MASYARAKAT CINA SEMASA PENDUDUKAN JEPUN DI TANAH MELAYU: MEMORI, CATUAN MAKANAN DAN KELANGSUNGAN HIDUP, 1941-1945.

(Chinese Community during the Japanese Occupation in Malaya: A Memory, Food Rationing and Life Survival, 1941-1945.)

Abstract

ABSTRAK

Makalah ini memerihalkan memori dan naratif masyarakat Cina yang pernah mengalami pengalaman ketika  zaman pendudukan Jepun di Tanah Melayu. Memori ini diperoleh melalui kaedah keterangan lisan. Antara penelitian merangkumi aspek pengalaman sendiri, kehidupan harian dan catuan makanan ketika zaman pendudukan Jepun. Naratif kehidupan masyarakat Cina ketika zaman pendudukan Jepun kurang diberikan perhatian berbanding dengan komuniti lain. Pengalaman informan yang ditemubual akan dijadikan data kajian utama memandangkan ia dapat memberikan dimensi baharu. Wawancara tersebut akan dibuat semak silang dengan dokumen rasmi British. Bukan itu sahaja, isu tahap kesihatan yang dipilih sebagai salah satu fokus kajian turut mengisi kelompongan kajian sejarah mengenai kesihatan terutamanya yang melibatkan masyarakat Cina. Objektif makalah ini adalah untuk mengkaji kesengsaraan hidup masyarakat Cina ketika pendudukan Jepun dan meneliti bagaimana mereka menghadapi keadaan kritikal tersebut. Perbincangan dalam kajian ini berfokus kepada kaedah penyelidikan kepustakaan termasuk fail dari Arkib Negara Malaysia, pejabat kolonial dan sumber sekunder serta wawancara bersama informan terpilih berbangsa Cina. Hasil kajian mendapati bahawa pengalaman penderitaan dan trauma yang dialami oleh masyarakat Cina ketika zaman pendudukan Jepun di Tanah Melayu adalah aspek penting dalam membentuk naratif pensejarahan di Malaysia.

ABSTRACT

This article describes the memories and narratives of the Chinese community who experienced the Japanese occupation in Malaya. Oral testimonies gathered those memories. This study also focuses on personal experience, daily life, and food rationing during the Japanese occupation. The narratives of the Chinese community’s life during the Japanese occupation received less attention than those of other communities. The main research data will rely on the experiences of the interviewed informants, as they offer a fresh perspective. The facts provided by the interviewees will be cross-verified with the official British documents. Not only that, but the issue of health status which was chosen as one of the study’s focuses also fills the gap in historical research on health, especially involving the Chinese community. The objective of this paper is to study the misery of the Chinese community during the Japanese occupation and examine how they coped with this critical situation. The discussion in this research focuses on library research methods, including files from the National Archives of Malaysia and Colonial Offices and secondary sources, as well as interviews with selected Chinese informants. The result of the study found that the experiences of suffering and trauma experienced by the Chinese community during the Japanese occupation of Malaya are important aspects in shaping the historical narrative in Malaysia.