University Socialist Club

The University Socialist Club (abbrev: USC) was a left-wing student group active from 1953 to 1971 that played an important role in the politics of colonial Malaya and post-colonial Malaysia and Singapore. Members of the club played a significant role in bringing about independence from Britain and in debates over the shape of the post-colonial nation. The club was instrumental in the formation and early success of the PAP and later, the Barisan Sosialis Party. Prominent members of the Club included Poh Soo Kai, Sydney Woodhull, Lim Hock Siew, Wang Gungwu, etc.

While the end of the World War II stirred up the national independence movement across the world, the increasingly Nationalistic sentiment made the British feel powerless to maintain its pre-war empire. Consequently, a progress of decolonization was foreseen both by the local nationalists and the British master (22). At the same time, the impact of the Cold War was also shaping the mindset of people of different backgrounds. When the Club was formed, Singapore was still under the control of the Emergency Regulation which was imposed by the colonial regime throughout the peninsular Malaya and Singapore against the communist insurgency. Underground activities of the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) was seen as a communists' threat by the British (23).

During this period, the left-wing socialists' activities could easily be considered as communists and face the risk of being arrested (23). The January 1951 arrests of the Malayan Orchid Group was a typical example where 35 students of University of Malaya got arrested for participating in the anti-colonial movement as the members of the Anti-British League (ABL) (120). At the age of different ideologies commingling with fiction, the socialist club was formed in 1953 under the influence of nationalism, decolonisation and modernism. 

The Genesis of the Club can be traced back to the discussion held by the medical students of the University of Malaya. The discussion then expanded to include students from arts and science faculty at the Bukit Timah campus (13). In 0ctober 1952, the medical and arts students held a debate in the lounge of the Road Hostel, proposing the concept of a general political debating club (14-15). 

Then on this basis, on 21st February 1953 (281), the Inaugural meeting of the Club was held. During the meeting, the proposal to call the Club as a socialist club was adopted. The members of the Central Working Committee (CWC) were elected; Wang Gungwu was elected as the first president of the club with Oorjitham as secretary general and Woodhull as publication secretary. The constitution of the University Socialist Club was drafted as follow:

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