Li Xiaoshi: "Ah~, that's true. Although Ayi and I have worked on a minimum wage system, it's simply impossible to implement it."

Lapek: "I know you've worked very hard, and objectively speaking, you have indeed created some new jobs, but overall, the new jobs created are still far more than the jobs you have eliminated."

"If that's the case, why can't we arrange for ships to repatriate the unemployed Chinese?"

Li Xiaoshi was stunned. "Repatriate? But many people don't even have the money for a boat ticket."

Lapek: "Don't worry, the Colonial Office is also prepared. We have already decided to repatriate unemployed Chinese and Indians on a large scale. Your so-called social contradictions will naturally be resolved."

"Our Colonial Bureau can afford to take a small loss in this matter. Those who really can't afford to buy a ticket home can take our refugee ship. For this purpose, the Colonial Bureau has even specially modified two passenger ships, each of which can fully accommodate over 4,000 people."

Li Xiaoshi: "A ship fully loaded with more than 4,000 people? Are you crazy? Are they transporting people or pigs? This is going to cost lives!"

Lapek: "What does it matter? Most of them came here as slaves anyway. Since they can come here, why can't they go back as slaves? The asylum ship is free after all. If you want a better ship, can't you just buy your own ticket?"

Li Xiaoshi: "But everyone left their hometown to make money. Moreover, many have been in Southeast Asia for more than ten or twenty years. Even many second- and third-generation Southeast Asian Chinese may not be able to find work. They don't even have any relatives in China. If they are repatriated, how will they survive?"

Lapek: "So what can we do? You can't just ask us to deport Indians and not the Chinese. Wouldn't that be racial discrimination? That doesn't make sense."

"Lee, we hope to get the cooperation of your Chinese Chamber of Commerce on this matter. Don't you want to be the police? When your Chinese population drops below 30% of the entire Malaya, we will allow you Chinese to establish an independent police force."

"Why should you, the employed and wealthy Chinese, be burdened by these newcomers who can't even find a job?

They are the ones who are stealing the jobs of the Indians, but if the Indians really rebel and loot, you will definitely be the ones to be looted. Who knows, those newcomers might even join the Malays and Indians in robbing you.”

Li Xiaoshi: “…………”

(End of this chapter)