THE MEMOIRS OF MUSTAPHA HUSSAIN - Malaysia Today

Allegations and Arrests 247
Some of the body’s objectives were:
1. Loyalty to the Emperor of Japan Tenno Heika.
2. Respect for Japan’s flag Hinomaru.
3. Strive for ‘Asia for the Asians’ and the ‘Greater East Asia Coprosperity
Sphere’.
4. Dissemination of information to the Malayan public.
I have forgotten some others as this happened 34 years ago. We abhorred
the whole idea, but what could we do? Wise Ishak advised us, “Friends,
put on a happy face and play up to them!” After the drafting was
completed, Ishak returned to his newspaper Berita Malai office all by
himself; he did not request for a car from the Japanese even though there
were hundreds around. That was Ishak Haji Muhammad, a true Malay
freedom fighter and a selfless nationalist!
Senden-Ka’s formation was recorded by Lt General Fujiwara Iwaichi
in his book F Kikan – Japanese Army Intelligence (pp. 189-190). He
wrote: “(On 18 February 1942) after he (Ibrahim Yaakub) had left, I at
once visited Major General Manaki, Deputy Chief of Staff, and asked his
understanding and assistance to guide the KMM to be the leading cultural
association for the improvement of the standard of Malay culture,
shedding its character as a political association. At that time, the Japanese
Army was taking an obstinate and short-sighted policy that banned indigenous
people’s associations engaged in political, economic and cultural
activities…. After more than half an hour of argument, Major General
Manaki gave in and agreed to recognise the KMM as a cultural association
charged with the task of enlightening Malay youths.” Therefore, Ibrahim’s
claim that KMM was dissolved in mid-1942 is inaccurate.
More on Singapore
One night, Ibrahim and I were already in bed, talking about political
developments and the war in Europe and South-East-Asia, when sporadic
explosions, big and small, shook our beds violently. (We found out later
that an ammunition store had been sabotaged by an unknown party.)
Ibrahim blurted out, “That must be an American counter attack! What
shall we do?” I told him, “Let us wait and see. If it is truly what you
think it is, we have to find a way out. We may have to sneak into the
other side.” His response – “If I knew this was coming, I would have
fled to Australia… with the money” – shocked me. I knew then that
Ibrahim had received some money from the Japanese and would have
liked to save his own skin, but now felt it was too late. From that