Dahari Ali

a friend who works for the National Archives called me excitedly just now. He went like; “dude, your mum was right. I came across some materials on your grandfather here. called you straightaway to let you know. now i know where you get your rebellious streak from.”

Dahari Ali. that was his name. a lot of people now might not know him. But he was right up there with Tunku Abdul Rahman before. I look up to him a lot. His friends were; A. Samad Ismail, Usman Awang (Tongkat Warrant), Lee Siew Lee, Keris Mas, Ahmad Boestamam, Datuk Aziz Ishak, Dr. Burhanuddin Helmy, Dato’ Kampo Rajo, Dr. MK Rajakumar, A. Samad Said to name a few. Names that are now confined to history books and the dusty collection at the National Archives.

Who was he, this person i look up to?

1. together with Ahmad Boestamam, he published Suara Rakyat – a malay paper with leftist leanings during the British Military Administration (BMA) period. It put him in a lot of trouble. No, he wasn’t a communist but a socialist. there’s a huge difference.

2. assistant group editor of The New Straits Times.  He was A. Samad Ismail’s right hand man.

3. a very staunch Andersonian. he was very proud that he was educated in Anderson School, Ipoh.

4. The 1st Member of Parliament for Kuala Selangor during the first ever general elections in Malaysia. An UMNO and Parti Perikatan MP. He left UMNO with Datuk Aziz Ishak, who was a Minister in Tunku Abdul Rahman’s administration as they felt that several policies were disenfranchising the poor people and favouring the elites especially the Malay elites only to rejoin UMNO when Tun Abdul Razak took over.

5. formerly a member of Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (PKMM). He was also a staunch supporter of Ahmad Boestamam.

6. formerly a Leftenan (if im not wrong) in charge of Intelligence / Propaganda of the Republicans under Suharto during The Indonesian National Revolution or Indonesian War of Independence which was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between Indonesia and the Dutch Empire, and an internal social revolution. It took place between Indonesia’s declaration of independence in 1945 and the Netherlands’ recognition of Indonesia’s independence in 1949. He was put on the British Government’s wanted list because of this. He went  to Indonesia with boat loads of young Malays to help their Indonesian kin fight for their independence from their white colonial masters. His kampung is in Bukit Tinggi, Indonesia. My grandma still remembers the days that he went away, fearing for his life, not knowing what happens to him, and the British police officers who harassed her on his whereabouts before, during and after the war.  I guess being involved in the war is also why he regards both Malaysia and Indonesia as his country.

The books he left behind raised me on a healthy diet on the writings of Machiavelli, Hobbes, Sun Tzu,  Payne, Robespierre, Marx, Engels, de Tocqueville, de Saint-Simon, Fourier to name a few during my childhood days. I guess, i got to know him through those books.

He was a patriot, a soldier, a reporter, an MP, a socialist, a nationalist, an idealist, a father, a husband, my grandfather. there are more things that i can talk about him but superlatives would dishonor him as he once stated to my mom;  “whatever i do, it is not for me. it is for my family, my people and my country.”

your birthday is coming up Tok Ayah. you have done well for your people, your country, your family. i’m rather unfortunate not to have you now, to learn from you, and to have you guide me.