A lesson in history

A lesson in history for our leaders... lest they forget

Prime Minister Datuk Abdullah Badawi said demonstration is not our way.

"This is not the way of Malaysia. Ours is democracy and this (the gathering) is not acceptable."

He said the demonstration was not the way to bring change.

“I hope the people will understand that this wayside democracy is not the way to effect change and will not accept this move. People are willing change in a peaceful way. Not this way.

(The Sun Nov 12)

Pak Lah was, of course, referring to the Saturday's rally/march to the palace by thousands of Malaysians. The 10-Eleven or BERSIH march was for electoral reforms - for clean and fair elections.

Film maker Fahmi Reza has reproduced pages from our own newspapers - reporting on Malaysia’s struggle for Independence in the late 1940s. These news reports show in black-and-white our forefathers’ (and mothers’) struggle in the streets against the British.



"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." -

Reported by WARTA NEGARA 4.2.1946. (Sumber: Malayan Press Digest No. 16, 10hb-16hb) Feb 1946. (Dicatat oleh Fahmi Reza di 3:08 PM)



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.
(Sumber: The Straits Times, 22 Sept 1947)

Sumber: Buku Teks Malaysia Dalam Sejarah 3, M. Thambirajah, Federal Publications, 1979



Ada sesiapa yang tahu sejarah di sebalik perarakan dalam gambar ni? Sepanduk tulisan jawi dalam gambar itu tertulis slogan "Raja Dan Rakyat Patut Bersatu, UMNO Setapak, Kuala Lumpur". (Dicatat oleh Fahmi Reza di 11:12 PM)

Berikut merupakan petikan dari buku 'Sejarah Perjuangan UMNO' yang ditulis oleh Ibrahim Mahmood, salah seorang pengasas UMNO yang menurunkan tandatangan dalam Piagam UMNO pada 11 Mei 1946.

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".

(Sumber: Buku Sejarah Perjuangan UMNO, Ibrahim Mahmood, Penerbitan Pustaka Antara, 19)81

Berikut merupakan petikan dari buku 'Sejarah Perjuangan UMNO' yang ditulis oleh Ibrahim Mahmood, salah seorang pengasas UMNO yang menurunkan tandatangan dalam Piagam UMNO pada 11 Mei 1946.

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) (Dicatat oleh Fahmi Reza di 11:10 PM)

(Sumber: The Malaya Tribune, 2 April 1946) (Dicatat oleh Fahmi Reza di 9:09 PM)

Source: Fahmi Reza:

NOTE: "Ten Years Before Merdeka" (Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka) is a documentary by Fahmi Reza which shows the struggle against British colonial rule 10 years before August 31, 1957. The documentary won the prize for the "Most Outstanding Human Rights film" in this year's Freedom Film Fest organised by KOMAS.