UMNO was not an independence movement. UMNO vehemently opposed independence. Merdeka was taboo. UMNOs greeting was hidup Melayu!

'Lembupunya susu, sapi dapat nama'

by

Hishamuddin Haji Yahaya,

31st Aug 2102

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MERDEKA:Can UMNO's explain which they fought for the country's autonomy mount the exam of time?

The veracity of this explain is right away hidden with doubt.

A book in bahasa, entitledAnak Merdeka, written by Haji Salleh Majid as well as published in 1991, unprotected the fallacy of this claim. The bard was no politician though an typical man who lived to declare the domestic development of this nation evolving from the 1940s to the day of Merdeka.

Early attempts to benefit independence

Early attempts to grasp autonomy were mostly unrecorded. For example, in the early 1940s as well as prior to the Japanese function of Malaya, Ishak Haji Mohammed (commonly known as Pak Sako), together with an Indonesian delegation, surreptitiously went to Japan soliciting Japanese assistance to quarrel for ! the autonomy of their respective countries. This was followed by Soekarno assembly Dr Burhanuddin Al-Helmy(right)to plan strategies for both countries' independence. Though both attempts unsuccessful for assorted reasons, the seeds of autonomy had been sowed prolonged prior to the reason up of UMNO.

Ishak Haji M! ohamad's secret outing to Japan was risky business, mouth-watering prosecution for treason, punishable by death, though such was the inventiveness of this pristine nationalist. Though he was in the colonial polite use during which time, his nationalism as well as love for the nation was never sacrificed to the colonial masters he served. In actuality it was while in Japan which the name Sako was begotten. The Japanese found it difficult to spell as well as pronounce his name Ishak, so they called him Isako. Later it became his coop name, Pak Sako.

Indonesia's independence

The autonomy of Indonesia upon 17 Aug 1945 triggered fire in the hearts of Malays of Indonesian descent. After all, Indonesia was the "motherland", distant usually by the narrow Straits of Malacca. Both were Malay lands; as well as if the single could benefit independence, why not the other? Furthermore, an eccentric Indonesia could yield moral as well as element assistance to Malays in the onslaught for independence. Thus, begun the dawn of Merdeka.

Formation of PKMM

It was not until early 1946 which Malaya's first eccentric transformation was formed. It was the domestic celebration called Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (PKMM). Its founder members were Malays of Indonesian descent, notable ! among the! m were Ahmad Boestamam as well as Musa Ahmad. The celebration published the first newspaper called Suara Rakayt during Hale Street, Ipoh. The contents were the single hundred per cent political. In no time, PKMM opened branches all over the nation with the domicile during 2 Batu Road (now Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman) Kuala Lumpur. It did not take prolonged for Pak Sako as well as Dr Burhanuddin Al-Helmy to stick upon the party.

"Merdeka!" was the nod of celebration members whenever they met. It was said in the energetic voice with clenched fist brought to the chest. Anytime as well as anywhere they met, the nod was "Merdeka!"

Formation of UMNO

T! he Unite d Malays National Organisation (UMNO) was shaped in Jun 1946, 6 months after the formation of PKMM. It was determined with the sole design of hostile the proposed Malayan Union which relegated the powers of the Malayan Rulers to the British Residents. UMNO was not an autonomy movement. In fact, it vehemently opposed autonomy as the leaders were mostly colonial polite servants who had sold their lives as well as essence to their colonial masters. Not usually was UMNO opposed to independence, the word "Merdeka"was criminialized to them. UMNO's nod was "hidup Melayu!"

Pic: UMNO's formation during Istana Johor, 1946

The alternative reason UMNO opposed autonomy was which t! he Malays! were bad as well as uneducated; left to themselves, Malaya would be the unsuccessful state.

The PKMM, upon the alternative hand, suspicion otherwise. The celebration longed for autonomy first; afterwards there would be ample opportunity to teach the Malays as the nation was abounding in healthy resources, as well as it would not be the unsuccessful state. These hostile positions widely separated the two parties as well as led to enmity.

PKMM as well as the work movement

Enhanced by the committed leaders, the PKMM was the pitch of solidarity. The spirit inside of celebration members raged like wildfire. Branches as well as bureaus were established. Apart from the youth as well as women's wings, labour, cultivation as well as eremite bureaus were established. The work business was the many active as well as many successful domestic agitator. Through it, the PKMM penetrated the Malayan work movement, which was really responsive to the former's participation as the vital conditions of the labourers during which time were deplorable. In fact, the participation of the PKMM was welcomed as well as p! rolonged awaited.

Incidentally, the Malayan work transformation had dependent itself with the universe work movement, the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), whose domicile was in Paris, as well as not with the American-controlled International Labour Organisation (ILO), whose domicile was in New York. The WFTU was leftist inclined, as well as with the Malayan work transformation dependent to it, the PKMM's penetration in to the transformation heightened British suspicion of the party.

Organised strikes

Between 1946-1948, the work move! ment was ! so active (except in Kelantan, Terengganu as well as Kedah) which intermitternt strikes roughly crippled the rubber as well as tin industries. The pier workers of Singapore as well joined in the strikes, crippling Malaya's vital port.

As expected, the British user policy of order as well as order was rught away put in to action. While pretending to admit the labourers' plight, the PKMM was spoken bootleg as well as the leaders incarcerated.

The organized strikes did not ease with the banning of the PKMM. Day by day, British economic interests were in jeopardy. The rubber as well as tin industries, the buttress of the British economy, faced imminent paralysis. By this time the colonial supervision had sent the shrill as well as transparent message to Whitehall. By this time, Whitehall realised which the autonomy of India as well as Indonesia had given procedure to Malaya to free itself from the leg irons of colonial rule. This aspiration could no longer be contained as well as earlier or after Malaya had to be given the independence.

Independence upon the china platter

The British had learnt which autonomy completed by fight not usually resulted in the detriment of reason up as well as property, though left the grudge inside of the beneficiary state, resulting in the nationalisation of the colonialists' assets. This meant the British could remove everything. So the usually choice! was for the negotiated independence. The question afterwards was who would be the British protege so which their resources would be fully stable as well as the expatriates could reason upon to their jobs the little longer.

Pic: Tunku Abdul Rahman signing the autonomy agreement in London, 1956

With PKMM criminialized as well as the leaders incarcerated, the usually organized transformation which dominated the domestic stage afterwards was UMNO, which was seen as the safe bet. Firstly, many of their leaders were British prepared as well as had embraced British culture as well as values ever given their high school days in Britain or during the Malay College Kuala Kangsar. Secondly, they were mostly the sons of the Malay rulers as well as chieftains who had been close to the British. These people had regarded the British as their icons as well as mentors as well as noticed them as their savoir.

UMNO, the opportunist

UMNO was discerning to seize the opportunity. With the adversary, the PKMM criminialized as well as driven in to oblivion, UMNO took over where the PKMM had left off. From an anti-Malayan Union organi-sation, it suddenly assumed the purpose of the force fighting for independence. The British were really comfortable with UMNO's brand new role, as well as negotiations for autonomy took off.

The negotiations which followed were especially technical as well as focussed upon two vital issues: to hope for the country's constitution as well as to agree upon the date of the stipulation of independence. A physique was formed, headed by Lord Reid, to look in to the constitution as well as the date of autonomy was agreed as 31 Aug 1957. For domestic exigency, UMNO would have to shape metal an fondness with the racial Chinese as well as Indian domestic parties, as well as hence "Perikatan" (Alliance) w! as forme d.

Pending full independence, Malaya was ruled by the Federal Legislative Council consisting of allocated members representing the assorted races as well as professions. With autonomy granted upon the china platter, the British were successful in maintaining the entire system as well as had their resources protected. For UMNO as well as the Alliance, the stipulation of autonomy was the triumphant impulse as it was completed though shedding the dump of blood.

Declaration of independence

On 31 Aug 1957, Malaya was re-reborn. As the time struck midnight, the Union Jack was lowered as well as the brand new Malayan flag was hoisted in front of the time tower conflicting the Selangor Padang. The shouts of "Merdeka!" no reduction than seven times reverberated as well as resounded in the air. The shouts were led by Tuanku Abdul Rahman, who stood upon the soap-box surrounded by his Cabinet Ministers, some of whom, I observed, were patently drunk.

The central stipulation of autonomy was held during Stadium Merdeka the subsequent morning, attended by all the Malay Rulers, the British High Commissioner as well as the part of of the Queen (Duke of Gloucester). I was there with my father as well as kin "representing" Temerloh, Pahang.

Thus, Malaya was born as an eccentric state, the part of of the British Commonwealth as well as part of of the United Nations. It was the perfection of the prolonged as well as difficult struggle, an feat won not by the prepared class, though by labourers, pier workers as well as others the downtrodden whose reason up you hardly knew.

They were the genuine fighters of Merdeka, whose actions combined the landscape for independence. Those were the people who laboured endlessly to heighten the colonial masters in return for the profession as well as who right away lay in the graves different as w! ell as f orgotten.

They were Malays, Indians, Chinese as well as others as well as they were certainly not UMNO members. They were the unsung heroes who sacrificed their lives as well as freedom for future generations, though who usually found their own freedom in the silence of their graves. It is those people who deserve to be commemorated upon 31 Aug every year as well as not "the patriots" who hoisted the jalur gemilang upon the roofs of mansions during the prestigious addresses of Kuala Lumpur or those who flew the jalur gemilang upon the roofs of their adorned cars.

To the genuine patriots as well as the fighters of independence, you suggest them our unreserved salute. As for UMNO, you usually have this to say: "Lembu punya susu, sapi dapat nama."

* The writer, the lawyer, is former MP for Temerloh, Pahang, as well as the former handling executive ofHarakah. This article appeared onAliranmonthly.

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