Ahmad Boestaman
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Ahmad Boestamam (30 November 1920 – 19 January 1983), or Abdullah Sani, was a
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...
n freedom fighter, politician and was the founding president of
Parti Rakyat Malaysia The Malaysian People's Party (abbreviation: PRM; Malay: ''Parti Rakyat Malaysia'') is a political party in Malaysia. Founded on 11 November 1955 as Partai Ra'ayat, it is one of the older political parties in Malaysia and traces its pedigree t ...
and
Parti Marhaen Malaysia Parti Marhaen Malaysia (PMM) was a former left-wing party formed by Ahmad Boestamam. History The party were formed by Ahmad Boestamam on 20 July 1968, 8 hours before he left Malaysia for London to pursue legal studies for two and a half years. ...
. Ahmad Boestamam was born in Setapak, Ampang,
Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...
(then in the undivided state of
Selangor Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sem ...
) to ethnic Malay parents of
Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to: * Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people * Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center * Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see belo ...
origin who originally come from
Tanah Datar Tanah Datar Regency is a landlocked regency (''kabupaten'') in West Sumatra province, Indonesia. The regency has an area of 1,336 km2, and had a population of 338,484 at the 2010 Census, which rose to 371,704 at the 2020 Census. The regency sea ...
,
West Sumatra West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 cen ...
,
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...
and was raised in
Tanjung Malim Tanjung Malim, or Tanjong Malim, is a town in Muallim District, Perak, Malaysia. It is approximately north of Kuala Lumpur and 120 km south of Ipoh via the North–South Expressway. It lies on the Perak-Selangor state border, with Sungai ...
,
Perak Perak () is a state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south. Thailand' ...
.


Biography

Boestamam had been a young follower of the
Kesatuan Melayu Muda Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM) ( Jawi: كساتوان ملايو مودا ; "Young Malays Union" in Malay) was the first leftist and national political establishment in British Malaya. Founded by Ibrahim Yaacob and Ishak Haji Muhammad, KMM grew ...
(KMM) from the late 1930s in
Perak Perak () is a state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south. Thailand' ...
, emerging after the war as the militant youth leader of Angkatan Pemuda Insaf (API) to the older and more moderate Dr
Burhanuddin al-Helmy Dato’ Seri Dr. Burhanuddin bin Muhammad Nur al-Hilmi ( Jawi: برهان الدين بن محمد نور الحلمي; 29 August 1911 – 25 October 1969), commonly known as Burhanuddin al-Helmy, was a Malaysian politician. He was President o ...
and
Ishak Haji Muhammad Ishak Haji Muhammad (14 November 1909 – 7 November 1991), better known as Pak Sako, was a Malaysian writer, active in the 1930s until the 1950s. He was a nationalist and his involvement began before independence and continued thereafter. He fo ...
(Pak Sako) of the Malay Nationalist Party (PKMM). PKMM, in turn, led Pusat Tenaga Rakyat or ''Putera'' to join the All Malayan Council of Joint Action (AMCJA), which was then led by the Malayan Democratic Union (MDU). AMCJA crafted the People's Constitution in 1947 as the basis for Malayan independence, years before the
United Malays National Organisation The United Malays National Organisation ( Malay: ; Jawi: ; abbreviated UMNO () or less commonly PEKEMBAR), is a nationalist right-wing political party in Malaysia. As the oldest continuous national political party within Malaysia (since its ...
switched its slogan from "Hidup Melayu" to "Merdeka" under
Tunku Abdul Rahman Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah ( ms, ‏تونكو عبد الرحمن ڤوترا الحاج ابن سلطان عبد الحميد حليم شاه, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; 8 Febru ...
’s leadership. Boestamam was detained without trial for seven long years from early 1948, before the
Malayan Emergency The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces ...
was declared in mid-1948, together with thousands of other Malay youths demanding independence. This pre-emptive repression by the colonial power was to ethnically colour the subsequent anti-colonial resistance. Soon after his release in 1955, he set up the Partai Rakyat Malaya with other independent fighters on 11 November 1955. Inspired by the anti-colonial and socialist struggle in
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...
led by
Sukarno Sukarno). (; born Koesno Sosrodihardjo, ; 6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of ...
, the party in its formative years subscribe to a Pan-Malay/Indonesia nationalism. Unlike its contemporary
UMNO The United Malays National Organisation ( Malay: ; Jawi: ; abbreviated UMNO () or less commonly PEKEMBAR), is a nationalist right-wing political party in Malaysia. As the oldest continuous national political party within Malaysia (since its ...
(which later became the ruling party until 2018), Parti Rakyat demanded total independence from British colonialism. The party later joined with the Labour Party of Malaya (Parti Buruh), chaired by
Ishak Haji Muhammad Ishak Haji Muhammad (14 November 1909 – 7 November 1991), better known as Pak Sako, was a Malaysian writer, active in the 1930s until the 1950s. He was a nationalist and his involvement began before independence and continued thereafter. He fo ...
, to create the Socialist Front, which dominated the local councils in Peninsular Malaysia. The growing power of the left resulted in a heavy crackdown by the UMNO government. In 1963, soon after the outbreak of the Konfrontasi between
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...
and
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...
, the
Alliance An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
government began yet another massive round-up of politicians and activists among the opposition. Among those arrested and detained were Boestamam,
Ishak Haji Muhammad Ishak Haji Muhammad (14 November 1909 – 7 November 1991), better known as Pak Sako, was a Malaysian writer, active in the 1930s until the 1950s. He was a nationalist and his involvement began before independence and continued thereafter. He fo ...
,
Abdul Aziz Ishak Abdul Aziz bin Ishak (1914–1999) was a Malaysian freedom fighter, politician and journalist. Aziz was, in fact, the only member of the pre-war Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM) to have served in the 1955 and post-Merdeka Cabinets under Tunku Abdu ...
(head of GERAM), Datuk Kampo Radjo (later the president of PRM),
Tan Kai Hee Tan Kai Hee (8 January 1937 – 22 February 2022) was a notable figure in Malaysia who was firstly a socialist politician and political prisoner. After many years of detention without trial, he returned to civilian life and started a traditional ...
, Tan Hock Hin, Dr. M.K. Rajakumar, Hasnul Hadi, Tajuddin Kahar and hundreds of others. The Socialist Front eventually dissolved under strong state repression and local council elections were abolished. Parti Rakyat became a fringe party in parliamentary politics and following his release from detention, Boestamam was then removed as party leader by a group led by Kassim Ahmad. He and
Ishak Haji Muhammad Ishak Haji Muhammad (14 November 1909 – 7 November 1991), better known as Pak Sako, was a Malaysian writer, active in the 1930s until the 1950s. He was a nationalist and his involvement began before independence and continued thereafter. He fo ...
established
Parti Marhaen Malaysia Parti Marhaen Malaysia (PMM) was a former left-wing party formed by Ahmad Boestamam. History The party were formed by Ahmad Boestamam on 20 July 1968, 8 hours before he left Malaysia for London to pursue legal studies for two and a half years. ...
in 1968 and attempted to re-establish the Socialist Front before the 1974 elections, but failed. Boestaman eventually faded from the headlines of Malaysian politics. Boestamam's son,
Rustam Sani Rustam Abdullah Sani (12 August 1944 – 23 April 2008) was a Malaysian politician, sociologist and political scientist. He was of Minangkabau descent from Salido, West Sumatera. Born towards the end of the Japanese occupation of Malaya in the ...
would later become the deputy president of the party his father founded. Ahmad Boestaman died on 19 January 1983.


References


External links


Farewell to a true Malaysian
The Star, 26 April 2008. {{DEFAULTSORT:Boestaman, Ahmad 1920 births 1983 deaths People from Perak Malaysian people of Malay descent Malaysian Muslims Malaysian people of Minangkabau descent Malaysian people of Indonesian descent Place of birth missing Place of death missing Parti Rakyat Malaysia politicians Parti Marhaen Malaysia politicians Malaysian Social Justice Party politicians Malaysian political party founders Malaysian socialists