Inche Mohamed Sidik bin Haji Abdul Hamid (born 1896 or 1897), commonly known as Inche Sidik, was a Singaporean politician. He was a member of

Malay Union The Malay Union () (abbreviation: KMS), was a political party in Singapore from 1926 to 1960. History KMS was established on 14 May 1926 as a religious and cultural organisation for the Malay community. KMS's leaders were for the most part, E ...

before he left in 1957 and joined the Singapore branch of the

United Malays National Organisation The United Malays National Organisation (Abbreviation, abbrev: UMNO; , PEKEMBAR) is a Conservatism, conservative, Nationalism, Malay nationalist political party in Malaysia. As the oldest national political party in the country (since its ince ...

(UMNO). He was the Member of Parliament (MP) representing

Southern Islands Constituency Southern Islands Constituency was a constituency in Singapore. It existed from 1955 to 1968 and included Sentosa, Pulau Brani, Kusu Island and St John's Island. Member of Parliament Electoral results Elections in 1950s Ele ...

from 1955 to 1959. He also served as the Assistant

Education Minister An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

Early life and education

He was born at Bussorah Street (now known as Sultan Road) and went to

Raffles Institution Raffles Institution (RI) is an independent educational institution in Singapore. Founded in 1823, it is the oldest school in the country. It provides secondary education for boys only from Year 1 to Year 4, and pre-university education for both b ...

. He worked as a clerk. He spent 33 years working at the Customs Department as a senior preventive officer. Sidik was also the vice-president of the south zone of the Malay Football Association of Malaya and the president of the

Career

In 1952, Sidik and members of the Malay Union protested against the construction of a park in

Geylang Geylang () is a planning area and township located on the eastern fringe of the Central Region of Singapore, bordering Hougang and Toa Payoh in the north, Marine Parade in the south, Bedok in the east, and Kallang in the west. Geylang is ...

. In 1954, Sidik stated that the Malay Union had not joined

Labour Front The Labour Front (abbreviation: LF), was a political party in Singapore that operated from 1955 to 1960. It won the 1955 legislative assembly election, and lasted for one term as the ruling coalition. History LF was founded in 25 August 1954 ...

. In 1955, he contested in the

1955 Singaporean general election The 1955 Singaporean general election was held on 2 April 1955 to elect members to the Legislative Assembly of Singapore. It marked a pivotal moment in Singapore's political development, being the first election conducted under the Rendel Consti ...

for

. He was the only candidate of the Malay Union to be participating. He became the Member of Parliament (MP) representing Southern Islands Constituency after he won with 50.57% of the vote against Progressive Party member Hollupatherage James Caldera Kulasingha, who got 49.43%. Sidik also won with the narrowest margin of just 1.15%. In 1956, he left the Malay Union after serving as its president for four years. This happened after he and Inche H. M. Hassan donated a refrigerator to the Singapore branch of the

British Red Cross The British Red Cross Society () is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with 1 ...

under their names instead of the Malay Union's. He was succeeded by Tengku Ismara Raja after he lost to with 17 votes compared to his 26. After he left, he joined the Singapore branch of the

(UNMO). Afterwards, Sidik stated that he was still the representative of the Malay Union despite leaving as he was elected on the union's ticket. In 1958, he opened Hua Yi Middle School. During the

1959 Singaporean general election The 1959 Singaporean general election was held on 30 May 1959 to elect all 51 seats to the Legislative Assembly of Singapore. It was the first general election after Singapore was granted full internal self-government from Britain, excluding m ...

, he contested in Siglap Single Member Constituency against 7 other candidates. He had originally wanted to contest in Southern Islands Constituency again, but lost his nomination to Inche Ahmad Jabri by four votes. During his rally speech, he stated that there would be "no happiness if nowiki/>People's Action Party">People's_Action_Party.html" ;"title="nowiki/>People's Action Party">nowiki/>People's Action Partycomes into power." He was unsuccessful, only garnering 11.05% of the vote.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sidik, Inche Raffles Institution alumni Date of death unknown United Malays National Organisation politicians 20th-century Singaporean politicians Members of the Parliament of Singapore Year of birth uncertain