This article lists important figures and events in the public affairs of British Malaya during the year 1941, together with births and deaths of prominent Malayans. The Japanese occupation of Malaya started in December 1941.

Incumbent political figures

Central level (until February 1942)

* Governor of Federated of Malay States : **

Shenton Whitelegge Thomas Sir Thomas Shenton Whitelegge Thomas (10 October 1879 – 15 January 1962), commonly known as Sir Shenton Thomas, was a British colonial administrator most notable for his role as Governor of the Straits Settlements in Singapore. He served fr ...

* Federal Secretaries of the Federated of Malay States : ** Hugh Fraser *

Governor of Straits Settlements The governor of the Straits Settlements was appointed by the British East India Company until 1867, when the Straits Settlements became a Crown colony. Thereafter the governor was appointed by the Colonial Office. The position existed from 1826 ...

: **

State level (until February 1942)

* Perlis : ** Raja of Perlis : Syed Alwi Syed Saffi Jamalullail * Johore : **

Sultan of Johor The Sultan of Johor is a hereditary seat and the sovereign ruler of the Malaysian state of Johor. In the past, the sultan held absolute power over the state and was advised by a ''bendahara''. Currently, the role of ''bendahara'' has been take ...

: Sultan Ibrahim Al-Masyhur * Kedah : **

Sultan of Kedah The Kedah Sultanate (كسلطانن قدح) is a Muslim dynasty located in the Malay Peninsula. It was originally an independent state, but became a British protectorate in 1909. Its monarchy was abolished after it was added to the Malayan Uni ...

: Abdul Hamid Halim Shah * Kelantan : ** Sultan of Kelantan : Sultan Ismail Sultan Muhammad IV *

Trengganu Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: ''Tranung'', Jawi: ), formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu, is a sultanate and constitutive state of federal Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, ''Dāru l- Īmān'' ("Abode of Faith") ...

: ** Sultan of Trengganu : Sulaiman Badrul Alam Shah * Selangor : ** British Residents of Selangor : G. M. Kidd **

Sultan of Selangor Sultan of Selangor (سلطان سلاڠور) is the title of the constitutional ruler of Selangor, Malaysia who is the head of state and head of the Islamic religion in Selangor. The current monarch, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah ascended the t ...

: Sultan Sir Hishamuddin Alam Shah Al-Haj *

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

: ** Monarchs : King George VI ** Residents-Councillors : Arthur Mitchell Goodman *

Malacca Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site si ...

: ** Monarchs : King George VI ** Residents-Councillors : * Negri Sembilan : ** British Residents of Negri Sembilan : John Vincent Cowgill ** Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan :

Tuanku Abdul Rahman ibni Almarhum Tuanku Muhammad Tuanku Sir Abdul Rahman ibni Almarhum Tuanku Muhammad ( Jawi: ; 24 August 1895 – 1 April 1960) was the first Paramount Ruler or Yang di-Pertuan Agong of the Federation of Malaya, eighth Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Seri Menanti and second Yang d ...

* Pahang : ** British Residents of Pahang :

C. C. Brown Ceandris Nehemiah Brown (born January 27, 1983) is a former American football Safety (American football position), safety. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisiana–Laf ...

Sultan of Pahang Sultan of Pahang () is the title of the hereditary constitutional head of Pahang, Malaysia. The current sultan is Al-Sultan Abdullah ibni Sultan Ahmad Shah. He is the Head of Islam in the state and the source of all titles, honours and dignitie ...

: Sultan Abu Bakar *

Perak Perak () is a state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south. Thailand's ...

: ** British Residents of Perak :

Marcus Rex Marcus Rex, (11 September 1886 – 28 September 1971) was the last British Resident of Perak Education and career Rex's early education was at Highgate School, London, after which he gained a Bachelor of Arts ( BA) degree from Trinity College, ...

** Sultan of Perak : Sultan Abdul Aziz Al-Mutasim Billah Shah Ibni Almarhum Raja Muda Musa I

Events

Below, the events of World War II have the "WW2" acronym * 8 December – WW2: Imperial Japanese Army

landings Landing is the last part of a flight, where a flying animal, aircraft, or spacecraft returns to the ground. When the flying object returns to water, the process is called alighting, although it is commonly called "landing", "touchdown" or ...

at Pak Amat Beach, Kota Bharu. This marked the official start of the Japanese occupation of Malaya. * 8–11 December – WW2: Operation Krochol * 9 December – WW2:

Sungai Petani Sungai Petani ( abbr. Sg. Petani or SP; Jawi: سوڠاي ڤتاني) is a city in Kuala Muda District, Kedah, Malaysia. Sungai Petani is Kedah's largest city and is located about 55 km south of Alor Setar, the capital of Kedah, and 33&nb ...

Butterworth Butterworth may refer to: Places * Butterworth (ancient township), a former township centred on Milnrow, in the then Parish of Rochdale, England, United Kingdom * Butterworth, Eastern Cape, now also known as Gcuwa, a town located in South Africa ...

and Alor Star airport were captured by the Imperial Japanese Army. * 10 December – WW2: The British battleship ''Prince of Wales'' and battlecruiser ''Repulse'' were sunk by Japanese aircraft after relying on false intelligence as to the location of the landings. * 11–13 December – WW2: Battle of Jitra * 14–16 December – WW2:

Battle of Gurun The Battle of Gurun was a minor engagement between the Japanese and Commonwealth forces during the Malayan Campaign of the Second World War. The battle occurred when the 11th Indian Division attempted to slow down the Japanese advance after the ...

* 18 December – WW2: Malayan Peoples's Anti Japanese Army (MPAJA) founded. * 30 December – WW2: Starting

Battle of Kampar The Battle of Kampar (30 December 1941 – 2 January 1942) was an engagement of the Malayan Campaign during World War II, involving British and Indian troops from the 11th Indian Infantry Division and the Japanese 5th Division. On 27 Decem ...

until 2

January January is the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is also the first of seven months to have a length of 31 days. The first day of the month is known as New Year's Day. It is, on average, the coldest month of the ...

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...

. * Unknown date – Construction of

India House (Penang) The India House is a historical building in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. History In the early 20th century, the land of the building was used by the Huttenbach Brothers & Co. for their business. The present building was constructed in 1937. Du ...

completed.

Births

* 30 January –

Ahmad Kamal Abdullah Ahmad Kamal Abdullah (30 January 1941 – 27 October 2021) was a Malaysian poet, novelist, playwright, literary critic and Malaysian National Laureate (2011). He was known under the pseudonym Kemala. Biography His father, Abdullah Hj. Daud w ...

– Writer and National Sasterawan * 20 February –

Lim Kit Siang Lim Kit Siang (; born 20 February 1941) is a Malaysian politician. He is the longest-serving leader of the opposition in Malaysia, having held the position for a total of 29 years on three separate occasions. He is also former Secretary-Genera ...

– Democratic Action Party (DAP) politician * 1 March –

Laila Taib Leila ( fa, لیلا, ar, ليلى, he, לילה) is a feminine given name primarily in the Semitic (Arabic, Hebrew) and Iranian languages. In Latin alphabet the name is commonly spelled in multiple ways, including Laela, Laelah, Laila, La ...

– Wife to former Chief Minister of Sarawak,

Abdul Taib Mahmud Abdul Taib bin Mahmud ( Jawi: عبدالطيب بن محمود; born 21 May 1936) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the 7th Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak since March 2014. He served as the 4th Chief Minister of Sarawak for 33 years ...

(died

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

) * 22 June – Ariffin Mohamad @

Ayah Pin Ariffin Mohammed (22 June 1941 – 22 April 2016), better known as Ayah Pin (''Father Pin''), was a Malaysian cult leader and founder of the Sky Kingdom ( ms, Kerajaan Langit) religious sect. His movement had a commune based in Besut, Tereng ...

– Secterian leader (died 2016) * 17 September –

Syed Hussein Alatas Syed Hussein Alatas ( ar, سيد حسین العطاس '; 17 September 1928 – 23 January 2007) was a Malaysian academic, sociologist, politician, and founder of social science organisations. He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Malaya ...

– Writer * 26 September – Raja Jaafar – Raja Muda Perak * 7 October - Leo Moggie Anak Irok – Former Minister of Energy, Communication and Multimedia (1998-2004), Chairman

Tenaga Nasional Berhad Tenaga Nasional Berhad (, abbreviated as TNB; TENAGA, ), also known as Tenaga Nasional or simply Tenaga, is the Malaysian multinational electricity company and is the only electric utility company in Peninsular Malaysia and also the largest p ...

and Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd * 1 November –

Ahmad Fairuz Abdul Halim Malay titles#Tun, Tun Ahmad Fairuz bin Sheikh Abdul Halim (born 1 November 1941) is a retired Malaysian people, Malaysian lawyer who served as the fourth Chief Justice of Malaysia. A controversial figure, he held that position from 2003 to 200 ...

– Former Attorney General of Malaysia (2003-2007) * Unknown date – A. Galak – Actor * Unknown date – Mohd. Yusof Noor – Politician

References

1940s in Malaya

Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...