Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 218 Do you want to treat the British like dogs?

The city of Alor Setar has now been built into one of the best leisure and entertainment resorts in the world. If you just look at it superficially, the construction of this city is even better than Penang.

Because during the entire Allied counter-offensive, this place served as a rear base and assumed a large part of the recuperation function.

It just so happens that one of the original positionings of this place is to be the leisure and entertainment center of Penang. After all, Penang is too small, and the factories and population are too dense. Except for the wealthy areas in the north city, the vast majority of people in the south city of Penang lack sufficient entertainment and leisure services.

Therefore, throughout the later period of the war, in addition to the original food processing, edible oil bottling and beverage bottling industries, hot springs, holiday parks, resort hotels on the beach, as well as various dance halls, nightclubs, bars, restaurants, saunas, hair salons, and even casinos all sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

Since it is a tourist and leisure city, the key is that the place is spacious, so the construction is naturally beautiful, much more beautiful than Penang.

In fact, as long as it is a tropical region, there are very few beaches that are not beautiful. Coupled with its special role in World War II, it is almost inevitable that it will become world-famous in a very short period of time and become one of the best tourist resorts in the world.

Of course, during the war, everyone was under a lot of pressure, and all industries were in decline, so many people had nothing to do.

Therefore, casinos and the sex industry naturally flourished during this period. After all, where there were American soldiers, the sex industry would definitely develop, and most of the Chinese in Southeast Asia loved to gamble.

During the war, things were so chaotic that even Zheng Yi acquiesced to the existence of this industry in Alor Setar.

Most of the bosses are Chinese, especially the Hongmen and Huaji. The two outsiders, Hei Gu Ren and Du Yuesheng, have now become the biggest tycoons in Alor Setar, but they are not allowed to join the Southern Alliance.

Of course, this is only on the surface. Working under Mr. Zheng, the brotherhood here is now very low-key. The really powerful local bosses also look down on these businesses, so everyone tries to hide behind the scenes as much as possible when engaging in pornography and gambling.

They deliberately pushed these two outsiders, who happened to have a certain status and reputation in Hongmen and Huaji, and even had many younger brothers (brought from Hong Kong Island), to the top.

As for the practitioners, most of them are definitely Malays, and there are also quite a few Japanese. There are Chinese women, but they are very few and the prices are often higher: Nanyang is a place where there are more men than women, so there is really no need to do this. If you really want to do it, you can do it in Penang. The northern city of Penang is also a place of filth.

"Mr. Zheng, there are currently over 170 casinos of varying sizes and over 400 dance halls in Alor Setar, almost all of which involve the prostitution trade. The number of people employed in these two industries is... nearly 300,000, and the economic benefits they generate are incalculable."

"Well...even though the war is over now, if we ban it...would it be difficult to place these 300,000 workers?"

In the mayor's office in Alor Setar, Datuk Ong reported to Zheng Yi cautiously that it was very obvious that he wanted to keep the two industries of prostitution and gambling.

As the saying goes, a full granary leads to knowledge of etiquette. Having food to eat and eating well are undoubtedly more important than eating healthily, or at least they have a higher priority.

Today, Alor Setar is a large city with a population of over two million. During the war, a large number of Malays who had lost their livelihoods came here to seek refuge, and then engaged in the service industries that absorbed the most employment.

Three hundred thousand laborers is actually an undercount. This thing has a very strong driving effect. Restaurants, hotels, loan sharks, pawnshops, middlemen, and stackers can all be driven by this thing.

You know, in Zheng Yi's previous life, as the world economy was in a downturn, pornography, gambling and drugs could contribute more than 30% to the GDP of some developed countries, and were even heading towards 40%.

There is a positioning issue here, that is, whether Alor Setar should maintain its current population size.

If not, how will the hundreds of thousands of Malays be accommodated?

But Zheng Yi said, "You are the mayor of Alor Setar, why are you asking me?"

Dato Ong: “Ah?”

Zheng Yi opened the office window, looked out at the crowds coming and going on the street and the beautiful streetscape, and said, "I say, SAARC is not a state actor, and your Alor Setar is a city predominantly populated by Malays."

“To put it bluntly, how Alor Setar develops is essentially a question of what path the Malays should choose. There is no such thing as having it both ways. If you want development, there will inevitably be exploitation; if you want equality, there will inevitably be obstacles to development.”

"Economic development will inevitably lead to a widening gap between the rich and the poor, and all kinds of filth and darkness will inevitably breed. Promoting social equality will inevitably affect economic development, leading to social stagnation or even a significant setback."

"So-called policy is actually about finding the balance between efficiency and fairness. There is no perfect political system in the world. The best one is the one that suits you. This is your business as Malays. Why are you asking me, a Chinese?"

"I am the chairman of SAARC, and you are the mayor of Alor Setar. As long as it does not affect SAARC's interests here, whether you Malays want these two industries or not is not my business."

"I came to you today because I need to make something clear to you. Back then, during the war, the Southern Alliance needed to centralize power and pool everyone's strength. But now that the war is over, the greater the power, the greater the pressure and obligations."

"As for me, I'm actually a lazy person and don't like to take on responsibilities. In Nanyang, I'm just the president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, managing the Chinese. To be honest, I really don't want to manage you Malays."

"After the Japanese surrendered, the puppet troops in Kuala Lumpur were about to surrender too. A telegram was sent to Penang asking us to send someone to accept their surrender, but I refused. Those puppet troops were almost all Malays, with a small number of Indians. I didn't want to accept their surrender."

"Ah... ah?"

For a moment, Dato Ong was also thoughtful.

To put it bluntly, most of the economic lifelines of the entire city of Alor Setar are in the hands of their SAARC. Most of the people doing business here are Chinese, and they all listen to Zheng Yi. In terms of taxation, as a member city of SAARC, there are also unified standards.

Almost everything in Alor Setar is under the control of SAARC, so why do I still need administrative power?
Anyway, your entire elite class is my comprador.

We just need to think of a way to democratize their internal affairs so that no capable and powerful leader emerges from within their ranks. Any class contradictions can be turned into party contradictions, and they can just vent their anger on each other.

Wouldn't this mean that SAARC, which is hiding behind the multi-party system, will never be threatened?
perfect.

This is actually the difference between old colonialism and new colonialism. Of course, new colonialism also has a better-sounding word, called globalization, or an international order based on democratic rules.

The apparent administrative power is very troublesome. Any anger and dissatisfaction of the people will be directed at you. In addition, he is Chinese, so class conflicts can easily escalate into racial conflicts.

Once internal economic problems in any country escalate into racial conflicts, there will be no way out.

Judging from later experience, almost all multi-ethnic countries in the world face a common problem: people of the majority ethnic group generally believe that they have given too much concessions to ethnic minorities, while ethnic minorities often believe that they are being exploited by the majority ethnic group.

It's okay when the economy is booming, but once it goes down, it's over. People of the same ethnic group will even curse the government. If it's a foreign rule, a minority ruling the majority, then it's basically over. Social division and internal unrest are the least of it.

Look at Syria, where the minority rules the majority, and the nicer you are to them, the faster you tend to die.

Therefore, whether it is the Malays or other indigenous people in Nanyang, Zheng Yi has long had his own set of principles for getting along with them: control the economic lifeline, live in friendship and harmony, make appropriate concessions, but never directly administer them.

As for the two major industries of prostitution and gambling in Alor Setar, Zheng Yi has never admitted it.

He also knew that the Chinese were behind the scenes. Hei Gu Ren and Du Yuesheng, who were publicly pushed out, had approached him countless times, hoping to join the Southern Alliance and gain a certain voting right in its management affairs. They even approached Qian Qiwen with requests, but he refused to relent. This was not something that Chinese people should touch.

It would be a miracle if it doesn’t become the fuse for the conflict between the Chinese and Malays in Alor Setar within ten years.

But to be honest, deep down he also supports the development of these two industries in Alor Setar.

Anyway, it is the Malays who are harmed.

If the factor of the Chinese boss can be removed, this may become a reservoir for easing ethnic conflicts.

And to be honest, there is nothing wrong with the Malay race. Zheng Yi has always been in favor of ethnic integration, but the religion they believe in... is very difficult to assimilate.

The fastest way to secularize religion is actually pornography and gambling.

As for Huang, let’s not talk about him. There are strippers everywhere in Bahrain. Who in the world still believes that place is a religious country?

Gambling inevitably leads to lending, and lending is actually the biggest taboo in that sect. It is the core of the core that undermines the true core of its doctrine. It is far beyond the reach of superficial symbolic rules such as wine, pigs, and burqas.

To put it bluntly, Zheng Yi really wants them to do this, but he doesn't want the Nanyang Chinese to get involved in it. But at the same time, he also knows that most Malays have no money and cannot replace the Chinese at present.

So Zheng Yi’s attitude is: The Chinese people working in this industry are not under the jurisdiction of the Southern Alliance.

If these people are bullied by your Alor Setar City Government in the future, I will not care about them.

They are your people, not mine.

To put it bluntly, he came to Alor Setar today mainly to do this cutting.

Letting Dato Onn come forward to accept the surrender of those puppet troops is an obvious signal.

Dato Onn, of course, understood the signal, but he bravely asked, "Recently, many of my old friends have come to me and suggested that we Malays establish a modern and legitimate way of doing things. What do you think..."

"It's a good thing, of course it's a good thing, I support it a thousand times, but this is your own business as Malays."

As he spoke, Zheng Yi smiled and threw him a cigar, then started smoking with him.

Dato Onn: "So, what do you think, Malaya should pursue unification and join the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), or... pursue national independence?"

Zheng Yi laughed and said, "SAARC is a business organization, not a state actor. How can a political party join SAARC? As for national independence, you and I have no right to discuss it."

"It makes sense for you to tell me about what's happening in Alor Setar. After all, there are many companies invested by our SAARC here. Our SAARC investment in other places is not that much."

"If you establish a country in the future and we invest in you, it will of course be a mutually beneficial thing. We in SAARC will of course have certain political requirements for our own investments. For example, our SAARC investments must be militarily protected by our own security teams."

"But these aren't mandatory. Investments are all consensual. If you're willing to accept my terms and my investment, we'll invest. If you're not, then we'll just part ways and leave. How simple is that?"

"Of course, if you Malays have any decent businesses that meet the requirements, I would very much welcome you to join. SAARC will protect every business that joins us. Of course, businesses that join SAARC must also meet the corresponding SAARC standards."

Dato Ong thought for a moment and said, "If we, the Malays, want to establish a nation-state of our own..."

Zheng Yi: "You definitely can't talk to me about it, but I imagine the British might have some opinions. You should still talk to them about this."

"British?"

Dato Ong was stunned for a moment and said, "Hasn't the British been driven away?"

Zheng Yi: "Weren't they driven away by the Japanese?"

Dato Onn: “Yes.”

Zheng Yi: "Aren't the Japanese defeated now?"

Dato Ong: "But, weren't the Japanese defeated by you?"

Zheng Yi: "Don't, don't say that. The Japanese were defeated by the Allied Forces. I can only be considered a member of the Allied Forces at most. Are the British also Allied Forces?"

Dato’ Onn: “But I heard that in Singapore… just yesterday, Mr. Tan Lark Sye gave Marshal Meng a warning. This…”

Zheng Yi: "That matter is just a small misunderstanding. There must be a conflict between me and the British. But let's put it one way or another. Who the Japanese surrender to and whether the British navy will return to Singapore are not in conflict."

Dato' Onn: "Will you allow the British navy to return to Singapore?"

Zheng Yi: "Ah, I'll let you go. Why not?"

Dato Ong: “Ah??”

As he spoke, Zheng Yi smiled kindly and said, "Don't worry, Mayor Na. We don't have to give face to the British on the land belonging to the Southern Alliance."

"us?"

"Yes, we. It depends on who 'we' are. The Southern Alliance is a business organization. Even if we use some force, we will only protect our own business interests."

"In other words, SAARC will only clash with the British when they touch upon SAARC's own commercial interests. Otherwise, as long as it has nothing to do with SAARC's commercial interests, we will respect the British's political interests."

Dato Ong was a smart man after all. He quickly understood what Zheng Yi meant and said, "Are you planning to... treat the British like dogs? Driving a tiger to devour a wolf, aren't you afraid of raising a tiger that will only cause trouble?"

Zheng Yi: "We each get what we need. The British have many interests in the Far East. It's unrealistic to just force them to come back. It's not that I can't fight them, but I'm a businessman. I have to gain something from fighting, don't you think?"

"As for whether it will cause trouble, hahahahaha, brother, that's Britain. Is he still a tiger? Do you really think he is still the sun that never sets?"

(End of this chapter)