Malaysia & Singapore's Transnational Progressive Networks, 1950s - 1980s

This project aims to provide a comprehensive plan in digitizing and preserving a unique collection of personal repositories of various key individuals affiliated with Pusat Sejarah Rakyat (PSR), an independent archival historical research center in Malaysia. The collection comprises personal collections of Dr. Poh Soo Kai, Juliet Chin, and Dr. Syed Husin Ali, all of whom were associated with various political parties, progressive movements and workers' unions in Malaysia and Singapore from 1960 to 1980s. The primary materials include ephemerals like newspaper clippings, meeting notes, printing materials, magazines, flyers, books and pamphlets. These documents shed light on the debates on Malaysia and Singapore's formation, internal discussions of diverse transnational leftist organizations, the active participation of Malaya and Singapore counterparts in the Afro-Asian Conference in Algiers (1965), and the activities of various progressive and workers’ unions. The project also encompasses the archiving of materials related to Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM), contributing to the understanding of the genealogical continuation of progressive Malay-leftist and nationalist parties. This collection holds significant historical value as it provides a critical background for the study of decolonization, as well as the history-making process in Southeast Asia, particularly from the perspectives of progressive political parties and unions suppressed during the formation of Malay(sia) and Singapore’s formation.