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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 4, No. 8. July 16, 1941

Edgley Echoes

Edgley Echoes

Bob Edgley, Past President of V.U.C.S.A., and a life member of the Students' Association, writes from Malaya:—

Owing to the war, many people from Malaya who would otherwise go on leave to England, now go down to Australia and New Zealand. I get quite unflattering reports of New Zealand from people who go there. When I arrived there I felt that I could recommend anybody to go to New Zealand who wanted a good holiday—with not too much wild night life of course. However, I have had so many raspberries that I now keep my mouth shut. Actually many of the complaints are based on the fact that you cannot get meals after certain hours at hotels, etc., and on a general of service and attention. People living in this country get thoroughly spoilt by attention of course. I have a little Malay servant named Mohamed Zuliara, who waits on me hand and foot, and whose services are quite willingly given at any hour of the day or night. A Government man is quite pukka in this country, and you can't do a thing for yourself. A Malay feels that he is somebody if he has a job with a Government man.

The Malay People.

The Malays are a good lot. Small, very neat in their movements, and most friendly and polite, though in no way servile. Their sense of honour is very akin to our own, and things that amuse us amuse them too. They are in no way an oppressed race, and I really think our coming here has benefited them greatly. British colonial policy as portrayed here is very good—I am not flag-flapping or being diehard, but quite frankly there is not any of the oppression which any of our young socialists would loudly declaim. The Malays get a better deal from us, I should say, than they did under their own chiefs—while the way the Chinese come here in hordes clearly indicates that they are happy under British rule. Actually if anything the Malays are too well treated—they are permitted to lean on us, and if we ever got out, the Chinese would overrun them. I suppose you may consider me as [unclear: having] stumbled into the last ditch of reaction, but I wish you could see for yourself. Of course there are fools amongst our race who treat the Asiatics like mud—but they would get into trouble if they used physical violence to them.

R. W. Edgley.