The Ballad of Mustapha Hussain

Mustapha Hussain is very important figure in Malaysian History especially in our struggle towards independence...yet his name is not mentioned in our history books...I first heard about the story of Mustapha Hussain back in 2007 during a lecture of one of my final year Economics subject for my BECS course. I was so captivated by the story of Mustapha Hussain and the man himself that I decided to do my own mini-research about Mustapha Hussain...luckily for me, my uni's library have 2 copies of Mustapha Hussain memoir titled "Malay Nationalism before UMNO: The Memoir of Mustapha Hussain"...
















Last week I was at the 2009 KLIBF in PWTC...To my utter delight I saw Mustapha Hussain memoirs "Malays Nationalism Before UMNO" at SIRD/Gerak Budaya's booth...Only two copies available...There and then me and my mate bought the book for one each at a discounted price!!!

Mustapha Hussain's memoirs was originally written in Malay... It consists of 655 pages!!!118 pages more than Chin Peng's tome "My Side of History"... Published by DBP in 1999,sadly this book is out of print. However in 2005 Utusan Publications published an English version of Enchik Mustapha's memoirs titled "Malay Nationalism Before UMNO"...This English version was translated by Enchik Mustapha's own daughter Insun Sony Mustapha and edited by Jomo K.S...

Mustapha Hussain's was KMM first Vice-President...At that time Ibrahim Yaakob was KMM first president...KMM was the first political party in Malaya...The sole purpose of KMM was attaining independence for Malaya...KMM(Kesatuan Melayu Muda) or Young Malays' Union in English were registered as a social and sport association just to deter British suspicions...KMM real name is KESATUAN MALAYA MERDEKA(Union for Independent Malaya) ...

Enchik Mustapha is one of the few educated Malays not from aristocratic elite families(very rare during that time and age)...He was a lecturer in Agricultural School of Malaya in Serdang (presently UPM) from 1933 until World War 2 broke out...The Japanese appointed Enchik Mustapha as a de-facto leader of the Malays during their push towards Singapore...This happens because of Ibrahim Yaacob"s secret deal with the Japanese that KMM will act as their Fifth Columnists once the Japanese force enter Malaya...At that time Ibrahim Yaacob was imprisoned by the Brits in Singapore...

During his Japanese forced-reign as the Malays de-facto leader, Enchik Mustapha save hundreds of Malay soldiers,policemen,volunteers and civillians. This is also marks the time of Enchik Mustapha's first attempt to gain independence for Malaya... Dr Cheah Boon Kheng in his book Red Star over Malaya wrote:
"In fact in january 1942 after the Japanese force had enteres Kuala Lumpur, a conflict of aims had arisen when Mustpha Hussain asked the Japanese commanders to back a proclamation of Malay independence, citing Japan's promise to liberate Malays from the British rule. But the request was turned down."

In 1945 with the Japanese sensing defeat, they entertained the idea of proclaiming Malaya's independence...As a result Hodosho and KRIS were formed...Enchik Mustapha played an active role in KRIS and in drafting an independent Malaya constitution(based by the American Declaration of Independence)...This marked his second attempt of gaining independenc for Malaya...Malaya were to announce her independence on 17th August 1945!!! However it was not meant to be...The Japanese surrendered on 15th August 1945...Independence cheated by 48 hours...When recalling the moment, Enchik Mustapha described it as his "deepest regret" and "one of the most bitter moments of my life"...

Enchik Mustapha faced the brunt of the Brits' anger when they came back to Malaya...He was imprisoned from 1945-1946 for "collabrating" with the Japanese...He was freed only when hundreds of Malay soldiers whom he saved during the Japanese occupation signed and submitting a petission demanding his release...

In December 1946, Enchik Mustapha participated actively in drafting another Independent Malaya's constitution through the PUTERA-AMCJA conference (more on the happenings during the conference, read here)...He actively participated in the capacity as the assistant of Dr. Burhanuddin Helmy (MNP's President)... The result of the effort by PUTERA-AMCJA is the The People's Constitutional Proposals for Malaya... However the Brits totally ignored the proposal...Resulting in the 1947 All-Malaya Hartal...

Most astonishingly Mustapha Hussain could just as become our first Prime Minister!!..Enchik Mustapha was 2-votes away from becoming UMNO 2nd President... This happened in 1951 after Datuk Onn Jaafar left UMNO...After his defeat to Tunku Abdul Rahman, Enchik Mustapha's supporters nominated him for the Deputy-Presidency post which he faced Tun Abdul Razak... Enchik Mustapha received the same votes as Tun Razak...To resolve this the chairman of the meeting, Tan Sri Noah Omar (UMNO Permanent Chairman) gave the casting vote to his prospective son-in-law Tun Razak...

Mustapha Hussain was truly an unsung hero!!!He kept quiet and go on about his life in sleepy Matang for 30 plus years...Then in the late '70s Ibrahim Yaacob wrote a letter to Tun Abdul Razak(the Prime Minister at that time) accusing Enchik Mustapha of heinous crimes during the Japanese occupation...The reason Enchik Mustpha wrote his memoirs is to set the record straight and safeguard his name and reputation for the sake of his descandents...Otherwise all of this will might just go to the grave with Enchik Mustapha...

Malay Nationalism before UMNO is not just a memoir...It is an important record of events and accounts of Malaya's significant pre-Merdeka moments which shaped our struggle towards independence...More than that this memoir describe the way of live and the mentality of the Malays during the British colonialization...A must-read and must-have for all Malaysians especially the so-called "nationalistic" Malays...


-picture of Malay Nationalism before UMNO was taken from Fahmi Reza's Blog 10Tahun Sebelum Merdeka...

Towering Malaysian: Ishak Ismail-Kisah Pak Cik Sahak

salam sejahtera komrad sekalian...
hari ini, Isnin 20 Okotber 2008, aku telah membuat keputusan maha berat...sume kerna sorang pemandu teksi....setelah memboikot utusan malaysia selama 10 tahun...akhirnya aku beli jugak hari ni...kenapa? hari ni bukan hari ahad yg dimana dlm utusan ada pancaindera.....aku terpaksa berhenti memboikot utusan sebab pak cik Sahak...tapi semalam jela..terkejut aku..harga rm1.50..nipis je..penipu rasis bangsat utusan nih!
Apa yg spesel sgt pasal pak cik sahak ni sampai boikot utusan malaysia selama 10 tahun dihentikan?...haa..ni kisahnye..Pak Cik Sahak ni pemandu teksi...tapi bukan calang2 pemandu teksi...dia ada sarjana (masters) dlm "corporate communication"... Pak Cik Sahak menerima ijazah Sarjana Komunikasi Korporat dari Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang pada Majlis Konvokesyen UPM Ke-32 semalam kot...respek btol aku ngan pak cik sahak...menjadi kebanggaan rakyat malaysia dan kaum veteran...umur dah setengah abad tapi masih nak timba ilmu...
kita ni yg muda belia malas...malu lah sket ngan pak cik sahak...lepas baca kisah pak cik sahak ni terbakar lak semangat aku nak sambung sarjana... kepada komrad yg tgh buat sarjana ke professional paper ke...bila dtg time susah tu dan korang nak give up..ingatlah pak cik sahak... bayangkanlah umur 50++ masuk dewan kuliah...belajar ngan budak yg lagi muda dari anak dia..bila ditanya kenapa sambung sarjana..pak cik sahak cakap dia nak jadi contoh yg baik kepada anak2 dia....bila ditanya pasal rahsia kejayaan..pak cik sahak kata yang dia menelaah 2 jam sehari..Dia menelaah dalam teksi sambil tunggu penumpang..respek!!

tapi mesti korang akan kata...selalu je org tua dpt sarjana...takkan ar sampai kau beli utusan yg kau dh boikot selama 10 tahun...ada 3 sebab..

1. ni berita frontpage utusan...selalunye pasal politik rasis takpon umno..naik jelak aku..tapi hari ni tidak..tu yg spesel...siap ada gambar pak cik sahak dlm teksi berjubah konvo...takdela muka pak lah ke tok jib dan bik mama di muka depan utusan hari ni..
   
2. pak cik sahak ni spm gred 2...dapat je spm terus keje...dah berpuluh2 tahun keje barulah timbul semangat nak amek ijazah...dah abes ijazah sambung sarjana...betapa tingginya semangat pak cik sahak ni...respek!!!
3. pak cik sahak ni sepupu bapak aku..kira pak cik aku..tu yg lagi bangga tu...btol ar kata orang...orang minang ni berjiwa besar, bersemangat tinggi dan intelek... hahahahaha... aku berdarah minang... hahaha..okla..selamat..

*artikel utusan tentang pak cik sahak.

p.s:if any of you want an english version of this entry..just drop me an email...then I'll post it..

Towering Malaysian-Datuk Chan Chew Lun

With all the political bullshit going on in this country...the mudslinging..poison pen letters... MCA holding its party election...UMNO with its nominations...the political shenanigans are in full-force in Malaysia,tanah tumpah darahku...you know the funny thing is that the MCA acknowledging the fact that they must change...however why is Chua Soi Lek is on the ballot for deputy president? judging from his libido and mojo he will win hands down!

Umno or its real name UMNO BARU is experiencing the same paradox..they want to change and yet muhammad muhammad taib is offering himself for the VP post ...emmm..interesting... Don't let me get started on MIC..It's seem that they suddenly cease to exist...With significant numbers of Indians joining PAS via Kelab Penyokong Pas..MIC is dying or already dead...and Samy Vellu..well just put it this way...Samy is being Samy...

In my opinion...there are 3 major problems with this country...UMNO,MCA and MIC...you put them together you get RACIAL POLITICS...the root of all that's wrong with this country...well let me it clear to all you BN ultras...MALAYSIAN ARE SICK AND TIRED OF RACIAL POLITICS...IF THE 2008 ELECTION WERE FREE AND FAIR RACIAL POLITICS WILL BE ALREADY DEAD AND BURIED...comprende?crystal?

With all these politician sulliying Malaysian Politics...one Malaysian stood above the rest..and made Malaysia proud that man is Datuk Chan Chew Lun...you see Datuk Chan is a naturalist based in KK... and the worlds longest insect is named after him "Phobaticus Chani" or Chan's Megastick...

"Chan said he had been collecting all types of stick insects since 1981 and had even written a number of articles about the creatures.He would go out to meet villagers and ask them to obtain specimens of the insect for him.

“One day in 1989, I met a farmer who handed over this huge stick insect he found somewhere at Ulu Moyog in Penampang district and I realised that it could be a totally new species,” he said.

He eventually sent the specimen to Bragg late last year. It resembled a pencil-thin dark green bamboo shoot measuring nearly 56cm if its twig-like legs were counted. Its body length was 35cm, beating the previous record held by Phobaeticus kirbyi."

-picture and excerpt from the star 18/10/2008

Datuk Chan received global recognition not by poison-pen letters or mudslinging but via hardwork,dedication and doing something that he loves...DATUK CHAN CHEW LUN, I salute you!!