“...My version of history.

”
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Thursday, 28 January 2010
Malaysia-today.net

So, with due respect to Dr Mahathir, it was actually the other way around.
Umno was the one that split the Malays. And now Umno grumbles that the
opposition is splitting the Malays? And, worse still, Umno split the Malays to
serve the British interest and as a British ‘running dog’.

Dr M blames PAS, PKR for dividing legislatures, according to Dr. Mahathir.

Malays- By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal,
The Malaysian Insider
Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamed delivered a
history lesson on Malay unity today and
blamed PAS and PKR for dividing the
community because of what he claimed
was their greed for power.
He also described PAS and PKR among
many other Malay-based political parties
as Umno splinter groups responsible for
disrupting unity among Malays.
Speaking at the National Library today at
a special “Bicara Perdana” talk, he said
that it was a historical fact that the first
political party which was united and
fought against the British for Malay rights
was Umno.
He added that it was the unity of the
Malays in backing Umno that made the
British pull out and abandon their plans
for a Malayan Union at the end of World
War Two.
“PAS, in the beginning, were ulamas
from Umno. They were upset that they
were not chosen in the legislative and
state legislative assembly...more
educated and English-speaking Malay
leaders were chosen and they were not
happy with this.
“If you get selected, you become a YB,
and then you got paid RM300,” he said.
The former premier said that these
ulamas went into seclusion, then formed
a new party so that they could “contest”
to become candidates.
“The split between the Malays started
just because they wanted positions. That
was when PAS was formed.
“Later on the same thing happened with
Keadilan, as well as the now-defunct
Semangat 46...all these were splinter
groups from Umno.”

The former PM pointed out that it was Dr Mahathir also defended the social
the Umno ulamas, who had split from the
Malay nationalist party in the 1950s to contract, the so-called unwritten
form PAS. agreement between the Malays and the
non-Malays during independence, by
This was because they were affirming that without the agreement,
“dissatisfied” when they were not given
positions within the state and federal
Malaysia would not have been formed.

My version of history – Raja Petra Kamaruddin 1/4

“If there was no social contract, the
terms and conditions of allowing
citizenship to non-Malays would have
not taken place. One million outsiders
were given citizenships at the time.”
Mustapha Hussain: Malay
Nationalism Before UMNO
THE MEMOIRS OF MUSTAPHA
HUSSAIN, 1910-1957
KMM: The Young Malay Union (1938)
Dr Burhanuddin Al Helmi
Dr Burhanuddin, a colossal name in
Malay left politics, was not a KMM
member. KMM only contacted him a
week after the fall of Singapore. Ibrahim
Yaakub and I interviewed him before
suggesting that the Japanese Military
Administration employ him as Advisor on
Malay Customs and Religion. Dr
Burhanuddin accepted the post
graciously. Had he declined, KMM would
have brought in Ustaz Abu Bakar Al
Baqir, founder of the religious institute,
Madrasah Maahad Il Ihya Assharif in
Gunung Semanggul, Perak.
Dr Burhanuddin worked in Singapore
initially, but when the Japanese Military
Administration for Sumatra and Malaya
was incorporated, and its HQ moved to
Taiping, Perak, so did Dr Burhanuddin.
We should commend Haniff bin
Sulaiman, a faithful Taiping KMM
member for introducing Dr Burhanuddin
to the public in Perak through talks and
religious sermons. That made it easy for
the Malay Nationalist Party (MNP), the
successor of KMM, to gain a foothold in
Perak, when Dr Burhanuddin founded it
in 1945.
Dr Burhanuddin was a remarkable
religious figure, who combined the logic
of science and Islam most effectively.
My version of history – Raja Petra Kamaruddin
Before World War II, he was a
schoolteacher in Singapore and dabbled
in politics from a distance. He had
written many protest letters to the press
on the Israeli Occupation of Palestine,
and was once arrested and detained in
a Police lock up. Although not a KMM
member, he was very influenced by it.
Ahmad Boestamam
According to a statement given to me
dated 12 November 1975, Ahmad
Boestamam, another great name in
Malay left politics, joined KMM a couple
of months before the Japanese invasion.
He took over the post of Assistant
Secretary from Abdullah Kamil, who had
left Kuala Lumpur. Boestamam stated
that although he was a member of the
daily Majlis editorial board, led by
Ibrahim Yaakub in Kuala Lumpur, he
was never once invited by Ibrahim
Yaakub to join KMM, although two other
editorial board members (Abdul Samad
Ahmad and Mohamad Salehuddin)
were.
National List of KMM Members Whom
I Knew
Kuala Lumpur
Abdul Samad bin Ahmad, Majlis, Kuala
Lumpur
Mohamad Salehuddin, Majlis, Kuala
Lumpur
Ahmad Boestamam @ Abdullah Thani,
Majlis, Kuala Lumpur
Mohd. Yassin bin Salleh, Malay
schoolteacher, Kuala Lumpur
Hamzah bin Alang, businessman,
Kampung Baru, Selangor
Abdul Rahman Tambi, clerk, Kampung
Baru, Selangor
Mustaffa Yunus, barber, Kajang
Selangor
Saidi Hashim, book store owner, Kajang,
Selangor
Ahmad, Agricultural Department,
Cheras, Selangor
2/4
 Hashim bin Mat Dali, Pucung, Selangor Zubir Salam
Ahmad bin Mohd. Amin, Agricultural
Department, Selangor Penang
Johar bin Kerong, Agricultural
Department, Selangor Putih Badri bin Chek Mat, Al Mashoor
Rais bin Abdul Karim, Agricultural schoolteacher
Department, Selangor Abu Bakar Mohd Noor, Kelawai
Abdul Rauf, Agricultural Department Ustaz Abdul Majid
Selangor,
Hamzah Sanusi, Kuala Selangor Kedah
Mohammad Ariff
Perak
Melaka
Tuan Haji Ariffin, Kuala Kangsar Mohd. Isa Mahmud
Zainal Abidin bin Kassim, Technical Ibrahim Endut
School student, Kuala Lumpur (son of Abdul Hamid Abdul
‘Rich Man Kassim’ in Tapah Road)
Mohd. Nor bin Abdul Shukur, Ipoh Trengganu
Mohd. Mustaffa bin Ali @ Majid, Ipoh
Aminuddin, Ipoh Abdul Majid bin Haji Mohammad
Isa bin Sulaiman, Agricutural School Ibrahim Tahir
graduate and Malay schoolteacher, Wan Daud Ahmad (Datuk)
Perak
Pak Cik Ahmad, self employed, Taiping Johor
Haniff bin Sulaiman, insurance agent, Haji Abdul Hamid Fadzil Tahir
Taiping Ilias Karim
Mohd. Judin, Agricultural Department, Musa, Agricultural Department, Muar
Kuala Kangsar
Junid Mahmud, Malay schoolteacher, Kelantan
Tapah Road
Tuan Haji Mohd. Yusuf, Batu Gajah Abdul Kadir Adabi, writer
Ahmad Shafik, Gunung Semanggul Ibrahim Mustaffa, journalist
Abdullah Che Dat or Abdullah C.D.,
Clifford English School, Kuala Kangsar Endnotes To Chapter 18
(the youngest KMM member at 17)
Abdul Rahman Rahim British Police Officer J. Birch, who once
Mohd. Hanafiah Abdul Rahman served in Bagan Serai, Perak was sent
to arrest me in Taiping, but the
Pahang Japanese military’s speedy advance
forced Birch to retreat. He diverted to
Mohammad bin Baginda Besar, Teluk Anson (now Teluk Intan), hoping to
smallholder, Bentong arrest Raja Yahaya, a Police Officer
Yahaya bin Hussain, Agricultural absent without leave, but Birch was
Department (my brother) unlucky to be in the Japanese way. He
Kamarulzaman bin Teh, Agricultural was killed.
Department, Bentong
Translated by Insun Mustapha
Negeri Sembilan
Jaafar Sidek Edited by Jomo K. S.
Achih bin Haji Masud
Thaharuddin Ahmad

My version of history – Raja Petra Kamaruddin 3/4

Okay, you have read Tun Dr Mahathir for Merdeka the length and breadth of
Mohamad’s lecture on history, which I Malaya. But when the KMM people did
republished above. Now, compare Dr the same, the British detained them
Mahathir’s version of history to mine. without trial.
And, to support my version, I offer you
just a very small extract from Mustapha In short, the Malays were already
Hussain’s book, Malay Nationalism united long ago. And they were united
Before Umno. against the British. But along came the
British who created Umno. And the
If you were to read the entire book purpose of creating Umno was to split
(which I have), you will discover that the Malays and kill KMM.
the Malays united to fight for
independence from Britain long before It was actually a very clever strategy.
the Second Word War and long before The British in fact did the same in the
Umno was born in 1946. Ottoman Empire, if you were to study
the history of Lawrence of Arabia. The
Then the British ‘created’ Umno. And I British invented this marvelous strategy
have also written about this, about ten called ‘divide and rule’. And it worked
years or so ago, which was published in all over the British Empire.
Harakah, when I interviewed an ‘old
boy’ of MCKK, Datuk Andika, who So, with due respect to Dr Mahathir, it
died a couple of years ago in Kuala was actually the other way around.
Terengganu at the age of 100. Umno was the one that split the
Malays. And, worse still, Umno split the
Datuk Andika related how he was Malays to serve British interests and as
encouraged and financed by the British a British ‘running dog’. And now Umno
to set up the first Umno branch in the grumbles that the opposition is
state of Terengganu, which was in splitting the Malays?
Dungun.
And let Royal History Professor Khoo
The British allowed Umno to campaign Kay Khim prove me wrong.

My version of history – Raja Petra Kamaruddin 4/4