Who
struggled for the independence of Malaysia? That is the question. It is
the appropriate time to look at some past writings on this issue...
“Lembu punya susu, sapi dapat nama”
By , on 4 January 2010
(From left) Ishak Haji Mohammed, Dr Burhanuddin Al-Helmy and Ahmad Boestamam
The seeds of independence had been sowed long before the existence of Umno, notes Hishamuddin Yahaya. This is a tribute to the unsung heroes of the Merdeka struggle.
Can Umno’s claim that they
fought for the country’s independence stand the test of time? The
veracity of this claim is now shrouded with doubt. A book in bahasa,
entitled Anak Merdeka, written by Haji Salleh Majid and published in
1991, exposed the fallacy of this claim. The author was no politician
but an ordinary man who lived to witness the political development of
this country evolving from the 1940s to the day of Merdeka.
Early attempts to gain independence
Early attempts to achieve independence
were mostly unrecorded. For example, in the early 1940s and before the
Japanese occupation of Malaya, Ishak Haji Mohammed (commonly known as
Pak Sako), together with an Indonesian delegation, surreptitiously went
to Japan soliciting Japanese help to fight for the independence of their
respective countries. This was followed by Soekarno meeting Dr
Burhanuddin Al-Helmy to plan strategies for both countries’
independence. Though both attempts failed for various reasons, the
seeds of independence had been sowed long before the existence of Umno.
Ishak Haji Mohamad’s secret trip to Japan was risky business,
inviting prosecution for treason, punishable by death, but such was the
dexterity of this pure nationalist. Though he was in the colonial civil
service at that time, his patriotism and love for the country was never
sacrificed to the colonial masters he served. In fact it was while in
Japan that the name Sako was begotten. The Japanese found it difficult
to spell and pronounce his name Ishak, so they called him Isako. Later
it became his pen name, Pak Sako.
Indonesia’s independence
The independence of Indonesia on
17 August 1945 triggered fire in the hearts of Malays of Indonesian
descent. After all, Indonesia was the “motherland”, separated only by
the narrow Straits of Malacca. Both were Malay lands; and if one could
gain independence, why not the other? Furthermore, an independent
Indonesia could provide moral and material help to Malays in the
struggle for independence. Thus, begun the dawn of Merdeka.
Formation of PKMM
It was not until early 1946 that Malaya’s
first independent movement was formed. It was a political party called
Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (PKMM). Its founder members were Malays
of Indonesian descent, notable among them were Ahmad Boestamam and Musa
Ahmad. The party published its first newspaper called Suara Rakayt at
Hale Street, Ipoh. The contents were one hundred per cent political.
In no time, PKMM opened branches all over the country with its
headquarters at 2 Batu Road (now Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman) Kuala
Lumpur. It did not take long for Pak Sako and Dr Burhanuddin Al-Helmy
to join the party.
“Merdeka!” was the greeting of party members whenever they met. It
was said in a spirited voice with clenched fist brought to the chest.
Anytime and anywhere they met, the greeting was “Merdeka!”
Formation of Umno
The United Malays National Organisation
(Umno) was formed in June 1946, six months after the formation of PKMM.
It was established with the sole objective of opposing the proposed
Malayan Union which relegated the powers of the Malayan Rulers to the
British Residents. Umno was not an independence movement. In fact, it
vehemently opposed independence as the leaders were mostly colonial
civil servants who had sold their lives and soul to their colonial
masters. Not only was Umno opposed to independence, the word
“Merdeka”was taboo to them. Umno’s greeting was “hidup Melayu!”
The other reason Umno opposed independence was that the Malays were
poor and uneducated; left to themselves, Malaya would be a failed state.
The PKMM, on the other hand, thought otherwise. The party wanted
independence first; then there would be ample opportunity to educate the
Malays as the country was rich in natural resources, and it would not
be a failed state. These opposing positions divided the two parties and
led to enmity.
PKMM and the labour movement
Enhanced by its committed leaders, the
PKMM was a symbol of solidarity. The spirit within party members raged
like wildfire. Branches and bureaus were established. Apart from the
youth and women’s wings, labour, agriculture and religious bureaus were
established. The labour bureau was the most active and most successful
political agitator. Through it, the PKMM penetrated the Malayan labour
movement, which was very responsive to the former’s presence as the
living conditions of the labourers at that time were deplorable. In
fact, the presence of the PKMM was welcomed and long awaited.
Incidentally, the Malayan labour movement had affiliated itself with
the world labour movement, the World Federation of Trade Unions(WFTU),
whose headquarters was in Paris, and not with the American-controlled
International Labour Organisation (ILO), whose headquarters was in New
York. The WFTU was leftist inclined, and with the Malayan labour
movement affiliated to it, the PKMM’s penetration into the movement
heightened British suspicion of the party.
Organised strikes
Between 1946-1948, the labour movement
was so active (except in Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah) that
intermitternt strikes almost crippled the rubber and tin industries.
The port workers of Singapore too joined in the strikes, crippling
Malaya’s major port.
As expected, the British operative policy of divide and rule was
immediately put into action. While pretending to acknowledge the
labourers’ plight, the PKMM was declared illegal and its leaders
incarcerated.
The organised strikes did not ease with the banning of the PKMM. Day
by day, British economic interests were in jeopardy. The rubber and
tin industries, the mainstay of the British economy, faced imminent
paralysis. By this time the colonial government had sent a loud and
clear message to Whitehall. By this time, Whitehall realised that the
independence of India and Indonesia had given impetus to Malaya to free
itself from the shackles of colonial rule. This aspiration could no
longer be contained and sooner or later Malaya had to be given its
independence.
Independence on a silver platter
The British had learnt that independence
achieved through war not only
resulted in the loss of life and property,
but left a grudge within the beneficiary state, resulting in the
nationalisation of the colonialists’ assets. This meant the British
could lose everything. So the only option was for a negotiated
independence. The question then was who would be the British protege so
that their assets would be fully protected and the expatriates could
hold on to their jobs a little longer.
With PKMM banned and its leaders incarcerated, the only organised
movement that dominated the political scene then was Umno, which was
seen as a safe bet. Firstly, most of their leaders were British
educated and had embraced British culture and values ever since their
high school days in Britain or at the Malay College Kuala Kangsar.
Secondly, they were mostly the sons of the Malay rulers and chieftains
who had been close to the British. These people had regarded the
British as their icons and mentors and viewed them as their savoir.
Umno, the opportunist
Umno was quick to seize the opportunity.
With its adversary, the PKMM banned and driven into oblivion, Umno took
over where the PKMM had left off. From an anti-Malayan Union
organi-sation, it suddenly assumed the role of a force fighting for
independence. The British were very comfortable with Umno’s new role,
and negotiations for independence took off.
The negotiations that followed were mainly technical and focussed on
two major issues: to prepare the country’s constitution and to agree on
the date of the declaration of independence. A body was formed, headed
by Lord Reid, to look into a constitution and the date of independence
was agreed as 31 August 1957. For political exigency, Umno would have
to forge an alliance with the ethnic Chinese and Indian political
parties, and hence “Perikatan” (Alliance) was formed.
Pending full independence, Malaya was ruled by the Federal
Legislative Council consisting of appointed members representing the
various races and professions. With independence granted on a silver
platter, the British were successful in retaining the entire system and
had their assets protected. For Umno and the Alliance, the declaration
of independence was a jubilant moment as it was achieved without
shedding a drop of blood.
Declaration of independence
On 31 August 1957, Malaya was re-reborn. As the clock struck
midnight, the Union Jack was lowered and the new Malayan flag was
hoisted in front of the clock tower opposite the Selangor Padang. The
shouts of “Merdeka!” — no less than seven times — reverberated and
resounded in the air. The shouts were led by Tuanku Abdul Rahman, who
stood on a rostrum surrounded by his Cabinet Ministers, some of whom, I
observed, were obviously drunk.
The official declaration of independence was held at Stadium Merdeka
the next morning, attended by all the Malay Rulers, the British High
Commissioner and the representatives of the Queen (Duke of Gloucester).
I was there with my father and sibling “representing” Temerloh, Pahang.
Thus, Malaya was born as an independent state, a member of the
British Commonwealth and member of the United Nations. It was the
culmination of a long and difficult struggle, an achievement won not by
the educated class, but by labourers, port workers and others — the
downtrodden — whose existence we hardly knew.
They were the real fighters of Merdeka, whose actions created a
landscape for independence. Those were the people who laboured
endlessly to enrich the colonial masters in return for a pittance and
who now lay in the graves unknown and forgotten.
They were Malays, Indians, Chinese and others and they were certainly
not Umno members. They were the unsung heroes who sacrificed their
lives and freedom for future generations, but who only found their own
freedom in the silence of their graves. It is those people who deserve
to be commemorated on 31 August every year and not “the patriots” who
hoisted the jalur gemilang on the roofs of mansions at the prestigious
addresses of Kuala Lumpur or those who flew the jalur gemilang on the
roofs of their flashy cars.
To the real patriots and the
fighters of independence, we offer them our unreserved salute. As for
Umno, we only have this to say: “Lembu punya susu, sapi dapat nama.”
Dato Hishamuddin bin Haji Yahaya is a lawyer and former MP for Temerloh.
Source: ALIRAN Website,
Posts
