‘Abah’

To many he is Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj or ‘the Tunku’. To all Malaysians he is ‘Bapa Kemerdekaan’. The late Tan Sri Khir Johari referred to him as “The man of the hour”.(1) This was a man whose character, depth and compassion for the people of his country mirrored that of a father. ‘Abah’, an affectionate Malay term used for the word father is the closest you can get in truly expressing his legacy. He was ultimately a dream-maker, a man who dared to turn our dreams of nationhood into reality. 
     Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj was born on February 8th, 1903 in Istana Pelamin. He received his early education at the Desburin School, Bangkok and Penang Free School. He later read law at Cambridge.(2)
     The Tunku’s singular greatest contribution was to give every citizen a sense of nationhood and belonging regardless of race or religion. With a steely resolve and unflagging determination that belied his happy-go-lucky persona he forged a nation out of the diverse races and put the doomsayers to shame. 
   One of the defining moments in Malaysia’s journey towards independence was the formation of the Alliance, a coalition of three race-based parties in one united front, with the Tunku as the undisputed leader. The Tunku had the unique gift of being able to build bridges between people of different cultural and social backgrounds. 
On August 26th, 1951, Tunku stepped into the leadership vacuum in UMNO(United Malays National Organisation) when Datuk Onn Jaafar left to form the IMP (Independent Malayan Party).(3) In a masterful strategic move which correctly read the mood of the populace, he forged a coalition with the MCA (Malayan Chinese Association). This step not only established an enduring mechanism for resolving contentious communal issues but also sounded the death knell of the IMP as a potent political force. By 1955, the Alliance included a new member when the MIC (Malayan Indian Congress)  joined in December 1954.(4) The Tunku was able to address the aspirations, hopes and fears of the respective races while ensuring that the component parties worked together to ensure the electoral success of one another.  The Alliance strode to a resounding victory winning 51 out of 52 seats in the 1955 Federal Legislative Council elections and the Tunku assumed the post of Chief Minister with all its challenges.(5)

In 1955 at the height of the Emergency the Tunku decided to confront those subscribing to this ideology of terror and proposed a face-to-face meeting with the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) led by Chin Peng.(6) He knew that the unknown enemy is the most dangerous enemy. In a courageous act of nation building he proposed the Baling talks. The first victory in the battle to win the hearts and minds of the people was when the MCP’s true intentions became obvious during the Baling talks. The running dogs could no longer hide behind the facade of noble intentions.
    Inspired by Gandhi, he sought to seek independence by avoiding bloodshed at all costs and on January 1st 1956 he led a group of Alliance party members to participate in the Lancaster House talks.(7) There he boldly but diplomatically stated in no uncertain terms the progressive steps that had to be taken towards Malaya’s Independence on August 31st. ‘We pray to God that a new nation will soon be born of this earth. Our delegation speaks with one voice.’(8) Finally on Tunku’s 53rd birthday the agreement was signed.(9) 
    As August 31st dawned, Tunku slept the sleep of a man at peace, a man who had dreamt, persevered and achieved a near miracle. A new nation had been born in an atmosphere of racial harmony. Indeed, to quote T.H. Silcock, ‘The sense of shame at subjection and (the) resolve to overcome it by building a viable nation was expressed with great human dignity by Tunku Abdul Rahman on the attainment of Merdeka.’(10) For the Tunku, as he assumed the mantle of Prime Minister there were more dreams to be realised.
    On May 27th 1961, the Tunku obliquely referred to a greater dream of his, the concept of Malaysia that would profoundly affect the young country of Malaya as well as sent shockwaves throughout the region. ‘Sooner or later Malaya should have an understanding with Britain and the peoples of Singapore, North Borneo and Sarawak.’ (11) On September 16th 1963, Malaysia was formed.(12)
   There were plenty of challenges and trials still to be faced. There was Dr. Subandrio who declared Malaysia as Indonesia’s public enemy and initiated armed hostility or “Confrontation” against the creation of Malaysia. This happened a short six weeks after Azahari’s Revolt in Brunei which had threatened to spill over fizzled out.(13) There was also the secession of Singapore. The Tunku decided that a civil war was too high a price to pay and he decided to let Singapore go their separate way. (14) This courageous and even unpopular decision averted the blood bath that would have resulted as Lee Kuan Yew increasingly played the racial card. In facing all these challenges the Tunku displayed the strength of character, calmness and integrity that personified him.

The Tunku had always promoted racial unity. However, on May 13 everything came crashing down.(15)  The May 13th incident with its underlying racial issues is often erroneously seen as a telling repudiation of the Tunku’s policies. In hindsight with almost 50 years of nationhood behind us it is clear that the fault was never the Tunku’s. It was the people’s lack of wisdom in sharing his values of compassion and understanding that broke faith with him and caused us to choose the path of anger and arrogance in those fateful days.  We broke his heart.
            Our ‘Bapa Malaysia’ through his courage, strength and ambition was the architect of independent Malaysia. The greatest tribute that we can pay to him now would be to live his dream by living together in harmony with a great sense of nationhood. Thank you ‘Abah’!

(Footnotes)
1 Tan Sri Khir Johari, Tunku: tokoh sepanjang zaman (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Institut Pengarah Malaysia, 1993), 25
2 Tan Sri Datuk Mubin Sheppard, Tunku, his life and times: the authorized  biography of Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra al-Haj (Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia: Pelanduk Publications, c1995), 13-22
3 Penang Tourists Guides Association, s.v. Tunku Abdul Rahman-The Father of Malaysia
4 Khong Kim Hoong, Merdeka!: British rule and the struggle for Independence in Malays
 (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Strategic Information Research Development (SIRD), 2003), 288
5 Khong, 292

6. Tunku Abdul Rahman, Lookin back: Monday musings and memories (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Pustaka Astaka, 1977), 6
7. Tunku Abdul Rahman, Looking Back: Monday Musings and memories ( Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Pustaka Astaka, 1977), 60
8.  Tunku Abdul Rahman, 64
9. Tunku Abdul Rahman, 64
10.  T.H.Silcock,Towards A Malayan Nation (Singapore: Eastern Universities Press, Ltd, 1961), 4
11.  Tunku Abdul Rahman Looking back: Monday musings and memories (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Pustaka Astaka, 1977), 81
12. Encyclopedia of World Biography, s.v. “Tunku Abdul Rahman”
13.  Tunku Abdul Rahman, 89
14.  Tunku Abdul Rahman, 127

 15. Tunku Abdul Rahman, May 13: Before And After (Kuala Lumpur: Utusan Melayu Press, 1969), 94

This essay won the Grand Prize  ( Lower Secondary Category ) in the 2007 Perdana Leadership Foundation Essay Writing Contest at national level.