MY LIFE AND POLITICS

I have been exposed to politics when I was a child prior to entering primary school. I was the guy that sat at the corner silently. My father and his friends were so absorbed in discussing with each other they just ignored my presence. I could see how dedicated and committed they were to the party even though my father did not have enough money to support our big family. He was the chief salesman for umno as an information chief. I didn't hear him complaining but he had tremendous passion and enjoyed what he did.

My dear mother would always be besides him supporting all the way. Again I didn't hear her complaining. But then it was a time when they struggled not for self but for religion, race and country. The Leaders might not be as well educated or qualified as the leaders of today and they were never arrogant or proud. They were simple, honest but acted with dignity. Time was not theirs and wealth was never the factor. They sacrificed a lot. My father could be gone for weeks visiting remote areas deep in the kampung that's difficult to access. They would walk, take a bus, bicycle or a sampan to reach remote areas. They were under a constant threats of the communist insurgencies or the wild animals of the tropical jungle. 

All the way they struggled to give dignity to the the Sultans and the Malays. The beginning of the struggle it was the Malays..At the time the non Malays did not consider Malaya their homes but just as a temporary place of settlement. The British not wanting to land up with problems got the Malays to work out a power sharing formula. With accommodation and compromise we got our independence. The present generation should learn and appreciate our history and geography and build on it. We cannot return to the past but its good to build our future by understanding the past. People who became politicians then were honest and sincere. They did not seek wealth and glory. It was not unusual for those who were wealthy to contribute their wealth to the party...Tunku was one such example. I remember my mother had to struggle to make ends meet. She borrowed from the shopkeeper to feed us. My father had to take students to teach quran to earn a few extra dollars. They were happy with what they did because they loved the party. 

The party leadership had very good camaraderie and fought for the party together. They laughed and cried together. They did not have greed and volunteered for the good of the party. No question about asking for money to be doing something for the the party. They did not ask for accommodations or to stay in a hotel. I remember my father used to stay in the house of Tok Penghulu or Ketua Kampung. If not he would stay in the kampung houses of the UMNO committee members. That was UMNO a very straight forward political party for all levels of the Malay society and yet always tolerant and moderate towards the other races. We had brought success to Malaya and then Malaysia. UMNO brought progress and development as well as political stability....That's history..

FBSHApost@24 July 2015