Editing Politics of Malaysia (section)

===Early developments===
Early organised political movements in Malaysia were organised along regional and ethnic groups and were not political parties in the modern sense. They generally were loose alliances of interest groups and individuals primarily concerned with [[social welfare]], [[social progress]] and religious reform among the [[Muslim]] [[Malay people|Malay]] communities similar to [[interest group]]s and [[civil society]] organisations of today.<ref>{{cite book |title=Protest and Possibilities: Civil Society and Coalitions for Political Change in Malaysia |url=https://archive.org/details/protestpossibili00weis |url-access=limited |last=Weiss |first=Meredith Leigh |year=2006 |publisher=Stanford University Press |location=Stanford |isbn=0-8047-5295-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/protestpossibili00weis/page/n76 60] }}</ref>

====Religious reformers====
Religious reformers played a large role in developing and disseminating ideas with magazines and periodicals like ''al-Imam'' published in Singapore by [[Sheikh Tahir Jalaluddin|Tahir Jalaluddin]] between 1906 and 1908, and ''al-Munir'' published in [[Penang]] by [[Abdullah Ahmad (publisher)|Abdullah Ahmad]] between 1911 and 1916. These in turn were primarily influenced by the Egyptian Islamic reform magazine, ''al-Manar'' published in Cairo by [[Rashid Rida]] from 1898 to 1936.<ref>{{cite book |title=Islam: Essays on Scripture, Thought and Society : A Festschrift in Honour of Anthony H. Johns |last=Riddell |first=Peter G. |author2=Tony Street |author3=Anthony Hearle Johns  |year=1997 |publisher=Brill Academic Publishers |location=Leiden |isbn=90-04-10692-8 |pages=297–298 }}</ref> While these publications were primarily concerned with the [[Islam]]ic religion, it also touched extensively on the social, political and economic conditions of the Malays.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.singapedia.com.sg/entries/a/al_imam.html |title=Al Imam |access-date=25 June 2008 |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Singapore |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503132646/http://www.singapedia.com.sg/entries/a/al_imam.html |archive-date=3 May 2009 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

One of the first such movements was the [[New Hope Society (Malaya)|New Hope Society]] ({{langx|ms|Persekutuan Pengharapan Belia}}) that was established in [[Johor Bahru]] in 1916. On 14 September 1923, a movement was established in [[Al-Azhar University]] in [[Cairo]], [[Egypt]] by students from [[British Malaya]] and the [[Dutch East Indies]] known as the [[Al-Jam'iyah Al-Khairiyah lit-tholabah Al-Azhariyah Al-Jawiyah]] (renamed in 1937 to the [[Indonesia Malaya Convention]] or ''Perhimpunan Indonesia Malaya''; '''PERPINDOM''').<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ppmimesir.info/?pilih=hal&id=6 |title=Sejarah dan Perkembangan PPMI Mesir |access-date=25 June 2008 |work=Persatuan Pelajar dan Mahasiswa Indonesia – Mesir (Indonesian Students and Graduates Society – Egypt) |archive-url=https://archive.today/20080109100912/http://www.ppmimesir.info/?pilih=hal&id=6 |archive-date=9 January 2008 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Composed primarily of students influenced by the [[Young Turks]] movement and later the [[Muslim Brotherhood]], the movement encouraged intentional political and religious discourse through periodicals like [[Osman Abdullah]]'s ''Seruan Al-Azhar'' (''Al-Azhar Clarion'') and ''Pilehan Timur'' (''Oriental Choice'').<ref>{{cite book |title=Islam dan Masyarakat Melayu. Peranan dan Pengaruh Timur Tengah |last=Mohammad Redzuan Othman |year=2005 |publisher=University of Malaya Press |location=Kuala Lumpur |isbn=983-100-270-9 |pages=210 }}</ref>

====Teachers' unions====
The [[Sultan Idris Training College]] for Malay teachers in [[Tanjung Malim]] was fertile ground for the exchange of ideas. The establishment of the [[Selangor Malay Teachers Association]] ({{langx|ms|Persatuan Guru-guru Melayu Selangor}}) in 1921 by [[Muhammad Yusof (Academic)|Muhammad Yusof]] paved the way for similar organisations to be set up in the other [[Federated Malay States]] and a magazine known as ''Majalah Guru'' (''Teacher's Magazine'') was published in 1923. This magazine allowed for the discussion of larger socio-economic issues as well political issues, establishing itself as one of the influences in the development of Malay nationalism.<ref name="WilliamRoff">{{cite book |title=The Origins of Malay Nationalism |last=Roff |first=William R. |year=1995 |publisher=Oxford University Press (USA) |location=New York |isbn=967-65-3059-X |pages=352 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Social Roots of the Malay Left |last=Rustam A. Sani |year=2008 |publisher=SIRD |location=Petaling Jaya |isbn=978-983-3782-44-4 |pages=80 }}</ref>

====Self-help societies====
Various self-help societies like the [[Maharani Company]] in [[Muar (town)|Muar]], [[Johor]] and the [[Serikat Pembaikan Hidup]] ({{langx|ms|Life Improvement Society}}) organised by [[Mohamad Eunos Abdullah]] of the [[Singapore Malay Union]] ({{langx|ms|Kesatuan Melayu Singapura}}) established [[co-operative]]s and [[Commune (intentional community)|communes]] to help improve the socio-economic conditions of the Malay peasants and smallholders. They too utilised newspapers and periodicals like the Maharani Company published ''Perjumpaan Melayu'' (''Malay Convergence'') to disseminate ideas and encourage discourse on issues pertaining to the social, political and economic conditions of the Malay people.<ref>{{cite book |title=Persuratkhabaran Melayu, 1876–1968 |last=A. M. Iskandar Ahmad |year=1980 |publisher=Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka |location=Kuala Lumpur |pages=221 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Maktab Melayu Melaka, 1900–1922 |last=Ramlah Adam |year=1991 |publisher=Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka |location=Kuala Lumpur |isbn=983-62-2378-9 |pages=139 }}</ref>