THE MEMOIRS OF MUSTAPHA HUSSAIN - Malaysia Today

The First Malay Nationalists 157
When the Malayan Emergency (1948-60) was declared in June 1948, he
was arrested and detained. While he was in prison, I wanted to help
Ishak’s wife, Chik Habsah, by offering her half of my small eating stall
for her to sell food, while Enchik Munir Said, a tailor, wished to donate
an old sewing machine for her to earn a living, so that Ishak would be in
less pain in prison. Unfortunately, Chik Habsah declined our offers. Just
before Ishak’s release, my friends and I planned to welcome him by
bringing him to an open square, where he could give a talk, and perhaps
be arrested again, this time with us all. However, our plans did not
materialise as Ishak decided to join the British Film Unit.
He then led the Labour Party of Malaya and the Socialist Front.
During the Malaysian-Indonesian Confrontation in the 1960s, he was
arrested again, but released shortly after. In 1975, the University of Malaya
bestowed an honorary Doctorate of Letters upon him. The next year
Prime Minister Datuk Hussein Onn presented him with a $10,000 award
in recognition of his pioneering contributions to Malay literature. Just
compare this amount to the pittance he received from the MNP to carry
out a crucial party assignment! To me, Ishak is a true Malay Bohemian.
Freedom was his main aspiration in life. He was utterly sincere and honest
in his struggle for the Malays and Malaya.
8. Onan Haji Siraj – Founder and Central Committee Member
Riwayat Kinta (The Story of Kinta), written by A. Talib bin Haji Ahmad,
an Ipoh resident now (1976) living in Pahang, has excerpts which refer
to Onan. A. Talib was Secretary of the Perak Malay Youth Association,
with Nahar bin Haji Abdul Manan as Treasurer. Onan was the son of a
Javanese man who had recently arrived in Malaya. Born in Kampung
Jawa, Ipoh, he had studied at the Anderson School. After his Senior
Cambridge, he obtained a scholarship for a three-year Diploma Course
at the School of Agriculture in Serdang. I was his botany lecturer for a
while.
One day, Onan came to tell me that his father had died in a fire at
the cinema where he worked. I took Onan to see Mr Mann, the principal
of the School. I told Mr Mann that Onan had also been offered a
scholarship at the Technical School in Kuala Lumpur. Since his father
had died and the scholarship at Serdang was smaller, I suggested that
Onan be released with no penalty so that he could take up the other
scholarship. He therefore spent only two terms at the School of Agriculture.
I met him at KMM meetings, but he treated me as a stranger, not as
a former teacher. He showed no signs of gratitude.