The Mandela Of Malayan Journalism; Said Zahari, teladan patriot tulen
Said Zahari’s name must surely be immortalised as symbolising the struggle for press freedom. Allahyarham Said Zahari ialah tokoh wartawan ulung, nasionalis tulen dan pejuang kebebasan akhbar.
The Mandela Of Malayan Journalism Jomo Kwame Sundaram 12 Apr 2021
https://www.malaysiakini.com/columns/570349
More than anyone else in Malaysia and Singapore, Said Zahari’s name must surely be immortalised as symbolising the struggle for press freedom. The defining moment was, of course, the Utusan Melayu strike of 1961, when he led his colleagues to resist the newspaper’s takeover by interests tied to Umno, the ruling party then and now.
The strike was remarkable for many reasons; two deserve special mention. First, it involved Malay workers unlike most labour struggles historically associated with ethnic Chinese and Indian workers.
Second, the strike was not primarily over workers’ welfare, but instead tried to resist the takeover and transformation of the previously independent Malay-language newspaper into a ruling party tool.
The strike lasted over 100 days, marking the end of the honeymoon of organised labour with the post-colonial government. The strike finally ended after Said was banished from re-entering Malaya by Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman.
Dark clouds over Singapore
Said Zahari (photo above, far right) then became one of the most prominent political prisoners of Lee Kuan Yew’s government in Singapore. He was arrested together with over 100 others in ‘Operation Cold Store’ in early February 1963, and was incarcerated without trial for 17 years.
His Malaysian wife, Salamah, suffered much hardship supporting their family, including their youngest daughter Norlinda, born after his arrest. Said’s poems written in prison were smuggled out, compiled, edited and published in the early 1970s by his closest friend, poet Usman Awang.
He was assisted by former senator, Professor Syed Husin Ali, himself a political detainee for six years following the 1974 student-led Baling protests. Fine English language translations were done by another dear friend, the late Dr MK Rajakumar, last chairperson of the Labour Party of Selangor, also detained without trial in the mid-1960s.
Inspiration
Said’s poems and Usman’s own ‘Salute to Said Zahari’ were read and recited by thousands of students, activists and sympathisers in Malaysia and abroad for years. These encouraged struggles by countless others, inspired by his selfless and resolute determination despite his ordeal.
Said’s memoirs, published a quarter-century ago, recount how he came to make selfless sacrifices for a better, more just and democratic post-colonial nation with no thought of personal gain.
They also reveal Said for the outstanding human being he was. Affable, generous, trusting, loving and humble, he was also principled, uncompromising and defiant when it mattered.
A little younger than Kuan Yew and Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Said’s memoirs were not only political but also personal. He candidly shared reminiscences of a bygone era, without the cosmetic editing ‘great men’ demand of their biographical narratives.
His memoirs tell of growing up, the Japanese Occupation, coming of age, working and family life. He first joined what must surely have been among the most exciting working environments in late colonial Malaya - the Utusan Melayu headquarters in Singapore.
The paper was led by Yusof Ishak, later Singapore’s first president, and A Samad Ismail, the doyen of Malaysian journalism and unofficial patron of the progressive nationalist Malay literary movement, Asas 50.
Region in turmoil
Said was sent north in 1955 to open the Kuala Lumpur office before Merdeka, in time to cover the historic December Baling peace talks. He revealed that Federation of Malaya Chief Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman privately confessed that he never intended for the talks to succeed, but had only agreed to them to secure political advantage.
In 1962, the anti-colonial Parti Rakyat Brunei (PRB) captured all but one of the elected seats for the colonial sultanate’s legislative council in its first - and last - election. After the newly elected legislators were ignored by the colonial authorities, most PRB leaders were detained or exiled after a failed ‘insurrection’.
Less than two months later, in early February 1963, only hours after Said agreed to lead the PRB’s fraternal party in Singapore, the Parti Rakyat Singapura, he was detained under Operation ‘Cold Store’ for 17 years.
Generous spirit
After such an extraordinary life, Said remained modest, but always generous and avuncular in his dealings with all. It says so much of him and so many of his comrades that they came out of their protracted travails with so much of their humanity intact, if not enhanced.
One cannot but marvel at his generosity of spirit, for example, when some who had caused him untold misery sought to redeem themselves with him. One cannot but contrast his magnanimity with the petty vindictiveness which characterises so much of modern political and social life.
Although he said little about the matter, Said tried to compensate his family for his protracted involuntary absence, despite his limited and modest means. This sense of personal guilt must have been very difficult for him to bear.
During his lifetime and beyond, many partook of his love for truth, freedom, humanity and other cherished values, for which we are all eternally grateful. His was truly a life of great sacrifice for principles that continue to move us so many decades later.
Remembering Said
The course of subsequent events suggests that history has clearly come down on Said’s side, namely that of truth. His memoirs reveal a complex and diverse Left, quite unlike the monolithic image promoted by the powers-that-be, lazy scholars, foreign observers and the servile media.
This is evident in his takes on debates and differences among the Left in Singapore, his friendship with Lim Chin Siong (photo above, middle) - the most popular Singapore politician of the time - and others, his criticisms of a leading communist’s dealings with Lee Kuan Yew, and his meeting with Chin Peng, the long-time Communist Party of Malaya secretary-general.
Malaysia, Singapore and indeed the region will forever owe him and his comrades a debt that can never be repaid. It is an honour to salute Said Zahari, and in doing so, to be inspired by his life and example.
Said Zahari, teladan patriot tulen Dr Jomo Kwame Sundaram Sinar Harian12 April 2021
Allahyarham Said Zahari ialah tokoh wartawan ulung, nasionalis tulen dan pejuang kebebasan akhbar. Beliau meninggal dunia pada 12 April 2016 pada usia 88 tahun.
SUDAH lima tahun pemergian tokoh wartawan ulung, nasionalis tulen dan pejuang kebebasan akhbar, Allahyarham Said Zahari yang meninggal dunia pada 12 April 2016.
Pemergian beliau masih amat dirasai bukan hanya oleh kaum keluarganya, tetapi juga oleh kawan seperjuangan, sahabat handai dan mereka daripada generasi baharu yang mendapat ilham daripada semangat juang dan pengorbanan besarnya.
Ketokohan, keberanian dan ketekunan luar biasanya tidak boleh dipertikaikan lagi.
Namun, masih ada mereka yang bertanya-tanya apakah Said seorang nasionalis tulen.
Riwayat hidup beliau pada zaman yang bergelora jelas menunjukkan siapa sebenarnya Said Zahari dan pengorbanan luar biasanya demi kebebasan akhbar dan pembebasan nasional di rantau Nusantara ini.
Zaman penjajah
Selepas pendudukan Jepun semasa Perang Dunia Kedua, Said menjadi wartawan.
Beliau muda sedikit usianya berbanding A Samad Ismail yang telah menjadi editor akhbar pada umur luar biasa muda semasa perang.
Setelah perang, golongan maju, ‘kiri’ atau radikal Melayu dipimpin oleh tokoh-tokoh antipenjajah seperti Dr Burhanuddin Al-Helmy, Pak Sako (Ishak Haji Muhammad) dan Ahmad Boestamam.
Mereka memimpin Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (PKMM) atau Pekemam yang ditubuhkan pada Oktober 1945 di Ipoh, Perak sebelum UMNO pada Mei 1946.
PKMM mempunyai sayap pemudanya, Angkatan Pemuda Insaf (API), pimpinan Boestamam serta sayap lain seperti Angkatan Wanita Sedar (Awas), pimpinan Aishah Ghani dan Shamsiah Fakeh, Barisan Tani Se-Malaya (Batas), pimpinan Musa Ahmad, serta Hizbul Muslimin, pimpinan Ustaz Abu Bakar Bakir.
Dari awal lagi, PKMM telah menuntut kemerdekaan. Pusat Tenaga Rakyat (Putera), pimpinan Dr Burhanuddin, telah menyediakan Perlembagaan Rakyat pada tahun 1947.
Ini dicapai bersama All-Malayan Council for Joint Action (AMCJA) yang dipimpin Malayan Democratic Union (MDU) dan dipengerusikan oleh Tan Cheng Lock.
Ini menandakan titik alih penting dalam gerakan rakyat untuk kemerdekaan.
Pada awal tahun 1948, penjajah British telah menangkap dan menahan lebih 6,000 aktivis muda Melayu, terutamanya anggota API dengan cogan kata ‘Merdeka Dengan Darah’.
Pada masa itu, pimpinan PKM masih mengharapkan ‘perjuangan damai’ setelah memimpin penentangan bersenjata anti-Jepun dengan kerjasama British semasa Perang. Namun, harapan ini berkecai apabila darurat diisytiharkan British pada Jun 1948.
Tuntutan merdeka inilah yang dengan jelas menolak penjajahan British, membezakan arus nasionalis Melayu maju atau progresif ini daripada aliran UMNO pimpinan pembesar Melayu seperti pernah diakui Tun Dr Ismail pada tahun 1973. UMNO terus bekerjasama dengan British dan hanya menuntut kemerdekaan lima tahun kemudian mulai tahun 1951.
Asia bergelora
Perjuangan antiimperialis atau antipenjajah ini disokong kuat oleh pimpinan Utusan Melayu ketika itu.
Pengaruh mereka bukan sekadar melalui akhbar serta majalahnya sahaja, tetapi memberi kesan besar terhadap sastera dan budaya Melayu zaman itu.
Sebahagian besar pimpinan Angkatan Sasterawan 1950 (Asas 50) terdiri daripada penulis Utusan.
Pada tahun 1955, Said dipindah ke Kuala Lumpur untuk mengetuai pejabat Utusan di Kuala Lumpur menjelang merdeka.
Kemudian, beliau dilantik Ketua Pengarang akhbar Utusan.
Banyak perubahan telah berlaku di dunia dalam dasawarsa setelah tamatnya perang.
Di Nusantara, Indonesia telah merdeka dan Presidennya, Sukarno telah menjadi tuan rumah Sidang Asia-Afrika di Bandung pada April 1955.
Vietnam di bawah pimpinan Ho Chi Minh telah mengalahkan tentera Perancis di Dien Bien Phu pada Mac 1954.
India dan Pakistan telah mencapai kemerdekaan lebih awal pada tahun 1947 dan China pula mencapai pembebasan nasional dengan menghalau musuhnya Kuomintang ke pulau Taiwan pada Oktober 1949.
Tunku Abdul Rahman telah mengakui kepada Said bahawa dia tidak mahu perundingan dengan pimpinan PKM di Baling pada 28 hingga 29 Disember 1955 berjaya.
Beliau ingin mengambil alih teraju negara sebelum merdeka tanpa bertolak ansur dengan pihak lain yang telah lebih lama memperjuangkan kemerdekaan.
Dalam kalangan kuasa Barat telah timbul perselisihan. Amerika Syarikat enggan menyokong Britain dan Perancis yang menyokong Israel menyerang dan menawan Terusan Suez di Mesir setelah pimpinan Gamel Abdul Nasser menghakmiliknegarakannya pada tahun 1956.
Apabila CIA Amerika Syarikat menyokong pemberontakan di beberapa pulau di luar Jawa untuk menjatuhkan Sukarno pada 1958, Britain pula enggan menyokongnya secara bersungguh-sungguh.
Kebangkitan rakyat Dunia Ketiga terus meningkat pada zaman itu. Di Afrika, Ghana merdeka pada Mac 1957. Kemudian hampir seluruh Afrika mencapai kemerdekaan, sekurang-kurangnya secara formal, kecuali tanah jajahan Portugis yang hanya berjaya mencapai kemerdekaan pada pertengahan 1970-an.
Di Amerika Latin, Amerika Syarikat telah campur tangan secara langsung ataupun melalui rampasan kuasa tentera untuk memastikan pemerintahnya pro-AS, misalnya di Guatemala, Cuba dan Brazil.
Cadangan menubuhkan Malaysia – untuk merangkumi semua wilayah Asia Tenggara yang dikuasai British – diutarakan Perdana Menteri Tunku Abdul Rahman pada tahun 1961.
Pada penghujung tahun 1962, Parti Rakyat Brunei, pimpinan A M Azahari, telah menawan 51 daripada 52 kerusi dalam pilihan raya dewan perundangan pertama (dan terakhir), tetapi tidak diizin penjajah British untuk membentuk pemerintahan.
Proses pembentukan Malaysia dipercepatkan kerana pihak British, ketua CIA ketika itu, Allen Dulles serta pihak lain khuatir terhadap pimpinan Sukarno di Indonesia.
Sikap Presiden John F Kennedy, yang telah setuju menemui Sukarno pada tahun 1964, dikatakan merupakan salah satu sebab presiden AS itu dibunuh, mungkin oleh CIA.
Tahanan tanpa bicara
Said telah memimpin mogok kakitangan Utusan Melayu selama tiga bulan lebih pada tahun 1961.
Mogok itu bertujuan menentang akhbar itu diambil alih UMNO kerana mempertahankan kebebasan akhbar.
Tindakan luar biasa bertahan bukan hanya sehari, seminggu atau sebulan, tetapi lebih daripada 100 hari!
Setahun lebih setelah dilarang masuk Semenanjung oleh Perdana Menteri Tunku Abdul Rahman, Said ditangkap di Singapura, beberapa jam setelah dipilih pada awal Februari 1963 untuk mengambil alih teraju pimpinan Partai Rakyat Singapura.
Sebagai tahanan politik, Said ditahan tanpa bicara selama 17 tahun (1963-1979) kerana enggan berkompromi dengan Lee Kuan Yew.
Di Semenanjung pula, pimpinan Fron Sosialis - yang merangkumi Pak Sako, pengerusi Parti Buruh, Ahmad Boestamam, ketua Parti Rakyat Malaya, serta Aziz Ishak, bekas Menteri Pertanian dan Koperasi UMNO yang mengetuai Parti Perhimpunan Nasional – serta Presiden Partai Islam Se-Malaya (Pas), Dr Burhanuddin Al-Helmy, ditahan tanpa bicara bersama ribuan aktivis lain, kononnya kerana ‘anti-Malaysia’ atau dituduh menyokong komunis.
Perjuangan Said memberi erti yang cukup besar kepada kita rakyat Malaysia, malah di seluruh Nusantara.
Bak katanya, kita harus belajar dari sejarah; kalau tidak, kita akan jadi mangsa sejarah.
Semoga ALLAH SWT mencucuri rahmat-Nya terhadap roh Allahyarham Said Zahari.
https://www.sinarharian.com.my/article/133136/KHAS/Pendapat/Said-Zahari-teladan-patriot-tulen
Salam Ramadhan