THE MEMOIRS OF MUSTAPHA HUSSAIN - Malaysia Today

The Malay Nationalist Party 331
Burhanuddin, I thought. Hadn’t policemen pledged allegiance to the British
Government for life? I resolved to step up security measures; no one
could meet Dr Burhanuddin individually. I did not care if the others were
upset with my new rules; they had no experience like I had. The war had
taught me many things, chief among them being that we have to be
cautious of ‘enemies from within’.
The MNP mass rally in Melaka was mostly attended by plebians,
with a sprinkling of government officers. MNP bullock carts and trishaws
were painted with Hang Tuah’s red and white colours, representing
courage and truth. They also carried small red and white flags. Similar
flags were seen fluttering from dilapidated buildings; no new buildings
belonged to the Malays. We also rode in battered cars.
MNP President Dr Burhanuddin officially launched the rally as the
red and white Sang Saka Merah Putih flag solemnly inched up, raised
by API youths while the Indonesia Raya tune reverberated, as if
Independence would be obtained by the Malays the next day. Everyone’s
spirits soared. To raise funds, MNP adopted my suggestion to auction
garlands the way the Indian Independence League (IIL) members did for
the Indian National Army (INA) during the Japanese Occupation. So, four
garlands were obtained to decorate the necks of leading MNP figures.
Dr Burhanuddin then announced MNP’s planned upcountry visit and
appealed to the Malays to donate generously towards the ‘Malay struggle
for Independence’.
The garlands were then auctioned off, not in the manner of capitalists
and feudalists, but proletarian-style. When the first bidder called out $1,
his name was announced and he would climb on stage with the $1. If
the next person desired to donate some money, he would call out $1.50,
but instead of paying $1.50, he needed to cough up only 50 cents, and
so on. In this way, we collected $30 to $40 per garland from poor Malays
with big hearts.
After each successful auction, the last bidder was invited up on stage
to be garlanded by Dr Burhanuddin. The proud, newly garlanded man
was then led backstage to be congratulated, after which the flowers were
removed and replaced with a much cheaper arrangement. The lovely
garland, one he had worn for just a couple of minutes, would be auctioned
off again. In this manner, a party whose members came from the masses
– farmers, fishermen, and labourers – accumulated a few dollars for
political activities.
I was nominated auction manager several times, but remembering the
Malay Special Branch Police Officer’s words, I declined with the excuse
of a sore throat. 2 So, the auctions were ably conducted by Rashid Maidin,