Sempena menyambut tahun baru ni, izinkan aku berkongsi sepucuk surat yang ditulis oleh seorang "new Malayan" kepada akhbar The Malaya Tribune sempena tahun baru 1947, 61 tahun yang lalu. Beliau menulis tentang perjuangan demokrasi yang bakal ditempuhi oleh rakyat Malaya pada waktu itu... -- "I therefore commend a New Year resolution to every man and woman. Let this resolution be I shall help to create a New Malaysia."
Selamat Tahun Baru 2008.
THE POLITICAL STRUGGLE
Sir, - A political struggle is on in Malaya, and within the next few months the future of all people in Malaya will be decided. I therefore commend a New Year resolution to every man and woman. Let this resolution be “I shall help to create a New Malaya.”
Let this resolution be taken and carried out before it is too late. We were late once in Malaya and paid for it with suffering in the vice-like grip of the Japanese occupation. Before we join in the struggle let us understand the nature of the struggle.
The Sultans and the Malay aristocrats dominate a party known as UMNO which also received the support of people who we may call the Malay Feudalists. The Sultans and the aristocrats have now agreed to a plan whereby the nominal sovereignty of the Sultans remains while the real sovereignty goes to the British Administration. This willingness of the Sultans to stand in the shadow of the British Administration can only be owing to fear of possible Malay republicanism which will mean curtailing of the Sultans’ personal privileges. As for the Malay Feudalists, they have looked forward to an enhancement of the sovereignty of the Malay Sultans in the belief that that was bound up with the protection of the Malay peoples. However by the Federation Plan though the other communities are kept down, the position of the Malays is by no means improved since the real sovereignty in Malaya is in the hands of the British Administration. This must be very disappointing to the aspirations of the Malay Feudalists. Even before the Federation Plan was out there was a reported drop in the membership of the UMNO owing no doubt to the resignation of disappointed Malay Feudalists who saw which way the wind was blowing.
There is another powerful Malay party the M.N.P. [Malay Nationalist Party or Party Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya, PKMM] which although it has expressed no republican views, is watched with suspicion by the Sultans. While the Malay Feudalists want to preserve the rights of the Malay people by enhancing the sovereignty of the Sultans, the M.N.P. although it has never objected to the nominal sovereignty of the Sultans has, however, always insisted upon the real sovereignty of the Malay People. In its attitude towards the domiciled communities the M.N.P., unlike the Malay Feudalists is not in the least panicky. The M.N.P. is sure that there is no danger of the Malays being swamped by the other communities, the real danger being from the imperialist quarters. That the M.N.P. is right is proved by the Federation Plan where there is a complete denial of the rights of the Malay People and the appropriation of real sovereignty into the hands of the British.
The M.N.P. and the other communities have now joined in a common struggle and have formed the Council of Joint Action. That the other communities have been able to join the M.N.P. in a common struggle is because in the first place they recognise that Malay nationalism is not a threat to their interests but that it is only just and proper that Malay problem should be given great consideration. Since the democratic rights of the Malay masses and the domiciled masses are being threatened, there is common cause between them. While the domiciled masses challenge Imperialism, they have never challenged the nominal sovereignty of the Sultans. The positive object of the domiciled communities is to seek a measure of self-government in Malaya, and this is again common cause between them and the M.N.P.
As for the British Administration, is has adopted the divide and rule policy in spite of repeated promises of self-government and while playing to Malay fears of being swamped by other communities it has adroitly snatched the real sovereignty. This is contrary to Whitehall’s promise.
- “A NEW MALAYAN” (Singapore)
Sumber: Akhbar The Malaya Tribune, 6 Jan 1947
Isnin, Disember 31, 2007
"I shall help to create a new Malaysia"
10tahun @ Independent Day-Out Festival
Tarikh: Sabtu, 5 Januari 2008
Masa: 1:00 petang - 11:00 malam
Tempat: MCPA Hall, KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, No. 1, Jalan Maharajalela, Kuala Lumpur
Tiket: RM25 (untuk gig + bazaar)
Info: myspace.com/bodysurfmusic // Facebook event
* TAWARAN KHAS TAHUN BARU: Sila bawa thumbdrive (1GB ke atas) atau external harddisk kamu untuk menyalin/menyedut movie '10 Tahun Sebelum Merdeka' DVDRip .vob file (1.6GB) atau 600x480 .avi file (287.4MB) dari aku secara percuma supaya tak perlu kamu beli DVD! Kamu bisa copy mp3 soundtrack 10tahun sekali! Kongsi itu kuasa!
Ahad, Disember 30, 2007
10tahun @ kurasasomething
Nantikan tayangan khas filem 'Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka' di Central Market Annexe bulan Januari nanti!
Selasa, Disember 18, 2007
Lagu "Malaya Tetap Merdeka" (1959)
MALAYA TETAP MERDEKA (1959)
Bersatu-padu kita semua
Rakyat Tanah Malaya yang merdeka
Aman sentosa, rukun dan damai
Kita hidup bersama
Nyanyi bersama sambil menari
Ketawa, suka, serta bergembira
Kita semua warganegara
Hidup bagai saudara
Marilah kita membina
Dan membangun Malaya Merdeka
Supaya makmur dan jaya
Rakyat merasa bahagia
Bersuka-ria atau bekerja
Mesti dibuat dengan satu hati
Ini semua untuk kepentingan
Malaya tetap merdeka
Lagu "Malaya Tetap Merdeka" ni aku ambil dari filem "Korban Fitnah" (1959) arahan P.L. Kapur, keluaran Maria Menado Productions dan Cathay-Keris Film. Aku tak pasti siapa pencipta lagu ni, jadi kalau korang tahu, bagitau lah. Saja aku nak kongsi lagu propaganda yang catchy ni dengan semua.
Jumaat, Disember 14, 2007
T-shirt pagoda 10tahun
Khamis, Disember 06, 2007
Review 10tahun di Tontonfilem
Fadz dari blog Tontonfilem telah menulis sebuah artikel berkenaan filem 'Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka'.
Klik sini untuk baca: 10 Tahun Sebelum Merdeka - Inilah Baru Filem Sejarah!
Rabu, Disember 05, 2007
10tahun @ RANtAi
Masa: 8:30 malam
Tempat: M.I.A. Arthouse, 153 Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur (Belakang Pelita Nasi Kandar sebelah KLCC)
Tiket: PERCUMA!
Info: rantai-art.blogspot.com // myspace.com/rantai
'Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka' akan ditayangkan dalam acara RANtAi Art Event 2007 anjuran Kolektif Seni Rantai yang akan berlangsung dari 12 hingga 16 Disember 2007. Kamu bisa dapatkan DVD dan t-shirt 10tahun semasa acara ini nanti. Jangan ketinggalan na!
DVD 10tahun
Pusat KOMAS sudah siap bikin DVD kompilasi 3 filem pemenang Freedom Filmfest 2007. DVD ini memuatkan filem dokumentari pendek 'She's My Son' oleh Indrani Kopal, 'Bo Lang Chai' oleh Ong Boon Keong, dan 'Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka' oleh Fahmi Reza. Dapatkan DVD ni dengan harga RM20 dari Pusat KOMAS.
Isnin, November 19, 2007
Soundtrack 10tahun
Khamis, November 15, 2007
Artikel dari akhbar The Star, 15 Nov 2007
by Azmi Sharom
Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka is more than a simple history lesson, for the struggle of the left in 1940s Malaya has a resonance today in 21st century Malaysia.
THE other day, I went to the royal gala screening of Shuhaimi Baba’s 1957 Hati Malaya. Needless to say, the affair was a glittering one; lots of beautiful people in beautiful clothes swanking around.
Not being beautiful, and dressed in a T-shirt and kung-fu shoes, I quietly sneaked into the cinema and waited for the movie to start.
Now, I would love to say I was moved by the film, that my withered little heart thumped in my chest to the beat of the Negaraku, but I can’t. It was not a bad film in the Ed Wood sense of the term, but it could have been much better.
For a story that any Malaysian with even the vaguest sense of history would know, making the story compelling is bound to be difficult. And it was a difficulty that the director and the scriptwriters could not surmount.
I gather that Shuhaimi Baba intended this film to be an awareness-raising experience for the younger generation who might not know the history of our quest for independence. I guess from that perspective she has succeeded.
However, the way it was told was very much this tale that has been drilled into our heads in the classroom and at any opportunity the powers-that-be get to remind us about how they and only they won our independence. If that is what you want, then that is what you’ll get. By all means, do buy a ticket and enjoy.
But if you want to know about the unsung heroes who fought the British and were calling for independence, then please check out Fahmi Reza’s superb Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka (http://10tahun.blogspot.com).
This is a documentary made with a budget probably smaller than that for Maya Karin’s make-up and wardrobe but with a heart bigger than Onn Jaafar’s songkok.
It tells of Malaya’s left-wing consisting of groups like Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya, Angkatan Pemuda Insaf, Angkatan Wanita Sedar, the Malayan Indian Congress (yes, that MIC) and the trade unions of the time, fighting not only the Malayan Union but also the Federation of Malaya. Fighting with the call for Merdeka.
Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka fills in an important gap in our general knowledge of Malayan history. It tells the poignant yet inspiring tale of those who battled but lost. And because history is written by the victors, their contributions and their sacrifices have been ignored for too long.
For a first time film-maker, Fahmi Reza has been able to create an absorbing and involving story by skilfully piecing together interviews with the surviving individuals of the left from that era, archival footage, and whatever supporting visuals that could be captured from present-day locations.
All backed by a soundtrack that is as fitting as it is unexpected (The Sex Pistols and The Clash for a Malaya history film? Incongruous perhaps, but it works).
It is a fascinating story culminating in the 1947 drafting of the People’s Constitution by this coalition of the left as an alternative to the Constitution of the Federation of Malaya, and a nationwide hartal (general strike) that saw significant parts of the country stop working for a day in a potent show of political dissent when the British refused to acknowledge the alternative constitution. (Who says protesting isn’t part of our nation’s make-up?)
The People’s Constitution was an amazingly progressive document that demanded independence, with equal political rights, a new nationality of “Melayu”, equal citizenship rights and an inter-ethnic council with the job of getting rid of all racially discriminating laws.
It was a truly Malayan document designed to create a nation consisting of Malayans.
The concept of a Bangsa Malaysia existed in 1947.
The hartal which scared the British into taking harsh measures like declaring an emergency and imprisoning and deporting the men and women involved was also an eye-opener.
It was embraced by the people of the country across ethnic lines and goes to show that ordinary Malaysians of the time were politically courageous and willing to accept the progressive, liberal and inclusive People’s Constitution.
Fahmi Reza’s sympathies are clear in the film. It is however not heavy-handed, and at the screening I went to, his call to the audience was for them to not take his word that this is what happened but to research it themselves.
This they should do of course, but this film remains an excellent place to start.
At the end of the day, Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka is more than a simple history lesson, for the struggle of the left in 1940s Malaya has a resonance today in 21st Century Malaysia.
Some of the scenes – like the pro-British press belittling the people’s movement and their call for equality and independence; the vicious and arrogant measures taken by the colonial masters – look all too familiar.
It all drives home the old cliché that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Perhaps that is the lesson we, old and young Malaysians, have to learn.
Sumber: Akhbar The Star, 15 Nov 2007
"Demonstrasi bukan amalan demokrasi rakyat negara ini?" (12)
Berikut merupakan laporan demonstrasi anti-Federation yang keluar dalam akhbar The Malaya Tribune bertarikh 10 Februari 1947. Demonstrasi raksasa tersebut telah dianjurkan oleh Pan-Malayan Council of Joint Action (PMCJA), bertempat di Fun and Frolic Park, Penang pada 9 Februari 1947 .
Sumber: Akhbar The Malaya Tribune, 10 Feb 1947
"Demonstrasi bukan amalan demokrasi rakyat negara ini?" (11)
Berikut merupakan laporan demonstrasi anti-Federation yang keluar dalam akhbar The Malaya Tribune bertarikh 7 Februari 1947. Demonstrasi tersebut telah dianjurkan oleh Malacca Peoples Constitutional Affairs Committee yang dipengerusikan oleh Tan Cheng Lock, bertempat di Padang Kelab Melaka pada 6 Februari 1947 .
Sumber: Akhbar The Malaya Tribune, 7 Feb 1947
"Demonstrasi bukan amalan demokrasi rakyat negara ini?" (10)
Berikut merupakan laporan demonstrasi anti-Federation yang keluar dalam akhbar Sunday Tribune bertarikh 23 Februari 1947. Demonstrasi tersebut telah dijalankan serentak dengan majlis penubuhan Pusat Tenaga Ra'ayat (PUTERA) pada 22 Februari 1947.
Sumber: Akhbar Sunday Tribune, 23 Feb 1947
"Demonstrasi bukan amalan demokrasi rakyat negara ini?" (9)
Berikut merupakan laporan demonstrasi anti-Federation yang keluar dalam akhbar The Malaya Tribune bertarikh 28 Disember 1946.
When the leftwing Malay Nationalist Party held their second Congress in Malacca this week, they protested against the federation plan, and over a hundred delegates from all over Malaya, staged a demonstration by conducting a mammoth procession through the town.
This picture taken during the protest-march shows men and women carrying banners one of which reads: "Zalim itu binasa" (Injustice is ruination).
Another picture of the Malay demonstration in Malacca against the Federation plan
Sumber: Akhbar The Malaya Tribune, 28 Dis 1946
Selasa, November 13, 2007
Isnin, November 12, 2007
"Demonstrasi bukan amalan demokrasi rakyat negara ini?" (8)
Rapat umum PUTERA-AMCJA dari tahun 1947 atau 1948. Aku masih mencari tarikh, tempat dan tujuan rapat umum ini dijalankan. Buku From Malayan Union to Singapore Separation, dari mana aku ambil gambar ini tak beri apa-apa penerangan selain kapsyen pendek di bawah gambar. Yang pasti, rapat umum ini berlaku selepas 9 Disember 1947, tarikh Bendera Rakyat (bendera depan rostrum dalam gambar) dikibarkan buat pertama kali di luar ibu pejabat Malayan Democratic Union (MDU). Tentang Bendera Rakyat aku cerita lain kali.
Sumber: Buku From Malayan Union to Singapore Separation, Mohamed Noordin Sopiee, University Malaya Press, 1979
"Demonstrasi bukan amalan demokrasi rakyat negara ini?" (7)
Berikut merupakan laporan demonstrasi anti-Federation yang keluar dalam akhbar The Malaya Tribune bertarikh 22 September 1947.
A section of the crowd which yesterday attended the mass meeting at Farrer Park, Singapore, to support the constitutional proposals drafted by the All-Malaya Council of Joint Action and Pusat Tenaga Ra'ayat.
MASS MEETING VOTES AGAINST ELECTIONS
Federation Plan Condemned
A mass meeting in Farrer Park yesterday unanimously supported the People’s Constitutional Proposals drafted by PUTERA and the All-Malaya Council of Joint Action.
The meeting, sponsored by PUTERA and the All-Malaya Council of Joint Action, was largely attended.
A resolution was passed protesting against the holding of the Singapore elections and rejecting the British Government’s latest White Paper on Malaya’s future constitution.
This, and other resolutions passed by the meeting, are to be sent to the Secretary for the Colonies, the Governor-General and the Governors of the Malayan Union and Singapore.
Representatives of nearly 90 unions, associations, and youth and women’s movements attended the meeting. Banners opposed the separation of Singapore from Malaya and condemning the White Paper.
Mr. Tan Cheng Lock, Chairman of the All-Malaya Council of Joint Action, in a speech to the crowd said:
“Broken Promise”
“The Government has broken its promise and acted in defiance of public opinion.
“The Government pledged itself to give the people a constitution based upon the consent of the governed, which would provide a good beginning from which the country might advanced towards self-government.
“Instead it appears to be persisting in imposing upon the country a constitution to which the bulk of the people are definitely and strongly opposed, thus creating a widespread feeling of dissatisfaction, frustration and resentment throughout Malaya.
“We asked for bread and to our great dismay we have been given stone.”
Mr. Tan Cheng Lock added that one of the worst features of the revised constitutional scheme was that it aimed at dividing the Malayan population into antagonistic and irreconcilable groups – thus giving Government ample scope to play one group or community against another.
PUTERA and the All-Malaya Council of Joint Action represented the most progressive public-spirited and dynamic elements of the different communities in the Malayan population and they took their stand on the solid rock of the national cause of Malaya as an united whole, he said.
“New Guise”
Mr. Philip Hoalim, chairman of the Malayan Democratic Union, said that the Constitutional Proposals drafted by PUTERA and the AMCJA directly reflected the will and desires of the most progressive and politically-conscious sections of the people of Malaya.
The proposals constituted the immediate goal of the democratic movement of Malaya.
The revised White Paper represented the views of the ruling class and the small group of privileged persons who sought to prolong their exploitation of the common people under a new guise.
“The White Paper very thoroughly reveals the author’s plan to ‘divide and rule’ the people of Malaya under the pretence of giving special privileges to the Malay community,” said Mr. Hoalim.
He added that the citizenship proposals in the White Paper were particularly revealing in this connection.
A study in faces and races was taken by a Straits Times photographer at the mass meeting at Farrer Park on Sunday, called to protest against the new constitution for the Federation of Malaya excluding Singapore.
Sumber: Akhbar The Straits Times, 22 Sept 1947
"Demonstrasi bukan amalan demokrasi rakyat negara ini?" (6)
Berikut merupakan gambar dari buku teks sejarah tingkatan 3 yang menunjukkan demonstrasi anti-Malayan Union pada penghujung tahun 1945.
Sumber: Buku Teks Malaysia Dalam Sejarah 3, M. Thambirajah, Federal Publications, 1979
Ahad, November 11, 2007
"Demonstrasi bukan amalan demokrasi rakyat negara ini?" (5)
"Demonstrasi bukan amalan demokrasi rakyat negara ini?" (4)
Lawatan Capt. Gammans Dan Lt. Col. Rees Williams
Di dalam bulan Mei tahun 1946, apabila tibalah masanya dua orang ahli Parlimen British iaitu Capt. L.D. Gammans (dari Parti Conservative) dan Lt. Col. Rees Williams (dari Parti Labour), melawat ke Tanah Melayu atas jemputan Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Bersatu untuk menyaksikan keadaan sebenar yang sedang berlaku di dalam kebangkitan bangsa Melayu menentang Malayan Union, ketika itu, orang-orang Melayu di mana negeri di Seluruh Tanah Melayu yang dilawati oleh kedua-dua ahli Parlimen British itu, telah keluar dengan ramainya dengan mengadakan perarakan-perarakan dan perhimpunan-perhimpunan raksasa tunjuk perasaan dengan cara masing-masing di tiap-tiap negeri itu.
Di Johor
Berpuluh ribu manusia telah berhimpun di halaman Istana Besar Johor Bahru (lihat gambar di atas) iaitu tempat pertama dilawati oleh Capt. Gammans - iaitu satu bantahan terhadap keadaan "roh dan semangat Raja-raja Melayu dan rakyat telah diceraikan daripada mereka".
Berikut merupakan petikan dari akhbar The Malay Mail bertarikh 27 Mei 1946.
MOVEMENT AGAINST MALAYAN UNION
What Capt. Gammans Saw On Way To Kuala Lumpur
" I have had an amazing journey up from Singapore. At every kampong from Johore Bahru to Kuala Lumpur large crowds of Malays, men, women and children, have lined the roads protesting most vigorously against the Malayan Union proposals," declared Capt. L. D. Gammans, M.P., who is on unofficial visit to Malaya, to a Press conference in the Union capital yesterday.
Capt. Gammans continued: "In some towns such as Batu Pahat and Muar there have been mass demonstrations running into thousands of people. And what has interested me the most is to find that Malay women, who in my day took no part in public affairs at all, making speeches."
Sumber: Buku Sejarah Perjuangan UMNO, Ibrahim Mahmood, Penerbitan Pustaka Antara, 1981 dan akhbar The Malay Mail, 27 Mei 1946.
"Demonstrasi bukan amalan demokrasi rakyat negara ini?" (3)
Di Perak
Pada 28 haribulan Mei tahun 1946, kedua-dua Ahli Parlimen British itu pun sampai ke Kuala Kangsar.
Di sinilah Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Bersatu telah mengadakan perhimpunan raksasa orang-orang Melayu yang terbesar sekali di hadapan Keptan Gammans dan Lt. Col. Rees Williams ahli-ahli Parlimen British itu.
Perhimpunan ini telah diadakan di sebuah padang besar di bandar itu. Orang-orang Melayu dari seluruh negeri Perak, lelaki dan perempuan, tua muda dan kanak-kanak telah berkumpul berpuluh ribu banyaknya di dalam perhimpunan raksasa itu.
Sumber: Buku Sejarah Perjuangan UMNO, Ibrahim Mahmood, Penerbitan Pustaka Antara, 1981
"Demonstrasi bukan amalan demokrasi rakyat negara ini?" (2)
Berikut merupakan laporan bantahan orang-orang Melayu dan Raja-raja Melayu terhadap Malayan Union yang keluar dalam akhbar The Malaya Tribune bertarikh 2 April 1946. Atas desakan dari rakyat jelata, Raja-raja Melayu telah mengambil tindakan untuk memboikot majlis pertabalan Gabenor Malayan Union, Sir Edward Gent pada 1 April 1946.
Sumber: Akhbar The Malaya Tribune, 2 April 1946
"Demonstrasi bukan amalan demokrasi rakyat negara ini?" (1)
PROTEST DEMONSTRATION BY MALAYS
A big demonstration against the Malayan Union staged by 36,000 Kelantan Malays was reported by MAJLIS 9.2.1946. The Malays chose to call the White Paper as an “atomic bomb thrown by the British in Malaya”. SERUAN RA’AYAT 9.2.1946 gave the number of men who took part in the procession as 65,000. The demonstrators carried banners with inscriptions in English and Malay saying “British Government Betrays Trust”, “Can we trust British Government Again?”, “Allow Malays to exist in this world”, “Give us our rights”, “We want justice”, “We want peace but not at the expense of our rights”, etc.
The paper published the “declaration of oath” adopted by the Kelantan Malay officers who unanimously decided to tender their resignations, if their protest met with failure, and to employ most of their energy and ability in defense of their national status and their motherland.
Commenting on this procession the Chinese MING SENG 7.2.1946 said that the Kelantan Malays were now caught in a fever of nationalism and showed strong opposition to the White Paper. They were even prepared to stage a strike when it was necessary.
How, 2,000 Kedah Malays with banners and shouting slogans awaited the arrival of Major-General Hone in Alor Star to “offer their protest against the Malayan Union”, was reported by WARTA NEGARA 4.2.1946.
Sumber: Malayan Press Digest No. 16, 10hb-16hb Feb 1946
Sedikit Riwayat Merah Puteh (Kenchana, Jun 1947)
Artikel berikut di ambil dari surat pembaca yang disiarkan dalam majalah Kenchana bilangan 6, keluaran bulan Jun 1947.
SEDIKIT RIWAYAT MERAH PUTEH
oleh Hamzah
Dizaman ini dimana kapal pergerakan bangsa kita sedang mengharongi lautan perjuangan, sudah tentu sekali kapal itu berhajat kepada suatu chogan yang akan mengenalkan kepada dunia, kapal siapakah yang sedang berlayar dilautan perjuangan? Selainnya Sang Saka Merah Puteh menjadi lambang sesuatu bangsa. Sesuatu bangsa yang akan mempertahankan ketinggian saka-nya biar batang tuboh-nya rebah kebumi.
Dunia kapal pergerakan bangsa kita yang terbesar sekali ialah kapal Pertubohan Kebangsaan Melayu (UMNO) dan kapal Party Kebangsaan Melayu (MNP), sedang bertelagah atas so’al bendera. Pekemam tidak beranjak dari pegangannya bahwa bendera kebangsaan Melayu ialah Merah Puteh. Sebaleknya pula Pekembar memakai juga Merah Puteh, tetapi ditambah bulan dan keris.
Darimanakah timbulnya Sang Saka Merah Puteh dan sejak bilakah bendera ini zahir kedunia. Kerana disini tidak akan saya terangkan bendera mana yang dipakai bangsa kita, biarlah saya kembali ketajok karangan saya untok menerangkan sedikit riwayat Merah Puteh.
Sejak beberapa abad kebelakang iaitu diabad ke 17 sewaktu kerajaan Madjapahit memegang tampok pemerentahan seluroh kepulauan Indonesia, adalah lambang Madjapahit Sang Saka Merah Puteh.
Menekala kerajaan Madjapahit lenyap dari muka yang diganti dengan kerajaan Mataram turut sama menjadikan Merah Puteh chogan pemerentahannya sehingga hari rebah kerajaan Mataram ditahun 1735.
Didalam peperangan Djawa dibawah pimpinan Pangeran Diponegoro bendera Merah Puteh tetap menjadi semboyan bangsa Djawa yang menentang penjajahan Belanda.
Tanah Melayu pula Melaka lah menggunakan Merah Puteh sebagai saka bangsa. Apabila jatoh kerajaan Melaka pada tahun 1511 Merah Puteh lenyap riwayatnya dikepulauan Indonesia.
Riwayat Merah Puteh hidop semula dengan adanya Congress Indonesia Raya yang diadakan ditahun 1939 bertempat di-Djakarta. Persidangan itu memutuskan bahwa Merah Puteh adalah bendera kebangsaan Indonesia Raya.
Baharu2 ini Persidangan Partai Kebangsaan Melayu menegaskan bendera kebangsaan Melayu ialah, Sang Saka Merah Puteh.
Sesunggohnya Merah Puteh mengandong erti yang besar bagi kita. Merah berarti darah, Puteh berma’na suchi. Apa bila kesuchian mahu dipadam-kan, darah akan tertumpah sebagai pembelaan. Kini terpulanglah kepada kita semua menentukan bendera manakah yang patut dijadikan lambang perjuangan kita.
- Hamzah
Sumber: Majalah Kenchana, Bilangan 6, Jun 1947
Jumaat, November 09, 2007
10tahun di Radio24
Malam Rabu, 7 November lepas aku telah berkunjung ke Wisma Bernama, KL untuk sesi wawancara di Radio24 dengan Nizal Mohammad, bercakap tentang filem 'Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka'. Berikut merupakan petikan dari wawancara itu. Klik sini kalau nak dengar 8 klip lain dari wawancara yang sama.
*Setengah jam terakhir wawancara ini tak dapat aku rakam sebab masalah teknikal (harddisk penuh).
Kenchana, 1 Nov 1947
Klik pada gambar untuk besarkanSumber: Majalah Kenchana, Bilangan 12, 1 November 1947
Hari ini dalam tahun 1947: 9 November
PUTERA-AMCJA tubuhkan biro berita di London
Hari ini dalam tahun 1947, Pusat Tenaga Rakyat dan All-Malaya Council of Joint Action (PUTERA-AMCJA) telah menubuhkan sebuah biro berita di London di bawah pentadbiran wakil mereka di sana, Lim Hong Bee. Berikut merupakan artikel dari akhbar The Straits Echo bertarikh 10 November 1947 yang melaporkan penubuhan biro tersebut.
MALAYAN AFFAIRS BUREAU SET UP IN LONDON
Queen's Scholar is Director
Kuala Lumpur, Nov 9 – Putera and the All-Malaya Council of Joint Action, in a press statement, yesterday announced that a News and Information Bureau on Malayan Affairs has been set up in London under the direction of a representative of Putera and AMCJA in London, Mr. Lim Hong Bee.
The statement goes on to say: Mr. Lim Hong Bee, a Queen’s Scholar, who is now in London completing his law studies, is well known to the democratic movement in Malaya as one of the founders and first general secretary of the Malayan Democratic Union. He recently represented the people of Malaya at the International Human Rights Conference in London.
The News and Information Bureau has already set up news and information service on Malayan Affairs and is producing a regular Malayan newsletter, the first issue of which was scheduled to appear last week.
The Bureau has also distributed a large number of copies of the People’s Constitutional Proposals drafted by Putera and AMCJA to M.P.’s, progressive associations, leading English newspapers, the Colonial Office and others.
In his lates report to Putera and AMCJA, Mr. Lim Hong Bee states that letters requesting copies of the People’s Constitutional Proposals are pouring in on every hand, while those to whom copies have been given are asking for more.
Powerful Impression
Request for copies of the People’s Constitution, writes Mr. Lim Hong Bee, have also been received from European countries and from the United States.
Mr. Lim Hong Bee also says in his latest report that the success of the hartal created a powerful impression in London.
The London Times, he says, described the city of Singapore on Hartal Day as an impressive spectacle of miles of shuttered shops and empty streets.
The statement went on to say that it will be of interest to the people of Malaya as an exposure of anti-British propaganda, which is being used against Putera and AMCJA, that among those working in London are several Englishmen. They include Mr. Neill Steward, author, Major John Eyre, and his wife, Joan Eyre, Mr. S. H. Cox, Mr. John Dowding and Dr. E. Montussohi, M.D.
All of them, except Mr. Neill Steward, are well known to democrats in Malaya; as they were stationed here with the British armed services for lengthy periods during the past two years.
These British democrats studies Malayan conditions at first hand and their readiness to participate in establishing of the News and Information Bureau on Malayan Affairs in London under the direction of the Putera and AMCJA representative is very significant.
It proves that these British democrats agree that the policy of Putera and AMCJA on the Malayan constitutional issue is in the best interests not only of the people of Malaya but also of the people of Britain. It also shows that there are many Britishers who wholeheartedly support the campaign on the constitutional issue which is being directed by Putera and AMCJA as being in the best traditions of British militant democracy.
Other Functions
Another function of the London News and Information Bureau will be to maintain constant and close contact with M.P.’s, progressive associations, trade unions and newspapers in England in order that they may keep the truth about Malaya and Malayan condition always before the eyes of the British people.
“We, therefore request all political and other organisations, all trade unions, etc., to send us information about their activities and other relevant news in order that we may relay this information to our London representative, Mr. Lim Hong Bee, who would in particular, like to have journals statements and other publications of Malayan associations,” the statement concluded.
All documentary and other material intended for London should be addressed to the General Secretary, Putera and All-Malaya Council of Joint Action, 59 Klyne Street, Kuala Lumpur.
Sumber: Akhbar The Straits Echo, 10 Nov 1947
Khamis, November 08, 2007
Tayangan khas Deepavali!
Sempena Deepavali yang mulia, aku tujukan filem ini kepada John A. Thivy (MIC), Budh Singh (MIC), K. Ganapathy (PMFTU), P. Veeraseenan (Harbour Labourers' Union), P. Rajagopal (Railway Workers Union), C. V. S. Krishnamoorthy (PMFTU), R. Balan (Rubber Workers' Union), K. N. Venugopal (Estates Employees' Union), P. V. Sharma (MDU), M. Saravanamuttu (Penang MDU), G. Chitambalan (Perak MDU), J. Appadurai (Perak MDU), K. A. Chandran (MNDYL) dan semua veteran2 politik kiri yang telah banyak berjasa dan berjuang untuk membebaskan tanahair kita dari jiwa penghambaan dan penjajahan. Cita-cita rakyat untuk sebuah negara Merdeka yang lebih adil dan saksama untuk semua rakyat, akan terus kami perjuangkan sampai bila2. Selamat Hari Deepavali, kongsi itu kuasa.
Temubual John A. Thivy (Presiden MIC) dalam akhbar Malaya Tribune, 3 Jan 1947
INDIANS WON’T APPEAL OVER MALAYS TO BRITISH
Thivy Clarifies M.I.C. Attitude To Federation
by Tribune Staff Reporter
Kuala Lumpur, Jan. 3 – An assurance that the Indians will never appeal over the heads of the Malays to the British for any particular right or privilege in the task of establishing a constitution for Malaya, was made by Mr. J. Thivy, President of the Malayan Indian Congress, in an exclusive interview with the Tribune on his arrival here last night from a tour of India.
Mr. Thivy disclosed that the Indians were prepared to declare “unequivocally for a single citizenship” and to regard “this land the object of their undivided loyalty.” He revealed that leading politicians in India fully shared this view.
He pointed out: “The Indian struggle for freedom has always been pure in conception and unselfish in execution. India has struggled not merely for her own freedom but has always stood for the freedom of the countries of South East Asia. Therefore, wherever an Indian lives, it is his first duty to identify himself and stand for the progress and advancement of the country of his abode, without any selfish reservations. This course of action naturally applies to Indians in Malaya.”
Declaring that he had always held that the Malays should have every assurance that in any constitutional struggle, their position as the indigenous population of this country will be safeguarded, Mr. Thivy said:
Secret Parley
“Unfortunately what has happened is that instead of the people of Malaya knowing what the Malays want, a secret conference – resulting in the Federation proposals – has been held between the British Government and certain elements of the Malay people. Out of this conference, an understanding has been born between these two parties, which cannot be considered in any way as an expression of Malay opinion and which cannot be treated as such by the non-Malay communities of Malaya.”
“The most outstanding feature of this understanding is that the Malays, deeply suspicious of the intentions of the other communities, have preferred to throw in their lot with the British, even to the extent of sacrificing their chances of one day winning complete freedom for this country.”
“This is obvious when they express fear of an “Union”, of their refusal to give the constitution the name “Malayan”, and deep anxiety not to bring in any citizenship rights. And in this fear of the other communities, they have surrendered every vestige of their sovereignty, except hollow “dignity”. The result is that all the initiative and sense of struggle and sacrifice for the sake of the country’s freedom, is lost to them. They have effected so many safeguards and have obtained rights without, however, the attendant responsibilities.”
“They have come to an understanding, but in doing so they do not recognise those elements of the Malays who still have the spirit to sacrifice, struggle and endure for the cause of the ideal of freedom and thereby fit themselves for the responsibility of government one day in the future.”
Too Much “Protection”
“It has always been the policy of the British Government to keep the Malay “backward” in comparison with the other communities, by giving him unnecessary “protection”, and thus create in him a tendency to lean heavily on them.”
“If the British are responsible for this mentality, the Indians and the Chinese are equally blameworthy. The economic exploitation of Malaya so engrossed the attention of these two communities that never for a moment in the last half century or so did they stop to notice that they were driving the Malay further into the British fold. The only difference there was between European and Asiatic exploitation was that the former was carried out more ruthlessly with the aid of governmental machinery.”
“It is fortunate that there are still large sections of the Malay people who are against the spirit and the letter of the Federation proposals. It is now incumbent on the non-Malay section of the Malayan people to assure the Malays that it is their sincere intention to come to an agreement with the Malays and the Malays alone, as to what should be the constitution of this country.”
“The best proof of this sincerity would be to conduct negotiations in such a frank and cordial manner that would gain the trust of the Malays and never make them, even for a moment, think of turning to the British for support and assistance.”
“For our part, the Indians and the Chinese should assure the Malays that never will we appeal over their heads to the British for any particular right or privilege in the task of establishing a constitution for this country.”
Sumber: Akhbar The Malaya Tribune, 3 Jan 1947
-----------------
Hampir dua bulan selepas artikel ini diterbitkan, pada 22 Februari 1947, golongan kiri Melayu "who still have the spirit to sacrifice, struggle and endure for the cause of the ideal of freedom" telah bersatu untuk menubuhkan Pusat Tenaga Ra'ayat (PUTERA). Pada bulan Mac 1947, M.I.C. pada waktu itu yang bersekutu dengan organisasi2 politik kiri lain di bawah All-Malaya Council of Joint Action (AMCJA) telah mengambil langkah bergabung dengan PUTERA bagi membentuk badan politik pertama yang merealisasikan penyatuan rakyat pelbagai kaum - PUTERA-AMCJA.
Pada 10 Ogos 1947, kerjasama politik ini telah melahirkan Perlembagaan Rakyat, yang disifatkan oleh editor The Straits Times pada 23 Sept 1947 sebagai "the first political attempt to put Malayan party politics on a plane higher than that of rival racial interests, and also the first attempt to build a political bridge between the domiciled non-Malay communities and the Malay race."
Rabu, November 07, 2007
"Apasal keris nak taruh situ?"
Sempena Perhimpunan Agung UMNO 2007, sudi aku berkongsi petikan dari temubual dengan Yahya Nassim bercerita tentang peristiwa sejarah yang berlaku semasa Perhimpunan Agung UMNO yang pertama di Dewan Bandaran Ipoh, Perak pada 29 dan 30 Jun 1946.
Yayha Nassim telah ditemubual untuk filem Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka, di Kajang, Selangor pada 16 Julai 2007.
Jumaat, November 02, 2007
10tahun D.I.Y Film Tour
Sabtu / 3 Nov 2007 / 8:00 malam
Dewan Sri Pinang, Pulau Pinang
info: bangsamalaysiapenang@gmail.com
Ahad / 4 Nov 2007 / 8:30 malam
Rumah Persatuan Penggerak Warisan Budaya (AKRAB), Alor Star, Kedah
info: 019-563 5036
Isnin / 5 Nov 2007 / 8:30 malam
Selimut Hati Kafe, Kota Bharu, Kelantan
info: 019-959 5560 / merahdanhitam@yahoo.com / www.papakerma.com
Selasa / 6 Nov 2007 / 3:00 petang
Abada Bookstop (Sabasun), Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu
info: 017-904 7790 / hikmah_0901@yahoo.com
Aku akan berada di setiap lokasi untuk sesi diskusi selepas tayangan filem itu nanti. Ayuh jumpa di sana!
10tahun di Radio24
Fahmi Reza (pengarah dokumentari 'Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka') akan diwawancara oleh Nizal Mohammad melalui corong radio dalam program Hello...! di Radio24 (93.9FM) pada hari Rabu, 7 November 2007, dari jam 9:00 hingga 12:00 tengahmalam.
Mungkin boleh minta mereka putarkan lagu 'God Save The Queen' sebelum mula wawancara!
Khamis, November 01, 2007
Temubual dalam akhbar The Sun, 1 Nov 2007
Klik pada gambar untuk besarkan imej atau klik sini untuk baca.
Sumber: Akhbar The Sun, 1 Nov 2007
Rabu, Oktober 31, 2007
Artikel dari The Penang File, Nov 2007
Lim Kean Chye, salah seorang tokoh yang ditemubual dalam dokumentari 'Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka' telah menulis sebuah artikel berkenaan filem tersebut di laman web yang dikendalikannya, The Penang File.
THE OTHER CONSTITUTION
Fahmi's documentary: Ten Years Before Merdeka
by Lim Kean Chye
1947
THE TWISTED HISTORY of Malaya almost invariably portrays Malaya as a country of hostile peoples facing one another with fear and hatred. Its picture of the post-war period after the Japanese surrender is of a divided people governed by a benevolent Britain honestly trying hard to reconcile racial animosities and to create a viable united nation. But the truth is that there were in fact two groups - the pro British and the anti British who wanted freedom, one might conveniently call it right wing against left wing. The left was inspired by the Indonesian battle against the Dutch for independence and the role of the Soviet Union in defeating fascism and the downfall of Churchill and the ascendancy of the British Labour Party. They noticed that even the returning British soldiers were singing Soviet songs.
There was no doubt that the left were in the majority and they were demanding "merdeka." Among them were the MIC. The right were the palace pro-British elements led by Dato Onn in Johore and in Perak by the Dato Panglima Bukit Gantang and clutter of very small clubs and associations whose timid slogan was "Hidup Melayu" that disdained challenging British rule.
The documentary "Ten Years Before Merdeka" by Fahmi Reza has pierced the mist of disinformation to reveal from the National Archives the story of the united front against British colonial rule ten years before August 31, 1957, especially, of the coalition known as the PUTERA-AMCJA. That the narrative was done by some actors still alive to tell the story is a tribute to the grinding work of searching and researching that he and his team must have done.
The film explains the Peoples Constitutional Proposals of 1947, the culmination of the resistance to the naked restoration of the 1940 British colonial rule, and the smashing of the left by mass arrests, led by the detention of 10,000 Malays. The British feared the Malay nationalists above all else for they knew that they could only rely on the support of those around the palaces. While Ho Chi Minh in French Indo-China had maintained his armed forces, the British agent Lai Te, otherwise Wright, ordered the MPAJA to surrender their arms, ensuring the supremacy of his returning masters.
Tan Cheng Lock
The film missed emphasising the immense significance of Tan Cheng Lock, the chairman of the PUTERA-AMCJA. That is largely my fault and I make amends here.
Tan Cheng Lock (later Sir Tan Cheng Lock) was British to the bone. A wealthy man with interests in rubber and banking, he was a Straits Settlements Legislative Councillor from Malacca, at the same time as my father who was appointed from Penang. He was a loyal Straits Born British Chinese. To understand him, we have to look at the loyal Chinese of 1945. They were shocked by the British running away and leaving them to an uncertain, fearful future under the Japanese; they began to look at the British with different eyes. Lim Ewe Hock's "A Straits British Chinese Discovers Himself," published in March 1946, neatly epitomises their anguished awakening. (see The Penang File - Archives - jul-2004 - page1135). It is not surprising that when the Malayan Democratic Union was formed at the end of 1945 it won the immediate support of Raffles College graduates, the so-called cream of the English educated. Lim Tay Boh, Goh Keng Swee, Yong Nyuk Lin, Eu Cheow Chye, Seow Cheng Fong were among the majority who supported us, openly or clandestinely. The minority, who disdained the "disloyal" anti-colonialists, even voted against the setting up of a university when the graduates, meeting as the Stamford Club, debated the Carr-Saunders Commission. That they were only able to muster three votes against exposed the comedy of their size.
The older generation, such as C C Tan in Singapore, rallied around John Laycock, the English solicitor. In Penang, Heah Joo Seang ran to London to plead desperately for Penang to remain a crown colony.
Cheng Lock came back from India, to which country he had fled when the Japanese invaded, a rather changed man. He was very impressed by Nehru and Gandhi and the Indian independence movement. I went to see him in Malacca and after a few talks formed the definite impression that he would support us in our work for self-government. He was very interested in the Malayan Democratic Union which he was convinced was not communist (being well connected, he had his sources of information) and asked a few questions to clear up in his mind that we were not puppets of the communists, the trade unions, and youth and women's movements nor stooges of the Malay groups. The significance of Cheng Lock agreeing to be chairman can never be exaggerated. He dissolved the hesitancy among many border liners and even persuaded the local Chamber of Commerce to come out in support of the general strike - the hartal, something which we had never heard of and learnt from Cheng Lock, who urged us to use a weapon he had seen in action while in India.
Shut down
The film did not lie about the success of the hartal. We effectively shut down the country for one day. A circular, issued by the chief secretary to the government, on September 19,1947 is enough to prove this. It read:"Whatever a hartal might signify in Malay, the Chief Secretary desires to make it quite clear that if any Government servant absents himself from his duties in the public service with the real or ostensible object to bringing pressure to bear on Government on a political issue, not only will such officer forfeit his pay for the period of his absence, but he will be dealt with under the disciplinary regulations of the service."
They were not sure even of their civil service.
The colonial office with the colonial cataract in the eye took no notice of the Constitutional Proposals and went ahead with their "negotiations" with a rump UMNO and the Sultans. The hartal failed to break their resolve. They retaliated with mass arrests.
Sumber: The Penang File, Issue 56, November 2007
Artikel dari akhbar New Straits Times, 31 Okt 2007
FILLING IN THE BLANKS OF HISTORY
by Koh Lay Chin
Film maker Fahmi Reza's documentary 'Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka' has brought forth a lot of positive reaction from viewers and this has really spurred him on.
IT was a hot month for London, but all I wanted was one letter.
With the Free Burma protests, anti-war march and one mammoth postal strike all busting out around the same time, it felt trivial to be longing for just the mail.
I finally received one almost three weeks after I arrived, and I loved it like a winning lottery ticket.
The postal strike, which took place nationwide over workers’ grievances over pay and working practices, cost UK businesses hundreds of millions of pounds and irritated more than a few Britons.
The workers dealt Royal Mail a massive blow with rolling 24-hour strikes which started early October, and it was reported that there was a backlog of 200 million undelivered letters and parcels.
Unused to this appalling delay, I was frustrated. Unused to strikes, I was bewildered. How long can a strike last anyway? Don’t they know I need my student discount cards pronto? My British friends were more resigned to it, speaking about it with a mix of annoyance and acceptance. Generally, they hated the disruption, but understood the situation. After all, they’re not neophytes to pickets.
The tendency to strike is also commonplace in their neighbour, France, where its citizens are even more ardent and attuned to the concepts of protest and resistance. In the face of heavyweight strikes which debilitate the country, the French seem to be peeved and proud at the same time; their heritage demands nothing less.
Is the concept of labour strikes now so alien to Malaysians, who have not seen a major strike since 1962? Back then, 9,000 railway workers went on strike to demand the conversion of their daily rated wages to monthly salaries. This event lasted 22 days, eventually resulting in the government acceding to their wishes. Sure, there were other minor ones, but not many have registered in popular memory.
These days, the Malaysian trade union roar is gone, with what some call generally smooth industrial relations, with cases resolved through peaceful negotiation and dialogue.
But perhaps the memory of that roar holds an air of nostalgia for the older generation, and a mystique for the country’s youth. And perhaps it is this curiosity and mystique that has fuelled interest in young film maker Fahmi Reza’s documentary Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka, which tells the controversial struggle for independence from British colonialism.
It won the “Most Outstanding Human Rights Film” at the Komas Freedom Film Fest last month, and was shown at various screenings nationwide to the delight of young and old alike.
The documentary, shot in a delightfully modern style but rich with historical detail, has introduced the word “hartal” to Malaysians who had no inkling of it before.
The hartal, described fondly by several octogenarians interviewed in Fahmi’s piece, was a mass protest in 1947 that involved a total shutdown of workplaces, offices and shops in Malaya and Singapore — the first political action that united all races and different groups.
Malay nationalist groups, middle-class English speakers, women, labour unions, Chinese Chambers of Commerce, Indian organisations and others took part.
Fahmi’s 35-minute visual compiles events leading to the hartal, mainly the realisation of an independent Malaya and the publication of a People’s Constitution drafted by Putera-AMJCA (Pusat Tenaga Rakyat-All Malaya Council of Joint Action), an alternative constitution to challenge the Federation Constitution.
There were plenty of write-ups in the media about Fahmi’s work, but it was the positive reaction of the crowds watching his piece that really spurred him on.
The documentary is now easily found online, after much public demand, and the 30-year-old history buff has been more than happy to provide more screenings.
I first saw the documentary last month, before I left for London, but unfortunately could not stay to watch the whole piece. By the time I finished watching it online some time later, there was a warm buzz about the piece and many friends were asking why we hadn’t know about the hartal until now.
Now, this is not to say young Malaysians who watch the documentary are likely to flip out at their employers, baying for blood, or stay away from work a la the French. In fact, it seemed less about the protest and more about the coming together of the different sectors of society that truly enthralled viewers.
In a nation that has been lamenting about youth apathy (such as the 4.5 million eligible to vote who have not registered), it’s reassuring that they have started taking an interest in history.
Isn’t it infinitely more heartening to know young Malaysians are trying to find out more about their country, than to obsess over Britney Spears’ latest indiscretion? Fahmi spent many years of dedicated research because of his zest and love for history.
Somehow my three-week grumbling for my mail seems a little embarrassing in comparison.
NST journalist Koh Lay Chin is on a master’s programme at the London School of Economics.
Sumber: Akhbar New Straits Times, 31 Oktober 2007
Selasa, Oktober 30, 2007
10tahun di Sekolah
'Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka' telah ditayangkan buat pertama kali untuk 130 pelajar tingkatan 3 di sebuah sekolah menengah di Penang pada 29 Oktober 2007. Soalan pertama yang pelajar-pelajar ini utarakan semasa sesi diskusi, "Kenapa sejarah ini tak ada dalam buku teks?"
Puisi Perjuangan: Marilah! (1946)
MARILAH!
oleh Harun Aminurrashid
Marilah saudara kita berjuang,
Jangan kira penat dan wang,
Semangat takut dan ragu lekaslah dibuang,
Sementara lapangan lagi terluang.
Marilah saudara kita bersatu,
Perubahan kaum tolong dan bantu,
Berdermalah kepada yatim piatu,
Pergerakan kaum masuk sekutu.
Marilah kita berpadu terus,
Di zaman nasib sedang tirus,
Hindarkan perasaan yang kurang lurus,
Supaya maju seperti harus.
Marilah kita berikat erat,
Buang kotor kikislah karat,
Bersatu kita laut dan darat,
Supaya terangkat barang yang berat.
Marilah kita terus bergerak,
Kumpulkan segala tenaga yang terserak,
Himpunkan segala kekuatan yang berjarak,
Ke medan kemenangan kita beranak.
Sumber: Majalah Hiburan, Dis 1946
Jumaat, Oktober 26, 2007
"Unity, Liberty, Equality"
Kenyataan akhbar sempena ulangtahun pertama penubuhan Malayan Democratic Union (MDU) pada 21 Disember 1946.
On this, the occasion of the first anniversary of the founding of the Malayan Democratic Union, permit me to offer the President, the Executive Committee and members my cordial congratulations, coupled with the earnest prayer that the Union, which occupies a unique position in this country in that it embraces all race, will have a giant growth as an organisation pledged to help to bring to fruition the ideal of a democratic self-government in a United Malaya, in which the different racial elements comprised in its domiciled population shall be ensured equality of status and rights.
Emancipation from oppressive conditions, whether they be political, social, or economic can only be won at the price of personal endeavour. National progress must be attained by definitely organised and carefully concerted endeavour. Success needs to be achieved – it cannot be granted or conferred.
Unless every one in a population regards not only his selfish interests but also concerns himself with his share of the collective interest, self-government or good government is not possible.
We have set a movement on foot at aiming at winning our freedom by making Malaya one country and one nation with a common destiny for its peoples animated by a spirit of brotherhood and active co-operation for mutual help and benefit in all spheres of life. There is no other alternative if we Malayans of all races are intent upon facing reality and securing the supreme political goods of liberty and justice.
Trade, travel, migration and intercourse of all kinds being of the very texture of human life on this planet throughout the history of mankind, there is no such thing even in the modern world as a homogenous national state.
Further, the geographical position of Malaya, a rich and underpopulated land with easy reach of the overcrowded countries of China, India and Java, has made a mixed population inevitable.
Even in a mixed population the different communities, while being politically united, can maintain their own intellectual, cultural and spiritual life.
A political philosopher has affirmed that in a population of mixed communities if the Government assigns no privilege to any one of them and chooses its instruments indifferently from all; in the course of a few generations, identity of situation often produces harmony of feeling and the different races come to feel towards each other as fellow countrymen; particularly if they are dispersed over the same tract of country.
So Malaya can become one country and one nation if the right principles and policy are followed, and the three principles by which we stand may be condensed in the motto ‘Unity, Liberty and Equality.’
In concrete form the three fundamental principles resolve themselves into, firstly
(a) a United Front of Malayan peoples based on inter-communal concord and joint action; and
(b) the political unification of the whole of Malaya, inclusive of Singapore, as a unitary state in all essential respects under one central government;
secondly, a measure of self-government, providing for
(a) a Central Legislature of a United Malaya with substantial elected unofficial majority; and
(b) the exercise of the executive power by a Ministry responsible to the Legislature and all matters of internal and civil administration;
and thirdly, the equality of status and rights for all those who regard Malaya as their real homeland and the object of their single-minded devotion and loyalty.
Responsibility to the governed is the greatest of all securities for good Government.
Malayans of all races! Unite to achieve “Merdeka” or freedom – for only in unity lies our salvation.
Di atas merupakan kenyataan yang ditulis oleh Tan Cheng Lock sempena ulangtahun pertama penubuhan Malayan Democratic Union (MDU) pada 21 Disember 1946. Kenyataan ini telah diterbitkan sepenuhnya dalam akhbar The Malaya Tribune bertarikh 16 Disember 1946 di bawah tajuk "Malayans - Unite To Achieve Merdeka (Freedom) - Stand By 3 Principles of Unity, Liberty, Equality".
Enam hari selepas kenyataan ini keluar, pada 22 Disember 1946, Pan-Malayan Council of Joint Action (PMCJA) telah ditubuhkan untuk membantah Perlembagaan Federation, di mana Tan Cheng Lock telah dijemput untuk menjadi Pengerusi.
Sumber: Akhbar The Malaya Tribune, 16 Disember 1946
Artikel dari akhbar Sunday Tribune, 26 Okt 1947
OVER 140,000 WORKERS OBSERVED HARTAL
by Sunday Tribune Reporter
Over 140,000 workers throughout Malaya took part in the pan-Malayan hartal last week, and it showed the co-operation of labour in matters of importance, said Mr. Tse Tong, Chairman, speaking at the second anniversary of the Singapore Federation of Trade Unions yesterday.
Setting out the progress of the Federation in the past years, the speaker drew attention to the favourable conditions it had to pass through.
Despite Government’s ruling that government servants were not to join unions (he said) the Federation was enjoyable the support of those who had to leave the Federation on that account.
Mr. P.J. Steel, Registrar of Trade Unions, said that “Government servants are servants of the public and therefore they cannot join any individual union.”
Capital and labour (he said) were not opposing each other; both should work in close harmony and co-operate for mutual benefit.
Mr. Mitra, speaking on behalf of the Indian Regional Congress, said labour should not actively dabble in politics. He thought it should not do so until it reached a certain standard of efficiency.
To this extent, it should be labour’s aim to seek means to promote basic education, as “democracy is impossible unless you have a certain standard of efficiency.”
A representative of the Pan-Malayan Federation of Trade Unions, Mr. Ganapathy, expressing dissatisfaction over the Wages Commission’s Report, suggested that it would be advisable to request for Parliamentary Mission to visit Malaya, study labour conditions, and make final reports on wages.
Another speaker, Mr. Eu Chooi Yip, Secretary of the Malayan Democratic Union, said:- “Workers must realize that in order to achieve their economic demands and to improve their living standards they should take an active interest in the politics of this country.”
By so doing (he added) they would not only be safeguarding their interests and what rights they now had, but also safeguard what rights they were going to gain in the future. Referring to the Labour Party in England, the speaker said that that party derived all its financial support from trade unions and Government should not forbid trade unions from setting apart finances for political purposes.
Trade unionism, both in Singapore and Malaya had made tremendous progress, and now embraced workers of all races, he added.
Representatives of various other organisations, and unions also spoke on the significance of the day, the gathering was treated to light refreshment.
Sumber: Akhbar Sunday Tribune, 26 Okt 1947
Pengisytiharan Hartal dibaca oleh Lim Kean Chye
Laporan pengisytiharan hartal se-Malaya PUTERA-AMCJA dalam akhbar The Straits Echo 6 Okt 1947 dibaca oleh Lim Kean Chye.
Klip video ini juga memberi jawapan kepada siapa sebenarnya yang bertanggungjawab mencadangkan aksi hartal kepada PUTERA-AMCJA! Seorang tokoh yang sangat progresif pemikirannya pada waktu itu.
Keratan akhbar The Straits Echo bertarikh 6 Oktober 1947.
Khamis, Oktober 25, 2007
Pengisytiharan Hartal dibaca oleh Zainuddin Andika
Laporan pengisytiharan hartal se-Malaya PUTERA-AMCJA dalam akhbar Utusan Melayu 6 Okt 1947 dibaca oleh Zainuddin Andika.
Pengisytiharan Hartal dibaca oleh Hashim Said
Laporan pengisytiharan hartal se-Malaya PUTERA-AMCJA dalam akhbar Utusan Melayu 6 Okt 1947 dibaca oleh Hashim Said.
Pengisytiharan Hartal dibaca oleh Yahya Nassim
Laporan pengisytiharan hartal se-Malaya PUTERA-AMCJA dalam akhbar Utusan Melayu 6 Okt 1947 dibaca oleh Yahya Nassim.
Pengisytiharan Hartal, 6 Okt 1947
Akhbar Utusan Melayu bertarikh 6 Okt 1947 telah menyiarkan kenyataan pengisytiharan hartal se-Malaya yang dikeluarkan oleh PUTERA-AMCJA di dalam laporan yang bertajuk "Hartal Seluruh Malaya 20 Oktober - PUTERA dan Majlis Bergerak Serentak Jawab MacDonald"
Rabu, Oktober 24, 2007
Tayangan 'Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka' di Utara
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Aku akan berada di lokasi2 ini di tarikh2 berikut:
Ahad, 4 Nov 2007: BUTTERWORTH, PENANG
Isnin, 5 Nov 2007: ALOR STAR, KEDAH
Selasa, 6 Nov 2007: KANGAR, PERLIS
Rabu, 7 Nov 2007: KOTA BHARU, KELANTAN
Khamis, 8 Nov 2007: KELANTAN
Jumaat, 9 Nov 2007: KUALA TERENGGANU, TERENGGANU
Sabtu, 10 Nov 2007: TERENGGANU
Ahad, 11 Nov 2007: KUANTAN, PAHANG
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Artikel dari malaysiakini, 24 Okt 2007
60 TAHUN SELEPAS HARTAL
oleh Amin Iskandar
20 Oktober adalah satu tarikh “Keramat” yang seharusnya diingati dan dikenang oleh rakyat Malaysia kerana 60 tahun yang lalu, pada 20 Oktober 1947, telah berlaku satu peristiwa bersejarah yang menyaksikan rakyat di Malaya menggunakan kekuatan demokrasi mereka.
Peristiwa ini telah mengubah lanskap politik di Malaya yang sekarang ini dikenali sebagai Malaysia. Pada ketika itu, Pusat Tenaga Rakyat (PUTERA) dan All Malayan Council of Joint Action (AMCJA) telah melancarkan Hartal diseluruh Malaya untuk membantah Perlembagaan Persekutuan yang diusulkan oleh Penjajah British untuk Malaya.
Mengapa PUTERA-AMCJA membantah Perlembagaan Persekutuan yang diusulkan oleh Penjajah British?
Alasannya mudah. Sesebuah negara yang merdeka perlulah mempunyai Perlembagaan yang ditulis oleh rakyatnya sendiri. Perlembagaan yang ditulis haruslah mencerminkan aspirasi rakyat yang merdeka dan bukannya mengekalkan kepentingan penjajah.
Secara logiknya, jika kita benar-benar merdeka, mengapa Perlembagaan Persekutuan perlu didraf oleh penjajah? Apakah penjajah British benar-benar ikhlas untuk memberi kemerdekaan atau mahu meneruskan penjajahan dalam bentuk baru?
Apakah yang dimaksudkan dengan Hartal?
Hartal (juga sebagai Hartaal) adalah satu terma yang digunakan di India untuk mengambarkan tentang tunjuk perasaan ataupun bantahan yang digunakan secara meluas dalam perjuangan rakyat India untuk menuntut kemerdekaan dari penjajahan British.
Mogok umum
Hartal adalah mogok umum yang melibatkan pemboikotan bekerja dan melakukan urusan harian secara total. Apabila berlakunya Hartal, semua tempat-tempat berjalannya urusan harian seperti pejabat, kedai runcit, kedai makan, mahkamah, akan ditutup.
Hartal adalah salah satu bentuk “civil disobedient” yang dilakukan untuk menuntut sesuatu perkara ataupun membantah sesuatu perkara. Ia adalah satu tindakan untuk menuntut kerajaan, pemerintah ataupun penjajah untuk menukar sesuatu keputusan yang tidak popular ataupun menindas rakyat.
Baru-baru ini, Fahmi Reza seorang aktivis dan pekerja seni telah memenangi salah satu anugerah dalam Freedom Film Festival 2007. Filem dokumentarinya yang bertajuk “Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka” menceritakan peristiwa politik yang berlaku di Malaya pada ketika itu.
Dokumentari yang menceritakan tentang perjuangan bersejarah PUTERA-AMCJA ini juga turut memuatkan temuramah dengan lima orang tokoh seperti Yahya Nassim dari Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (PKMM), Zainuddin Andika dari Angkatan Penuda Insaf (API), Majid Salleh dari Johore State Federation of Trade Unions (JSFTU), Hashim Said dari Angkatan Pemuda Insaf (API) dan Lim Kean Chye dari Malayan Democratic Union (MDU).
Dalam temuramah dengan lima orang tokoh ini, mereka telah menceritakan tentang perstiwa bersejarah Hartal yang telah menggemparkan penjajah British dan mempopularkan Perlembagaan Rakyat yang diusulkan oleh PUTERA-AMCJA.
Perlembagaan Rakyat yang progressif dan adil kepada semua kaum, telah diserang secara habis-habisan oleh penjajah British dengan menggunakan media dan kemuncaknya apabila darurat diisytiharkan.
Dengan menggunakan alasan memerangi komunisme, British telah menangkap dan memenjarakan ramai tokoh politik kiri dan mengharamkan PKMM, API, AWAS, GERAM, MDU dan beberapa lagi pertubuhan politik progresif tanahair.
Dokumentari Fahmi Reza
Sepuluh tahun selepas Hartal, kemerdekaan negara telah diberikan oleh penjajah British kepada Umno, MCA dan MIC dalam keadaan darurat masih lagi berjalan. Undang-undang darurat itu telah ditukar namanya kepada Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) pada tahun 1960 dan masih lagi digunakan oleh kerajaan Malaysia sehingga hari ini.
Mujurlah masih ada anak muda yang cintakan sejarah. Usaha beliau membuat penyelidikan yang rapi dan akhirnya berjaya menghasilkan sebuah dokumentari yang padat dengan fakta-fakta sejarah yang tidak diberi tempat di media-media arus perdana dan buku teks sejarah. Untuk maklumat yang lebih lanjut mengenai dokumentari ini, sila layari blog Fahmi Reza di http://10tahun.blogspot.com.
Enam puluh tahun selepas Hartal dan 50 tahun selepas merdeka, rakyat Malaysia masih lagi membincangkan mengenai kebebasan bersuara, kebebasan berpersatuan, kebebasan media, perpaduan kaum, sensitiviti agama, pilihanraya yang bebas dan banyak lagi isu-isu yang telahpun dibincangkan 60 tahun yang lalu.
Peristiwa seperti Tragedi Batu Buruk pada 9 September 2007 di Terengganu di mana dua orang awam ditembak oleh polis dengan menggunakan peluru hidup, mengingatkan saya satu babak dalam filem “The Legend of Bhagat Singh” di mana perhimpunan aman untuk menuntut kemerdekaan yang dianjurkan oleh pejuang kemerdekaan di India, telah diganasi oleh penjajah British dengan tembakan.
Memang benar, pada hari ini jumlah bangunan yang ada di Malaysia jauh lebih banyak daripada apa yang ada pada zaman penjajahan. Kalau dilihat dari luaran, Malaysia adalah antara negara membangun yang berkembang dengan pesat dan cepat.
Tetapi realiti kehidupan majoriti rakyat Malaysia pada hari ini yang dibebani dengan harga barang keperluan yang tinggi sedangkan pendapatan rendah, menyebabkan hanya segelintir rakyat kelas atasan yang merasai nikmat kemakmuran ekonomi selepas merdeka.
Situasi ini tidak banyak bezanya dengan kehidupan di zaman penjajah dahulu. Pada waktu itu, majoriti rakyat Malaya hidup dalam kesusahan dan hanya golongan atasan yang mengecapi kemakmuran ekonomi.
Semangat Hartal
Dari segi demokrasi pula, tahun 1947 jauh lebih demokratik daripada situasi di Malaysia pada hari ini. Pada ketika itu, untuk menubuhkan sesuatu persatuan atau parti politik tidaklah sesukar hari ini. Hari ini kita dibebankan dengan birokrasi dan syarat-syarat yang ketat oleh Pendaftar Pertubuhan.
Media juga bebas untuk melaporkan peristiwa-peristiwa yang berlaku walaupun ianya bertentangan dengan penguasa. Sebagai contoh Peristiwa Hartal pada 20 Oktober 1947 telah diberikan laporan muka hadapan oleh Utusan Melayu ketika itu. Ini sudah tentu tidak berlaku jika sekali lagi Hartal dilakukan pada zaman ini.
Peristiwa Hartal yang dianjurkan oleh PUTERA-AMCJA 60 tahun yang lalu telah membuktikan bahawa dengan menggunakan pendekatan yang aman, rakyat mampu menujukkan kekuatan.Yang penting ialah sesuatu isu itu harus jelas diperjuangkan tanpa politiking sempit yang mampu memecah belahkan.
Tanpa adanya kemudahan komunikasi yang hebat seperti hari ini, seperti internet, telefon bimbit, Poslaju dan faks, Hartal telah berjaya dilakukan di seluruh Malaya.
Semangat Hartal harus terus dihidupkan kembali agar perjuangan untuk menuntut demokrasi sejati di Malaysia akan berjaya satu hari nanti.
Sumber: malaysiakini.com
