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About the Project
Malaya and Singapore's Transnational Progressive Networks, 1950s - 1980s
Planning Grant
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.
Project Leads
Muhammad Zikri Bin Abdul Rahman, Pusat Sejarah Rakyat
Host Institution
Pusat Sejarah Rakyat (Malaysia)
More Information
Archival Organization
All surveyed materials have been physically separated into two main collections: the Dr. Lee Siew Choh Collection and the Parti Rakyat Malaysia Collection.
The project team identified a vast set of materials that document multiple progressive networks and historical decolonisation processes from the separation of Malaysia and Singapore, Afro-Asian solidarity, trade unions and political parties that were not previously archived. The collections reveal that progressive and socialist movements in the region were highly organized, internationally connected, and deeply embedded in everyday life. The collection challenges dominant national narratives by foregrounding dissent, solidarity, and grassroots political education as central to modern Southeast Asian history.The materials come in different forms, including newspaper clippings, internal minutes, correspondence letters to party membership forms.
Users are encouraged to approach the collection contextually and relationally, reading across series, organizations, and time periods rather than treating records in isolation. The materials reflect interconnected political, social, and cultural networks operating across Malaya(sia) and Singapore.
Dr. Lee Siew Choh Collection
Dr. Lee Siew Choh was one of the prominent members of Barisan Sosialis. This collection comprises 3,180 items from 123 series, all related to Dr. Lee’s political life, including his work with Barisan Sosialis of Singapore. Materials include correspondences, clippings, press statements and printed matter.
The collection is now documented in two organizing Finding Aids:
Parti Rakyat Malaysia Collection
This Parti Rakyat Malaysia Collection includes membership forms from multiple Malaysian states to obtain the Party’s membership from 1950s to 2000s. These records humanize the political movement by documenting individuals of different demographics; from urban and rural areas of diverse social status, from workers, farmers, and activists who formally affiliated themselves with socialist organizations despite significant political risk. The collection comprises 14,464 items were recorded from 261 series.
The collection is now documented in two organizing Finding Aids: