THE MEMOIRS OF MUSTAPHA HUSSAIN - Malaysia Today

Independence in the Air 387
39
UMNO Again (Taiping, June 1954):
Independence in the Air
In June 1954, after the British rejected a proposal that the Federal
Legislative Council consist of sixty members elected by the people and
forty appointed by the government, the Alliance made up of UMNO
(United Malay National Organisation) and MCA (Malayan Chinese
Association) decided to boycott all Legislative Council meetings. To me,
this non-cooperation was similar to that in Indonesia, Burma and India
before World War II. I believed it was time for all the people in Malaya,
regardless of political leaning and ethnicity, to galvanise their energy to
support the Alliance in its boycott. This conclusion was based on my own
deductions and those of former MNP friends in and around Taiping, and
made at a time when many former MNP colleagues were still in British
detention while others had already indirectly supported Datuk Onn’s new
party, the Independent Malaya Party (IMP).
Furthermore, I felt no power, however formidable, could delay the
fierce gales demanding Merdeka that were then blowing in Malaya. I was
of the opinion, “If the left-wing faction is not able to bring Independence
from the White Hall in England to Kuala Lumpur, let the right-wing
faction fulfil it.” It was not important who gained it, whether the left or
the right. Let the fresh breeze of Independence first wash over our
motherland. Afterward, if the left-wing was unhappy with the right-wing
government, it could always take over the helm in Kuala Lumpur.
Convinced that the people of Malaya were now ready to reclaim their
political rights, I discarded my left-wing ideologies momentarily. I became
active in UMNO as a signal to other left-wingers to also do so. But instead,
it brought about a grievous misunderstanding with my friends, who
accused me of defection. They could not fathom my underlying motives.
The UMNO-MCA Alliance boycott brought mixed reactions; some were
sympathetic while others were not. Some senior British officers claimed
this action was being highly irresponsible. The Alliance later contacted