Heroes of "Merdeka"

Coming 31 August, we will be celebrating our 53 years of independence ...

Independence/Merdeka would not be achieved without the blood & sweat of the yesteryear heroes of the then Malaya - as Malaysia was once known...

The magnificent figures posted in this entry had a hand in the fighting for independence in one way or the other and they were - I would say - the "forgotten" heroes - to most of us ....

I am proud to note here that Allahyarham Burhanuddin Al Helmy was actually hailed from the Mukim of Kota Bharu - my "kampung" where I was raised, same as Lat.. He was born in 1911 at Kg Changkat Tualang, Kota Bharu, Gopeng, Perak. Had an early education at Madrasah Al Mahsyur before pursuing his study in Homeopathy in India.

In 1950, he was arrested by the British for his alleged role in the Natrah demo in Singapore and was the YD Pertua PAS in 1956. In 1959, he won the general election for the Besut Parliament. Again arrested under the ISA from 1964 - 1966 and passed away on 10 October 1969.

In Tanjung Malim, way back in 1922 Sir R O Winstedt the then Deputy of Malay Schools mooted the setting up of a Teachers' Training College known as the Sultan Idris Training College (SITC). It was named after the 28th Sultan of Perak.

SITC was the "factory" of Malay Nationalists such as Hassan Manan (Kesatuan Rakyat Indonesia Semenanjung) and of course the illustrious and charismatic Ibrahim Yaacob (Kesatuan Melayu Muda). Though Ibrahim Yaacob left SITC midway of his study, it was there he had the first hand experience mingling with the other Malay Nationalists.

Another nationalist was educated at Anderson School, Ipoh (my Alma Matter - 6th Form)i.e. Abdullah Thani Bin Rja Kecil a.k.a. Ahmad Boestamam. Born in Behrang, Tanjung Malim, Perak on 30 November 1920 and passed away on 19 January 1983. He was active in the Socialist Front/Parti Buruh amongst others and was a Member of Parliament of Setapak in 1959. He was also had been detained under the ISA.

As a note of record, Anderson School was established on 6 February 1909 to cater for the Malay students then who had no opportunity to further their studies at MCKK, Kuala Kangsar.

Pak Sako was a product of MCKK which was established in 1905. He was born in Temerloh, Pahang in 1931. A "true blue" Nationalist till his passing on 7 November 1991. It would be complete if the name of A Samad Ismail (18 April 1924 - 4 September 2008) is not mentioned in this post as somehow or rather Pak Samad was an influential figure in the 1950s amongst the independence fighters in Malaya, Singapore & Indonesia - through Utusan Melayu where he was the journalist there at the barely age of 16!!!

Reading these heroes of independence biographies would pointing to several common features/characteristics among them ....

Most of them - if not all - were products from the institutions set up by the Colonial power then. They were bonded by the common goal of getting rid of the colonial power - mostly through journalism/literature. They were also inclined to the then Leftist/Islamic movement then in Malaya ......

Pak Sako had written the satirical novels entitled "Anak Mat Lela Gila" & "Putera Gunung Tahan" so as Ahmad Boestamam - a journalist. Burhanuddin Al Helmy wrote "Melihat Tanah Air" where he recorded his observation on the then Malay/Muslim society in the 1940s.

It was also "rumoured" that during the 1940s - 1950s era especially during the Japanese Occupation that the Nationalists networking were so wide and comprehensive in the Nusantara - Malaya, Singapore & Indonesia to the extent of the engaging of the cabaret dancers as their informants!!!!

As fated had it, the independence movement by these heroes - there were others which I did not mention here such as Lim Chee Siong @ Singapore - were "disrupted" & faded away by the crushing of the Leftist movement especially during the Emergency Period
(1946 - 1960) ... Ibrahim Yaacob somehow or rather just "faded away" in exile in Indonesia.

Their contributions in the independence movement were great & could not be disregarded by generations to come ....

To them Al Fatihah & may their contributions remain in the Malaysia independence Annals .....