從反共到馬來亞化：馬來亞馬華公會與成人教育班（1952-1961）

From Anti-Communism to Malayanisation: The Malayan Chinese Association and Adult Education Classes, 1952-1961

馬華公會成人教育班是馬華公會在華人新村推展啓迪民智的產物。1952年，馬華公會以社會福利彩票所得的營利設立成人教育班，除了在華人新村肩負掃除文盲工作外，還配合聯合邦政府阻絕馬共勢力擴張的需求。1953年，聯合邦政府禁止玫治團體發行彩票，導致部分的馬華成教班因經費缺乏而被迫停辦。1956年，馬華成教班復辦，並由民眾圖書協會統一管理，其時正逢馬來亞獨立之際，成教班的設立目標順應當時的政治局势予以調整，從最初的「掃除文盲」、「啓迪民智」擴展至「共同建造新馬來亞國」。本文擬透過早期華文報紙及報告書的梳理，探討馬華成教班的發展歷程與運作方式，以及其如何協助華人融入當時的馬來亞社會。

The Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) adult education classes were a product of the MCA’s efforts to enlighten the people in the Chinese villages. The MCA used the profits from the Social Welfare Lottery in 1952 to establish the Adult Education Classes, aiming to eliminate illiteracy in Chinese villages and address the British colonial government’s concerns about the growth of the Malayan Communist Party. In 1953, the ban on lotteries by political organizations was taken by the British colonial government, which led to the closure of some of the MCA adult education classes because of a lack of funds. In 1956, the MCA adult education classes were resumed under the management of the Malayan Public Library Association (MPLA), which was at the time of Malaya’s independence, and the objectives of the classes were adjusted to suit the political situation, from“eradicating illiteracy”and“enlightening the people”to“building a new Malayan nation”. This article examines the development and operation of the MCA adult education classes and how it helped the Chinese to integrate into Malayan society through a review of early Chinese newspapers and reports.