Mat Sabu and Bukit Kepong

Mat Sabu will be remembered as a History revisionist, a catalyst who broke the Pandora’s Box of the fallacy of Malaysian history. The latest case involves Mohamad Sabu and the reason for his lynching relates to a speech he made in Tasek Gelugor on Aug 21 in which the PAS deputy president touched on the Bukit Kepong incident of Feb 23, 1950 which was headed by a Malay communist leader Mohammad Indera. His statement was taken out of context, as a ploy to support Communism a ‘vulgar’ word which is only similar to sodomy, and a concerted media attack has been unleashed to demonize and disparage him as an enemy of the nation, and keep alive the myth that Umno and Alliance and its counterparts were the only people who struggled for Independence. 

Mat Indera  a patriot who spear headed the attack on the Bukit Kepong Police station along the Muar River was arrested through deceit of the British Intelligence and hanged in Taping Prison on the 30^th January 1953 and buried in Kampong Jambi Air, Taping. Ahmad Indera was a cadre of Partai Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (PKMM) a pioneer anti colonial party formed long before UMNO giving the British the run for their money. It was headed by left leaning Malay politicians like Mokhtraddin Lasso, Ahmad Boestamam, Dr. Burhanudin Helmi and others, strongly influenced by the Indonesian armed struggle of Independence. Compared to tame and docile Umno, who despised the Malays that they were not even fit to make needles, and not qualified to ask for Independence, PKMM actively propagated a fiercely anti colonial policy, demanding independence, whereas Umno with their English educated Princes and Anglophiles,were mum about independence and only acted as stooges to Her Majesty’s Government desires to keep the lucrative tin and rubber industries under their control British hegemony.

 Freedom fighters like Jose Rizal, Sukarno and Ho Chi Min are revered for their contribution for the emancipation of their countries, from the colonist and imperial yoke, but back home in Malaysia freedom fighters who took arm to resist the British even seven years before independence are tainted as traitors and anti national elements. People who went to war against Her Majesty’s forces, with troops from all over the Commonwealth to safeguard the investors shareholders in London Stock Market who have stakes in rubber and tin are till today are terrorists and bandits.

Only in Malaysia the conquerors and the imperialist who descended to swindle the wealth of a nation are remembered as heroes, whereas those who ever fought for the emancipation of the country except members of United Malay Nationalist Organization are deemed as villains. When the Malays fighters fought against the British, they were fighting for Malaya's freedom. What was wrong with that? Aren't they freedom fighters? Meanwhile Utusan Malaysia the Umno’s mouthpiece is continuing their onslaught against Mat Sabu standing in defence of Umno which has lost all avenue of redemption. As usual creating enemies of race and religion from the thin air.