THE MEMOIRS OF MUSTAPHA HUSSAIN - Malaysia Today

Drafting a Constitution for Malaya 275
According to the ‘jungle radio’, their troops were already withdrawn from
Burma. Why else did they need me? I suspected strong winds of change
would soon be upon us.
Later in the afternoon, I left Dr Burhanuddin to return to my farm to
think about his invitation, promising to return with my decision. To coax
me, Dr Burhanuddin came to my farm and stayed overnight. In our
discussions, he lamented that he found it increasingly more difficult to
work with the Japanese because some of their proposals were in conflict
with Islam. For example, the Japanese instructed him to suggest to the
Malay Rulers a most serious issue, that Muslims should do away with
the five daily prayers and only perform one mass prayer on Fridays. This
troubled him deeply. I advised him to not get involved in such a serious
religious issue.
The next morning, in the midst of Dr Burhanuddin’s dawn prayer, as
he was reading the essential dawn prayer qunut verses, I heard him
sobbing his heart out like a child pleading for something from his father.
I was completely moved. After he left my hut with treasures from my
farm, including maize and rice, I strolled down the slope to the Ara River
to think about Dr Burhanuddin’s appeal to me to participate in KRIS.
After very deep thought, I decided to give the Japanese another
chance. Who knows, this time they may be sincere and Malaya will be a
sovereign and independent nation. I had to do something to save my
motherland, already sliced into two like a fish. Can I return those parts
‘stolen’ by the Siamese to our lap? Although we still have its fleshy body
and tail, it is not all ours. Furthermore, how can a fish thrive without its
breathing organs, the gills? What about the people in the four states
already surrendered? What is Ibrahim’s opinion on this? I had already
heatedly discussed this cession with him. Who was responsible for it?
Another reason for my decision was that Dr Burhanuddin was an old
friend who had appealed, “Please help me, Mustapha!” I did not have
the heart to let him down. His sobs while performing the dawn prayer
touched me so. Furthermore, it was Ibrahim and I who had introduced
Dr Burhanuddin to the Japanese after the fall of Singapore and it was
also we who suggested he be employed as advisor on Islam and Malay
customs.
Last but not least, Dr Burhanuddin was not conversant enough in
English to draft a constitution. I could not help recalling the wisdom of
an Acheh Ruler who in 1883 advised my granduncle Datuk Panglima
Nakhoda Taruna, about Western powers and their wisdom with words.
She had said, “Be careful Datuk, these westerners are very clever with
words. One wrong word may cost you a territory while a word well said