Ishak Haji Muhammad (14 November 1909 – 7 November 1991), better known as Pak Sako, was a
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
n writer, active in the 1930s until the 1950s. He was a
nationalist
Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...
and his involvement began before independence and continued thereafter. He fought for the idea of the unification of
Melayu Raya
Greater Indonesia () was an irredentist political concept that sought to bring the so-called Malay race together, by uniting the territories of the Dutch East Indies (and Portuguese Timor) with British Malaya and British Borneo. It was espoused ...
where
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
and
Brunei
Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...
are united in one collective.
He was also a prominent leader of the
Labour Party of Malaya
The Labour Party of Malaya (; abbrev. LPM) was a political party in Malaya that was active between 1952 and 1972. It was originally formed as a confederation of state based labour parties known as the Pan-Malayan Labour Party (PMLP). Part of th ...
and the
Socialist Front who experienced detention without trial.
The moniker ''Pak Sako'' was from the title 'Isako-san' given to him by the Japanese, which was the phonetic pronunciation of his name in the Japanese tongue. Ishak's other pseudonyms include ''Anwar'', ''Hantu Raya'' (The Great Ghost), ''Isako San'' and ''Pandir Moden'' (The Modern-day Pandir).
Early life
Ishak was born in 1909 in Kampung Bukit Seguntang,
Temerloh
Temerloh is a municipality in central Pahang, Malaysia. Located about from Kuala Lumpur along the Malaysia Federal Route 2, Kuantan–Kuala Lumpur trunk road, Temerloh is the second largest urban area in Pahang after Kuantan, the state capital c ...
,
Pahang
{{Infobox political division
, name = Pahang
, official_name = Pahang Darul Makmur
, native_name =
, settlement_type = States and federal territories of Malaysia, State
, image_skyline =
, imagesize ...
and received his early education at the Kg. Tengah Malay School,
Temerloh
Temerloh is a municipality in central Pahang, Malaysia. Located about from Kuala Lumpur along the Malaysia Federal Route 2, Kuantan–Kuala Lumpur trunk road, Temerloh is the second largest urban area in Pahang after Kuantan, the state capital c ...
in 1919 and continued his education at the Clifford High School,
Kuala Lipis
Kuala Lipis (Pahang Malay: ''Kole Lepeh'') is a mukim and capital of Lipis District, Pahang, Malaysia with a population of 20,000.
History
Kuala Lipis was a gold-mining centre before the British Empire, British arrived in 1887. In 1898, it bec ...
from 1924 to 1928. He received his certificate of education from the
Raub English School in 1929. In 1930, he went to the
Malay College Kuala Kangsar
The Malay College Kuala Kangsar (abbreviated MCKK; ; ) is a residential school in Malaysia. It is an all-boys and all- Malay school in the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, Perak. It is sometimes dubbed "the Eton College of the East".
The Malay Col ...
(MCKK) to train as an officer in the Malayan Civil Service.
He held posts as Assistant Deputy District Officer, a Class III
Magistrate
The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...
and a language teacher before entering the literary scene. He joined the
Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya
Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (PKMM), also known as the Malay Nationalist Party, was founded on 17 October 1945 in Ipoh, Perak. The party was the first Malay political party formed after the Japanese occupation of Malaya.
The main goal of the ...
in 1941 before the
Japanese Occupation of
Malaya and became a central committee member along with
Rashid Maidin,
Ahmad Boestamam
Ahmad Boestamam (30 November 1920 – 19 January 1983), or Abdullah Thani bin Raja Kechil, was a Malaysian freedom fighter and politician. He was the founding president of Parti Rakyat Malaysia and Parti Marhaen Malaysia and former chairmen of ...
and
Abdullah CD
Cik Dat bin Anjang Abdullah (2 October 1923 – 13 January 2024), commonly known as Abdullah CD, was a Malaysian politician who served as chairman and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM).
Early life and career
Abdullah wa ...
.
Writings and politics
Ishak grew bored with his job as a British administrator and found the life of a British civil servant full of deception, favouritism and no interest in preserving the interests of the Malays who were said to have been given protection by the British. In 1934, he resigned from the Malayan Civil Service and travelled the peninsula Malaya. He later concentrated on nationalist literature and politics as a leader of the Labour Party and Socialist Front.
He contested in the
1959 general election in
Temerloh
Temerloh is a municipality in central Pahang, Malaysia. Located about from Kuala Lumpur along the Malaysia Federal Route 2, Kuantan–Kuala Lumpur trunk road, Temerloh is the second largest urban area in Pahang after Kuantan, the state capital c ...
where he lost to Umno's Mohamed Yusof Mahmud by 1,353 votes. In the
1964 election he ran in
Bukit Bintang
Bukit Bintang (; stylised as Bintang Walk or Starhill, the latter being a translation of the Malay language, Malay name) is the shopping and entertainment district of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It encompasses Jalan Bukit Bintang (''Bukit Bintang ...
, coming in third behind Tan Toh Hong of the
Alliance
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or sovereign state, states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an a ...
and Wong Lin Ken of
PAP.
He was imprisoned twice from 1948–1953 and 1965–1966. After the collapse of the Socialist Front he joined Ahmad Boestamam in the short-lived
Parti Marhaen.
Newspaper founder
Ishak was the first with the idea to publish the
Utusan Melayu (The Malay Post) newspaper and subsequently became the founder of the publication. He left
Warta Malaya
''Warta Malaya'' ( English: Malayan Report), also known as ''Warta Melayu'' was a Singaporean and Malayan Malay-language daily newspaper. Written in Jawi script, the newspaper released its first issue in 1930. It later emerged as one of the highe ...
(Malayan Times) and travelled to
Pahang
{{Infobox political division
, name = Pahang
, official_name = Pahang Darul Makmur
, native_name =
, settlement_type = States and federal territories of Malaysia, State
, image_skyline =
, imagesize ...
,
Kelantan
Kelantan (; Kelantan-Pattani Malay, Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate''; ) is a state in Malaysia. The capital, Kota Bharu, includes the royal seat of Kubang Kerian. The honorific, honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' ("The Blissful Abode"). ...
and
Terengganu
Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: ''Tranung'', formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu) is a sultanate and States and federal territories of Malaysia, federal state of Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, ''Dāru l-Iman (c ...
to campaign for the establishment of the
Utusan Melayu Press. He worked at the paper under
Abdul Rahim Kajai as editor. During the
Japanese occupation of Malaya
Malaya, then under British administration,, was gradually occupied by Japanese forces between 8 December 1941 and the Allied surrender at Singapore on 15 February 1942. The Japanese remained in occupation until their surrender to the Allie ...
, he became the editor of ''Berita Malai'' (Malayan News).
He continued to live in
Hulu Langat
Hulu Langat District is a district of Malaysia located in the southeastern corner of Selangor, between Kuala Lumpur and Negeri Sembilan. It is bordered by the state of Pahang to the east and north, Gombak district to the north-west, Federal Ter ...
even though he worked in
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
. He would take the public transport to office. For a while, he did have a Fiat when he was working in
Rembau, but he did not drive and had to hire a drive
Literature
Ishak produced many novels, short stories, essays and memoirs as well as writing articles for the Utusan Melayu Group's newspapers. The National Library of Malaysia has, in their collection, more than 1,000 copies of his literary works.
His two most well-known works are ''Putera Gunung Tahan'' (The Prince of Mount Tahan) and ''Anak Mat Lela Gila'' (The Son of Crazy Mat Lela), which reflected his views and aspirations as a patriot and writer. They were
satire
Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...
novels aimed at the British and also were a critique of the British. Ishak placed importance on Malay culture in his writings and glorified Malay culture by comparing it to English culture which is said to lack quality and is too aggressive. He was also active in short story-writing.
Below is a sample of his other works:
# ''Budak beca'' (Trishaw Boy). Marang: Mohamad bin A. Rahman, 1957
# ''Judi karan'' (The Electric Bet).
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
: Geliga, 1958
# ''Pengantin baru'' (The Newlyweds).
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
: Geliga
In his later years, he was more known as a columnist in ''Utusan Malaysia'' and ''Gila-Gila'' (a local satire magazine).
Awards
As tribute for his contributions, the
University of Malaya
The Universiti Malaya (lit 'University of Malaya'; abbreviated UM) is a public university, public research university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the oldest Malaysian institution of higher education, and was the only university in ...
awarded him an Honorary Doctorate of Literature on 29 June 1973. On 29 May 1976, Ishaak received the ''Pejuang Sastera'' (Literary Exponent) Award from the Prime Minister.
Death
He died on 7 November 1991 at 5.40 am at his home in Kampung Bukit Raya, in
Hulu Langat
Hulu Langat District is a district of Malaysia located in the southeastern corner of Selangor, between Kuala Lumpur and Negeri Sembilan. It is bordered by the state of Pahang to the east and north, Gombak district to the north-west, Federal Ter ...
,
Selangor
Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...
. He was buried in his childhood village in
Temerloh
Temerloh is a municipality in central Pahang, Malaysia. Located about from Kuala Lumpur along the Malaysia Federal Route 2, Kuantan–Kuala Lumpur trunk road, Temerloh is the second largest urban area in Pahang after Kuantan, the state capital c ...
, after the Friday prayers, next to the graves of his parents, in accordance with his wishes. He had been admitted to the Tawakal Hospital on 18 October after suffering from a stroke, and had just left the hospital for two weeks before he died. Earlier in the year, he had suffered another stroke and was admitted to the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital on 22 July. That attack left his right side paralysed.
As tribute,
UMNO
The United Malays National Organisation ( abbrev: UMNO; , PEKEMBAR) is a conservative, Malay nationalist political party in Malaysia. As the oldest national political party in the country (since its inception in 1946), UMNO has been known as ...
donated RM16,874.15 to his family at the close of its General Assembly that year. RM10,000 came from the
UMNO
The United Malays National Organisation ( abbrev: UMNO; , PEKEMBAR) is a conservative, Malay nationalist political party in Malaysia. As the oldest national political party in the country (since its inception in 1946), UMNO has been known as ...
headquarters while the remainder was contributed by its delegates during the assembly. It was presented by the Prime Minister
Mahathir Mohamad
Mahathir bin Mohamad (; ; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author and doctor who was respectively the fourth and seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia, prime minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003 and from 2018 to 2020. He was the ...
to the
Pahang
{{Infobox political division
, name = Pahang
, official_name = Pahang Darul Makmur
, native_name =
, settlement_type = States and federal territories of Malaysia, State
, image_skyline =
, imagesize ...
Menteri Besar
Mohd Khalil Yaakob
Mohd Khalil bin Yaakob ( Jawi: محمد خليل بن يعقوب; born 29 December 1937) is a Malaysian politician who served as the 6th Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Malacca from June 2004 to June 2020, 12th Menteri Besar of Pahang from August ...
to be given to his family.
["$16,874 untuk keluarga Pak Sako", Berita Harian, 11 November 1991, p. 2]
Legacy
Several places and honours were named after him, including:
* Jalan Pak Sako,
Temerloh
Temerloh is a municipality in central Pahang, Malaysia. Located about from Kuala Lumpur along the Malaysia Federal Route 2, Kuantan–Kuala Lumpur trunk road, Temerloh is the second largest urban area in Pahang after Kuantan, the state capital c ...
,
Pahang
{{Infobox political division
, name = Pahang
, official_name = Pahang Darul Makmur
, native_name =
, settlement_type = States and federal territories of Malaysia, State
, image_skyline =
, imagesize ...
* Kolej Pak Sako,
Universiti Industri Selangor (UNISEL),
Bestari Jaya
Bestari Jaya ''(formerly Batang Berjuntai)'' is a town and a mukim in Kuala Selangor District, Selangor, Malaysia. It is 40 km NW from Kuala Lumpur.
History Old name "Batang Berjuntai"
"Batang Berjuntai" means a dangling branch in Malay. There u ...
,
Selangor
Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...
* Akademi Pak Sako, Jalan Telawi,
Bangsar
Bangsar is a residential suburb on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, lying about south-west of the city centre. It is part of the Lembah Pantai parliamentary constituency. Bangsar is administered by Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL), unlike ...
,
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
See also
*
Mass media in Malaysia
The mass media in Malaysia includes television, radio, newspapers, and web-based media such as bloggers. Many media outlets are either owned directly by the government of Malaysia (e.g. Bernama) or owned by component parties of the Barisan Nasio ...
*
Abdul Rahim Kajai
*
A. Samad Said
*
Aziz Ishak
Abdul Aziz bin Ishak (1915–1999) 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 Abdul ...
*
Abdul Samad Ismail
*
Said Zahari
*
Usman Awang
*
Yusof Ishak
Yusof bin Ishak Al-Haj ( ; 12 August 191023 November 1970) was a Singaporean journalist and civil servant who served as the head of state of Singapore from 1959 to 1970. He initially served as the second Yang di-Pertuan Negara of Singapore b ...
References
* Harry Aveling, trans., Ishak Haji Muhammad: The Prince of Mount Tahan, Singapore: Heinemann Educational Books, (Asia), 1980.
* Harry Aveling, trans., Ishak Haji Muhammad: The Son of Mat Mat Lela, Singapore: Federal Books, 1983.
* Ishak Haji Muhammad, "Ilham Mencipta Putera Gunung Tahan", Dewan Sastera, 23 April 1976.
External links
Malaysian Armed Forces Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ishak Haji Muhammad
1909 births
1991 deaths
People from Pahang
Malaysian Muslims
Malaysian people of Malay descent
Malaysian writers
Malaysian politicians
Malaysian socialists
Labour Party of Malaya politicians
Parti Marhaen Malaysia politicians
Malayan Peoples' Socialist Front politicians
Malaysian political party founders
Malayan Civil Service officers