We are so used to the mainstream version of history. Catch this story by Hishamuddin Yahaya in Aliran Monthly to find out more about the little-known heroes in the struggle for independence.
(From left) Ishak Haji Mohammed, Dr Burhanuddin Al-Helmy and Ahmad Boestamam – Photos courtesy of Aliran Monthly
Apart from the prominent figures above, countless numbers of ordinary Malaysians, including workers, were involved in the quest for independence.
Full article here.
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wow. i stumbled upon this page while researching unsung heroes. its almost educational and refreshing in that there are no unsavoury language except for the term ‘UMNO filth’. hope some clever people who know more about malaysia’s unsung heroes will write here, using pleasant language, for the benefit of people like myself who are interested in learning. nothing political. just would like to learn more. thank you.
Dear Gerakan K The “truth” is subjective and open to debate. My take is that colonialists/imperialists do not give up their gains easily. So, the British granted independence to Malaya to the “lesser evil” (in their eyes) i.e. pro-British Malayan conservatives of the Alliance in order to safeguard their economic and strategic interests after August 31, 1957. Although the MCP has been roundly condemned (and I too believe that Malaya under MCP rule would have been a disaster), their insurgency speeded up the day of Malayan independence. And they should be acknowledged for this. You may disagree with me as… Read more »
I think we have enough of this nonsence of UMNO filth. Comes GE13 we must send them off the shores of Malaysia.
Thank you Sean for the confirmation. It is good to know that Malaysia indeed had an Indian PM before. Pity this information is not public.
MIC not doing anything about this?
@Ganesh – maybe not as exciting as you think: Google Sambanthan “prime minister” “for a day” http://www.thesundaily.com/articlePrint.cfm?id=27417 Terence Fernandez writes: After all, as far as the Constitution is concerned, the prime minister is the person who commands the confidence of the Dewan Rakyat. This happened twice previously – Tun V.T. Sambanthan was PM for a day when Tunku Abdul Rahman was abroad, while Datuk Seri (now Tun) Dr Ling Liong Sik was caretaker premier when Umno was declared illegal. He follows that nice piece of information with a sentence which is appallingly misleading. Are Malaysian journalists obliged to insert blatant… Read more »
Unsung as they were not UMNO. Even Dato Onn is now only a byline in the history books. Our rich history has been rewritten by UMNO to glorify themselves. Even pre-Islamic Malay civilization (eg Parameswara, Srivijaya) has been deleted from history books. But in Java (Indonesia), they are proud of their history; even admitting to the Hindu pre-Islamic culture & civilization. That is where many of the traditional art, dance & music originated from. If UMNO cont. with rewriting history books, sooner or later even Tan Cheng Lock & Sambathan will be a byline in history. Then our children will… Read more »
I heard from an old timer that Tun Sambathan was the PM for 1 or 2 days. Is this true?
If so, how come it is not in the records? Or even in the Museum where the faces of different PM’s are exhibited?
Dear Anil
History is written by the victors.
So, the history we are taught in the Malaysian schools is the UMNO-BN version.
Forgotten are the moderate leftists (and some of the radical leftists – except for objects of vilification such as Chin Peng) who participated
in Malaya’s struggle for independence such as those of the Malayan Democratic Union (MDU).
Lots more: politicians associated with the Labour Party of Malaya, Partai Rakyat, the Malay radicals etc.
Hello Phua,
Can you write a full article regarding to your claim or the truth behind our independence struggle. You seem so knowledgeable and can you let us know the truth.