 Templer had hoped to form a purely Chinese regiment, but his idea was met with hostility by the Malay rulers.They however agreed to his idea to raise at least three multiracial battalions recruited from among the locals in Malaya and mooted the formation of the Federation Regiment with the understanding that each battalion would be balanced by an additional battalion of the Malay Regiment.By November 1952, the Federation Regiment was able to recruit 434 men, of which only 75 were of Chinese descent, though a large proportion of the Chinese applied to be officers or to join the technical services.