HARTAL - THE UNTOLD STORY --- FAHMI REZA Interview with The SUN

7/28/2019 HARTAL - THE UNTOLD STORY --- FAHMI REZA Interview with The SUN

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The untold story of the hartal

Posted on 2 November 2007 - 01:25am

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When 30-year-old Fahmi Reza was in school, he hated history. But those days are thankfully over. The

freelance graphic artist recently won the "Most Outstanding Human Rights Film" at this years Freedom

Film Fest for his documentary, Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka (Ten Years Before Independence). The

documentary tells a crucial story about the peoples struggle for independence in 1947 that is missing from

our history textbooks and our official Merdeka celebrations.

With just a RM5,000 grant from Komas (Pusat Komunikasi Masyarakat), which organises the annual

Freedom Film Fest, the help of friends, and a passion for the untold stories in our history, Fahmi tells a

compelling story about the proposed Peoples Constitution and the Malaya-wide hartal the halting of all

economic activity as a form of political action through his film. Speaking to JACQUELINE ANN SURIN,

mostly in Malay, he talks about what was involved in making the film.

theSun: Why did you do thefilm, Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum

Merdeka?

Fahmi Reza: The main

reason I did this film wasbecause I wanted to

narrate the history of the

peoples struggle for

independence. AfterWorld War II and the

Japanese occupation, andbefore the Emergency in1948.

Actually, the story that I tell in

my film focuses on a particular

chapter in our history that is

missing from our history books

in school. If you look at our

Form 3 text books, theres a chapter called From Malayan Union to the Federation of Malaya. But my

story is about the missing chapter From The Peoples Constitution to the Malaya-wide hartal.

And I also made this film to remember and acknowledge the contributions of the political left in thecountrys struggle for independence because very little is actually said about the role they played. I also

wanted to show that it was the people in the left who started fanning the peoples nationalistic spirit for

independence until, if you look at it, a democratic movement was born that united the people of all races to

oppose the British in both Malaya, and Singapore then.

If you look at our own history books and how they cover the period between 1945 and 1948, we had the

Japanese occupation and in 1945, after World War II, the British returned and Malaya was ruled by the

British Military Administration. In 1946, there was the Malayan Union scheme and the birth of Umno.


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After that, in 1948, there was the Federation of Malaya to replace the Malayan Union, and then there was

the Emergency.

But 1947 is missing! What happened in 1947? So my story is exactly about what happened in 1947, ten

years before Merdeka.

So, in my film, there are two key points, two important historical events that are missing (from our officialhistory) the Peoples Constitution and the Malaya-wide hartal of 1947.

How did you even find out about this missing year and part of our history? What drew your

attention to it?

Um, actually, Im personally interested in the history of peoples revolutions and mass movements for

democracy wherever it may be in the world; movements that arose to demand for independence from

Western colonialism.

So, if you look at Vietnam, for example. In Vietnam, there was a peoples revolution against the French

colonisers. In India, the people also formed a democratic movement to fight the British. In Indonesia, the

rakyat stood together in a revolution to fight the Dutch. In the Philippines as well, even earlier still, the

people rose in a revolution in 1896 to oppose the Spanish.

And even in Thailand, even though they had never been colonised, but there was a peoples revolution in

1973 where the people demanded for full democracy from the military government.

So, all this made me think. If our neighbouring countries all went through a revolution of some kind, a

process where the people organised themselves to oppose colonialism, how come in Malaya there was no

such revolution? How come in Malaysia there was none?

It seemed impossible that Malaysia didnt have a peoples revolution, too, because the conditions were the

same. The rakyat(people) were oppressed under colonialism, right?

That spurred me to begin researching. Because our history books are silent about this.

The first place I went to was the National Library to look for books that might be related to this issue. I was

lucky. I found this book [holds upMerintis Jalan ke Punchakby Ahmad Boestamam]. This was one of the

first books I found in my search for historical information. It was a memoir of Ahmad Boestamam who was

one of the founders of PKMM (Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya or the Malay Nationalist Party) and also

Api (Angkatan Pemuda Insaf).

When was this book published?

In 1972. But the book has 26 chapters. Ahmad Boestamam was a columnist forBerita Minggu and the

chapters were from his column. So, this is a compilation of all his columns. So, the column basically tells

his story. He writes about his political journey within the history of Malayans demanding for independence.

The chapter in this book which really left an impact on me was the one titled, Hartal Kemunchak

Perjuangan Putera-AMCJA (Hartal The Height of Putera-AMCJAs Struggles). In this chapter, he

narrates about what happened in 1947, about the hartal the Malaya-wide strike that involved all the

people.

When I read this chapter, I was stunned. I was surprised by the other chapters, too, but this particular

chapter really made me go, Wah! I couldnt believe that such a political action had occurred here!


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But at that point, I was still critical. After all, this was just one mans story, right? One source. So, I began

my research. Started reading other books. Looked for other memoirs.

Many of the leaders of the political left wrote their memoirs such as Pak Sako, Mustapha Hussain, A.

Samad Ismail, Shamsiah Fakeh, Abdullah C.D., Gerald de Cruz, Majid Salleh, Lim Hong Bee, Philip

Hoalim Sr., Khadijah Sidek, Ibrahim Chik and many more.

And then, I also looked for academic books written by our historians such as Cheah Boon Kheng,

Mohamed Salleh Lamry, Khong Kim Hoong, Firdaus Abdullah, Abdul Rahman Ismail, Khoo Kay Kim,

Ramlah Adam, and others.

There was a significant amount of literature but nothing specifically on the hartal and on the Putera-

AMCJA or the people who organised the hartal. Usually, they would just be mentioned in a chapter.

In fact, up to today, no book has yet to be written about them, about their struggle for independence. So, I

had to piece everything together from these different sources. And thats how I became exposed to all these

acronyms of organisations -- PKMM, Api, Awas (Angkatan Wanita Sedar), Batas (Barisan Tani Se-

Malaya), MDU (Malayan Democratic Union), Putera (Pusat Tenaga Raayat), AMCJA (All-Malaya

Council of Joint Action), PMFTU (Pan-Malayan Federation of Trade Unions), MNDYL (Malayan New

Democratic Youth League), Geram (Gerakan Angkatan Muda), all these and about the significance ofeach organisation.

So, you borrowed these books?

From the library. All of them are at the National Library. Many people are unaware that the National

Library has all these books. You just need to go, register with RM1, and borrow. Basically, the early

material for my research was books because they were resources I was familiar with.

And then, I went to the National Archives because academic books, especially, made a lot of references to

press reports and statements. So, I thought Id check out the original source, the original documents and I

went to the National Archives to go through the newspapers from that time.

That too, I found amazing, because there were so many newspapers then. In all languages. Many were in

English and BM, and there was Jawi, and there were magazines and the Chinese press. But the Chinese and

Tamil press I couldnt read, which was a shame.

What was also amazing was the freedom the press had at that time. So, you had your pro-British paper like

The Straits Times, at the same time, there was also The Malaya Tribune which was more pro-rakyat.

The Malay press was the same.Majlis which was more pro-Umno and then Utusan Melayu which, at that

time, was pro-PKMM, pro-left and pro-rakyat.

So, it was interesting to read the press from those times because they showed the story from both sides.

Sometimes, one party would criticise the other party, and vice-versa, but that was what made it interesting.

That debate was there in the press.

And then I collected all these names which appeared in the books and articles. I started writing them down

and started finding out whether these people were still alive

Or not?

Or not [chuckles]. But when I started, I had to cancel out many of the names. Many of them had passed

away.


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How did you go about finding out whether they were still alive or not?

Er, start calling up friends and others whom I know. Parti Rakyat (Malaysia, or PRM), one of the oldest

political parties. So, I know friends in Parti Rakyat, so I called them up because some of them are in touch

with all these veterans. So, from there, I had a list of those who were still alive and those who had died.

So, most of them..?

Most of them had passed away. This story is 60-years-old. So, if they were still alive today, they would be

in their 80s because they would have been active during their 20s. And all the key leaders such as Ahmad

Boestamam, Burhanuddin Helmy, all have died.

But there are still some of them who are alive. I got to know that Lim Kean Chye (one of the founding

members of the MDU) was still alive (and living in Penang).

But at that time I wasnt yet bold enough to try and meet him. Because what excuse did I have? How could

I tell him, I wanted to meet him to do research? Research for what? I didnt have an answer because it was

just my personal research. I didnt think they would want to speak with me if it was just for that.

So, basically, the film was an excuse, actually for me to talk to them [laughs].

Ok [laughs].

So, now, when they asked, What is the research for?, I could say, I want to make a documentary about

their story. So, I had an excuse.

Its also because (for) all these people who had died, nobody had ever documented their history, unless they

wrote it themselves, especially in the new media formats -- audio or video -- right?

We have poor oral history documentation. So, I thought, before those who were still alive passed away, too,

I better start now. And I documented their story through the best format we have now, which is video. You

get audio and you get visuals as well.

So, once I had these interviews, it would have been a loss if I kept them to myself. So, I made this film.

You know the nationalist struggles of the left in Malaya are barely mentioned in our history

textbooks. And both you and I probably have the same experience schooled locally but never once

was taught about the hartal and what happened with the Putera-AMCJA. Do you think there is an

attempt to only highlight certain parts of our history, especially our history for independence?

Its true that our school history books, for the most part, highlight the role that is played by just one party or

group. Other groups are mentioned but are not given focus or are labelled anti-government or anti-

something. For me, this happens because, any history at all, and this can probably be applied to any

country, history is always written by those in power.

So, if we look at our history, the people in power are Umno and the Barisan Nasional. So, they are the ones

who write the history of our nation. So, of course, they will present a historical narrative that sheds a

positive light on them. I think this happens in any regime or government. Firstly, in order to legitimise their

current position, there is a need to create this myth about their history.

So, if we look at our historical narrative about independence, its focused on creating this myth about

Umnos struggle to gain our independence. How Umno was born and how Umno fought for our

independence. Its understandable that theres this narrative.


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So, any other narrative that doesnt support the (dominant) narrative will of course be left out, because it

would challenge or counter their narrative.

Many regimes do one of two things. You absorb the other narrative and claim it as your own. Or you leave

out.

Umnos problem is, because they were there at the same time, they cannot claim that their struggle was partof the lefts because they were on the opposite side. So, the only way left to them is to silence (the other

narrative). So, history books are written that way.

History is written by the victor.

Ya. And the losers, who will tell their stories, right?

So, its understandable, in some ways?

Ya, its understandable.

Ok, but then, what is our response as citizens of this country?

So, I think for us, because I think whatever it is, we want to know the truth. In any situation. Truth is better

than ya, than something else. It is also because of this principle that I wanted to research this part of our

history.

One other thing was the way history was taught to me in school. Erm, actually, I wasnt interested in

history when I was in school. During SPM, I got a C for history [chuckles]. I took 10 subjects. I got eight

As and two Cs [laughs], and one of the Cs was for history [laughs loudly]. And I really didnt like

history because I felt, not to blame my teacher, but the way the syllabus is taught is for you to memorise

certain dates, certain events, personalities, and names. And even though it made you think: why did

something happen, what is the significance of an event, the answer is already there. Because the format was

A, B, C, D, right? Its a fixed answer.

It didnt ask you to critically think about why a historical event was significant. They tell us what is the

significance, we memorise it, and regurgitate the answer during the exam. So, this format bored me to tears.

Its just a process of memorising all these names and facts and that was just so boring for me. So, I wasnt

interested in history then. It was only after I left school, when I started becoming more politically aware

that I started to read on my own and got interested.

Was making and releasing this historical documentary specifically timed to coincide with our 50th

Merdeka celebrations? What did you hope to achieve from this?

Ya, I consciously timed it that way. Because this research had been going on for a while, and the timing

was also right because my other projects had ended last year. And I was free this year, so I wanted to

concentrate on doing this project because the research had been done and I had already found the story. So,

it was just a matter of getting my friends together and telling the story, using the medium of film.

And I had already expected that for our 50th Merdeka, there would be a big celebration to commemorate 50

years of independence. And I also expected that this independence celebration would only amplify the role

of just one group.

So, I thought, to balance things out, because I already knew the story of the other groups (that would not be

highlighted), I wanted to share the story that I knew with others.


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What I hoped to achieve from this film being shown this year, like I said earlier, was to recognise that there

were others who fought for and contributed to independence.

But our Merdeka celebrations usually only highlight the leaders of certain groups only. They hardly ever

show what role the people played, and the people did contribute towards the struggle for our independence.

So, my story, yes, its true, it also focuses on political party leaders, but if you look at the hartal, thatswhere the people themselves got directly involved in the struggle. Because the hartal wasnt just about a

political party alone, it involved all the rakyat. It was inclusive and participatory in the sense that people

got involved in politics directly.

So, for me, this story is my tribute to the rakyat who also contributed to the independence that we

enjoy today.

Youve mentioned in previous interviews that this is your very first film and you just went out to buy

a camera, and with a good story line, filmed your documentary. Was it as easy as you make it sound?

It is and its not. Because I really have no filmmaking experience at all.

And before this, if youd asked me about making a film, Wah! because when we watch Hollywood

movies or movies on TV, its easy to think that making a film is really hard. When you look at the end

credits, the number of crew members involved! [chuckles] Hundreds of them! How can we ever make a

film, right? [chuckles]

But, I started researching how to make film. Online! All this information is available online. From my

reading, it didnt seem so difficult especially if one wants to make a documentary.

Thats also why I chose to make a documentary because compared to a fiction film, for example, it would

be much harder because you would need actors. Thats why I chose to tell the story through the format of a

documentary. So, what did I do?

I saved money and bought a camera. And it took a long time for me to save up the money [laughs]. Becausemy dilemma was whether to buy a really good camera or a Cap Ayam camera [laughs]. But in the

end, I decided to invest in a good camera because I figured I would use the camera for a long time. If I

bought a Cap Ayam camera, maybe I could only use it for a few months! So, I saved up money so I

could buy a good quality, medium-range camera.

And I was lucky. Because I like to do research, even for the camera, I was mad about doing research about

what was the best camera for this particular price. And then I researched the camera shops in Kuala

Lumpur, and I found this camera that I wanted for half price because it was a display model. The original

price was RM12,000. I only paid RM6,000 for it.

I bought the camera, and then started playing around with it. I learnt by just doing. So, I started using the

camera to document stuff. If I went for demonstrations, I would bring my video camera and start recording.

I would go in support of urban settlers whose homes were being demolished. I would bring my camera todocument what happened and I posted them on YouTube because not everyone knows these things

are happening, right? Because the media doesnt really report on these issues. So, I learnt (how to film)

while recording.

And I love music and enjoy gigs, so I would bring my camera to shoot all these bands, and I would learn

how to edit these videos. I bought a laptop, installed software for editing, and started learning how to edit.

All the bands that I recorded live, I edited them into music videos. I was practicing. If you watch my

YouTube, that was my learning process [chuckles].


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The process is only that. You have a camera, you shoot, you edit, you get your film! Its as simple as that.

But, there are other components, too. Its not just about technical know-how. You have to have a good

story. You have to have a good story-telling technique as well. So, for this story, I watched a lot of

available documentaries and I learnt from there how they tell a story. What is boring and what isnt.

Because I didnt want to make a boring documentary [chuckles] because I knew from the beginning, my

target audience was people my age or younger. People in their 20s, teenagers, young people.

This is their medium. They are the ones who enjoy watching TV and movies. So, I wanted my story to

really relate to them, and the look of it was targeted at them.

Ok, but, history is boring. Even for me, when I was in school before, because it just emphasised on facts,

facts, facts but theres no real story. Its not told as a story.

So, I did more research to construct a story out of all these things, all the research I had done, all these

facts, all these dates, all these names. So, I began to construct a story, and I chose to present this story in a

format that is used by Hollywood.

I think its called dramatic storytelling. Basically, there are three acts. Theres the beginning, middle and

end. Its formulaic. If you look at any Hollywood story, or local fiction, theres always the hero and thevillain. The protagonist and the antagonist. And then, these two want different things, usually opposite of

each other, so theres conflict.

So, the conflict will lead up to a climax. The climax is the ending. The ending can be a happy ending or a

tragedy.

So, I constructed my story that way. So, its clear. The hero is the rakyat in the left, the villain is the British.

And I showed how the rakyat wanted independence. But the British didnt want to grant independence

because they wanted our rubber and tin. And I showed the obstacles that they went through, leading up to

the climax which is the hartal.

And then, the end, what happened after that. So, I told it that way.

And a lot of feedback I received said that the audience could connect with the story.They can follow the story. Its a simple story. Its a one-plot story. Its not complex, itsnot complicated because I meant for it to be that way, so that the story is very clear.

The audience is treated to history but its told as an interesting story. And this was just from watching the

film. I think in film school, they probably teach this. So, ya, I did it that way. So, whether you agree or not

with the story, its still an interesting story to watch, I think.

And then, I was lucky to have friends who helped me. One person can make a film. I have friends who, on

their own, make films. But, Im lucky to have this pool of friends and weve been working together for thepast few years on different arts projects and people from different arts background. So, previously, weve

worked on a visual art piece exhibition in Singapore, then we didBaling Membaling(a theatre

performance), and then early this year, we didDua, Tiga Dalang Berlari (a theatre performance).

So, before this, I helped out in other peoples projects. So, now, it is my project and they came to help. And

earlier on, I had told them the story and they fell in love with the story, and thats why they joined in the

project to help out.


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With the help of my friends, this process and journey was made easier because they also gave a lot of input.

They critically looked at the story and constantly gave feedback constantly. Because I had Imri (Nasution)

who is a filmmaker and he gave a lot of feedback from a technical perspective because he was the camera

person for this project. And I had Gan (Siong King) and (Wong) Tay Sy who have a visual arts background

and gave a lot of feedback on visuals. And then I had Mark (Teh) who has a theatre background, who co-

produced the project, and Taj (Addin) who has a music background, who helped out with the sound. I also

had young social activists, Ebrahim (Harris) and Fiqtriey (Al-Hakimi) to come on board and helped out

with the production. It was good teamwork, helping each other out. So, its easy because I had friends

along [chuckles].

Since were talking about your friends, theres this popular notion that young people today are not

interested in history. But your friends are all within your age group, right? All fairly young, and they

volunteered for free. So, what gives with your group?

Like I said earlier, even I didnt enjoy history in school because it bored me to bits. But, um, I think

everyone has their own interests, their own entry points, why they would join this project.

For me, when I ask myself, why do we need to know our history, I think that for us to move forward, we

need to take a step back and see where we came from. How our present day condition, the way it is Why

is it like this? Was it always like this? Where did we go wrong, if we made a mistake? How do we fix theproblem or how do we learn from it so that we dont repeat the mistake?

So, I think, its these stories which make me interested to look back. Look at our condition today. Thats

what got me interested to go back in time and to read our history because of the situations we face today.

Ya, was it always like this? That question always lingers in my mind. So that made me start researching our

history.

So, when I found this story, it was a different time. I realised it wasnt always like how it is now. There was

a time, in the early days before we gained independence, when [pauses] the people, for me, were more

progressive. It was a time when there were more freedoms, and political awareness was higher, compared

to now. For me, it is quite romantic, this period, very interesting, full ofsemangat(spirit). Where did it all

go? Where did this spirit go? Where did this political awareness go?

Its a loss that weve forgotten all of this, especially for me, the new generation who doesnt know this

story. So, I thought, for me who now knows this story, I shouldnt keep it to myself.

When I first got to know about this story, I kept telling it to my friends because it was like a big discovery

for me. But, how many people could I tell this story to in this way, right? [chuckles] So, film is the best

medium

But do you think that you and your group of friends are an anomaly?

Erm, not really. I think many other people are also interested in history. But, one thing is time, of course.

Many people are just busy.

But most people your age would be busy chasing the rat race. But you guys are giving up quite a bit

to do these projects.

Ya, each individual, I think has different passions. Other people may have the passion to be rich, so that

drives them. I cant speak for others, but I can speak for myself.


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So, if you ask me what my passions are, ahmany things in Malaysia are not perfect, and many things can

be improved and changed, so Im passionate about change. Change for the better from what we have today.

It could be better. That drives me.

Like I said earlier, before we move forward, we have to look back. This (project) is (about) me going back

before I go forward.

Because one thing which keeps getting raised is this. One form of political action is demonstration, right?

We are always told this is not our tradition. This is not our way. This term is always used.

But when I discovered this (story about the hartal), it (demonstration) is [chuckles] part of our history, a

part of our tradition.

In fact, even Umno members who opposed the Malayan Union came out and demonstrated and

protested. There are pictures of them in the National Archives.

True, true. And for us to deny our history and tradition is only to benefit those in power, because they dont

want us to know this tradition, right? So, thats why, it moved me to bring back this tradition through this

story.

Because this is our history, the history of the people struggling. The struggle continues in different forms

for different causes but I think one thing that is important is tradition. So this story Im telling is to re-

establish this forgotten tradition that has not reached the younger generation.

Would you say that your group has a particular passion about their love for Malaysia and what this

country is capable of, and thats why they are willing to put in so much.

Ya, ya. Definitely, if not, they would have migrated to live in another country, as many others have done

[chukles].

Ya, I agree with you. Thats why we stuck around, and do things here. Because theres so much to do. Its

so easy to just give up and run away and go to another place where there is more freedom and democraticrights. But, for us, we dont think that way. We should fight here. This is ourtanah air, we were born here.

If we dont fight, who else will?

And we fight in ways that we know. So, coming from an arts background, most of us are arts workers, and

as arts workers, we, too can play a role in society. It doesnt mean that we just make art to beautify the

environment. We can play a role.

We are exploring this role that we can play, right now. And even for me. Its a process of me discovering

what I can do to contribute.

Youve shown this film at the Freedom Film Festival in Penang and Kuala Lumpur, and will be

taking it to Johor Baru this weekend (Sept 29 and 30). What kind of responses have you received

from audiences so far?

So far, Ive only heard positive feedback.

I got people suggesting that this film should be shown in school as part of the syllabus at the universities

and colleges. The young crowd, mostly, like the story and the music. They like how it is edited very

stylish. Thats mostly their comments.


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But the most comments Ive had has been, Thank you for sharing this. Because many have not heard

about Putera-AMCJA, have not heard about the hartal. Many were so surprised that this is our history. A lot

of people were shocked that they did not know about it. And there were also older viewers who came to tell

me theyd never heard of the hartal [laughs].

So, this film was an eye-opener to a lot of people. It was good. Some were critical of it, too Did this

really happen? I mean, if youve never heard about this, even you would be shocked. How can anyonewho lives in this country not know about this story? How can this story be missing from our history books?

So, good that these questions were raised. That was the other reason I made this film, so that people could

start asking all these questions about history and other things.

And it was good because even historians, such as Cheah Boon Kheng, who watched my film was very

positive and confirmed that yes, this is our history and that it needs to be told.

What did you learn from researching and making this film?

One thing that I learnt was that there are still many things we dont know about our own history. Theres a

lot to be discovered. When I was researching, I came across many other stories that were, for me, so

interesting. Just waiting to be told. So many stories.

So, I think, that was one thing I learnt.

Because if you look at the stories on TV, its not that interesting, right? For people who are lacking in story

ideas, just look at our history, there are so many things there. I still have so many stories from my research

that I could tell. But these are not my stories. These are stories of what happened.

In our rush forward, we rarely look back. And many historical events are not given the prominence they

should. For me, the books are all there, but who reads all these books? And Im talking to the younger

generation. And for someone from that generation, I have to communicate in a language that this

generation can understand and accept. Hence, the visual medium.

So, for now, Ive found my medium of choice. Because Ive been experimenting with different mediums

before this. Because I personally feel that art is just a means to an end, a tool, a vehicle to get a message

across to a particular audience.

Before this, I was exploring with the visual arts. I did theatre, as well. Graphic design and graphic art. And

finally, this. I did a film. This is the process of me experimenting with all these mediums, to find the best

way to get the message across. So for now, so far, based on feedback, film is the best way because one,

once youve made the film, you dont have to be there. The story can move on its own. Theatre, for

example, is limited because you have to perform it to the audience, which is good. Its live, its more

engaging but the limitation is that the performer has to constantly be there. But with film, once youve

made the film, its out there, can be easily duplicated and be spread out.

So, its a powerful medium that I want to use now.

Apart from Lim Kean Chye, was it difficult to track down the four others you interviewed (Yahya

Nassim, a member of Kesatuan Melayu Muda; Zainuddin Andika, a member of PKMM and then

Api; Majid Salleh, a committee member of the PKMMs Simpang Ampat division; and Hashim Said,

a PKMM member who eventually joined Api)?

Most of them I found through one contact. Siti Noor Hamid Tuah. Hamid Tuah was a student activist in the

70s. So, Siti Noor is his daughter. So, I got her contact number from a PRM friend. So, I contacted Siti


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Noor and found out that she kept in touch with all these veterans. She had all these contact numbers and

addresses.

But for some, there was no contact number. Just an address.

So my research entailed just going to find the house. Mad, I know. It was tough! Like for Majid Salleh, I

only had an address. So, I went to the kampung, and I started asking people there if they knew MajidSalleh, and kept looking until I found him. After finding him, I started talking to him.

So, the process was, first, Id just chat with them. I didnt interview right away. Id tell them what I wanted

to do, and they would interrogate me. Next only would we confirm the interview.

If there was a number, I would call ahead to say I wanted to visit. If not, Id just go looking for the address.

And also, I tried consciously to include womens voices in this documentary because women played a big

role in that era. I knew that Shamsiah Fakeh was still alive but she is very sick. I went to visit her but she

cant speak anymore. What we have is her memoir but I couldnt interview her.

And there was another woman, whom I shant name. When I met her, she refused to be interviewed. She

used the excuse that she was too young at that time. She was 17 when she joined Awas and she said she

could no longer remember. But, basically, she didnt want to tell her story. So, one missing element in this

story is the womens voices.

And also, this story is a collective history that we can share, regardless of (race). Because we live in a time

when everything is about race. So, I wanted to produce something that can be shared collectively by

everyone, regardless of what your race is.

So, this is a shared Malaysian history. Regardless of your race, this is our story. So, I wanted to find an

Indian voice as well, but I couldnt find any during my research. It was difficult even though I called many

people. Most of them have died and most of them were arrested and banished back to India. So, if they are

still alive, they are probably back in India right now.

I know youve spoken about how Lim Kean Chye was initially quite resistant to do this interview

until he had interrogated you. Did you have a sense that the others were also resistant, and why do

you think there was this kind of resistance, at being interviewed and having their stories

documented?

First, for one of my interviewees, I think it was quite painful for them to recall what happened. Because,

some of them had put all this behind them. They never engaged in politics after they were released from

prison. So, its a dark period in their life.

This is my tribute to people who fought, they struggled. These are regular people. Its different classes but

mostly from the lower classes -- the children of farmers, fishing folk, small traders. So, they really

sacrificed for independence. So, for them to be arrested and detained, and when we got independence, its

not the independence that they wanted, the Merdeka was not pure, and this was not the independence thatthey fought for. So, they feel disappointed that their struggle that they started has not been completed.

Thats what I felt from them.

When I wanted to ask them questions, too, it was difficult for some of the interviewees. They failed,

basically. They wanted something but they failed. But their failure is not because of their mistake but

because of colonialism at that time, British rule, with the help of wellthats the other thing they were

disappointed about.


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Because for the first time, if you look at the hartal, it was moving towards creating this new bangsa

(nationality). Because at that time, that sense of nationhood did not yet exist.

The thing that I find amazing is that they were able to see the divide-and-rule policy that the British

imposed on them, and they fought against that. The Putera-AMCJA was a manifestation, for the first time

in our nations history, of the different races getting together and uniting. And the hartal was truly bigger.

If you look at the Peoples Constitution, they wanted to give birth to a new bangsa. They were conscious

about breaking the Malay-Chinese-Indian racial categorisations. They wanted a new nationality, regardless

of race.

One other thing I learnt from my interviews was that at independence, what was born was a nation, not a

bangsa. Thats why we have this problem today of having three main races, when actually we should only

have one,Bangsa Malaysia.

And their mentality was different. If you talk to Lim Kean Chye, race was not in their consciousness, which

is very strong today. I think the unity that they talked about was not about race. It was more about class. It

was about uniting all the people to go against the British to fight for independence. So, we could have been

something different than what we have today.

We could have been. We still can.

Ya, we still can. Thats why this story is very inspiring, for me, and I hope for other people as well.

What plans lie ahead for you and for your film?

Well, for sure, now that the film is made, I want people to watch it [chuckles]. So, we have plans to have

more screenings. I am planning, after (Hari) Raya (Aidilfitri), beginning from Oct 20, in conjunction with

the 60th anniversary of the Malaya-wide hartal, I want to bring this film on a nationwide road tour with

screening and discussion.

So, I want to have a screening and discussion in every state, in schools, colleges, universities, anywhere.Public halls, civic halls, any place that can screen the show.

Id like to ask lecturers, students or any non-governmental organisation or community group who can, to

help me organise these screenings. I can come, anytime, anywhere. Just need to contact me at my e-mail (at

[email protected]). Thats the plan now.

What about funding for such an effort?

Yes, Im sourcing for funding and if anybody would like to contribute, that would be welcome.

Because we really dont have money. When we did this film, we did it on a limited budget of RM5,000

from Komas. And we used up all the money, basically on equipment and expenses. None of my crew got

paid. And everything goes to petrol, and transport and accommodation, research. So, to bring this on tour, I

need peoples help to organise. Because we did this project out of our own pocket, all of us.

What do you think the total cost was in the end?

For the film, alone? RM5,000.


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If we had to pay the crew, I dont know how much it would have come up to. Because I myself dont know

what the rate is out there.

But I know that RM5,000 is definitely not enough! [laughs]

But you had some support from individuals, right?

Oh, ya. So, the money from these contributors will go towards the tour. Because that was the original plan,

that once the film was made, it would be a shame if it wasnt screened as much as possible.

Do you have any plans for making another film?

Oh, ya. Im planning a sequel to this documentary. So this story will focus on the period between 1945 and

1948. So, the next film will focus on the 1948 Emergency up to 1957 when we gained independence.

If you want to know what the story is about, wait and see.

When are you planning for a release?

Im targeting middle of next year.

The research is done. Ive got the story. Its just a matter of finding people.

Will it be a documentary as well?

Yes, a documentary. This same format.

Have you started filming already?

Not yet. But Im sharing all my research online on my blog (10tahun.blogspot.com). So, if people need

more information, they can just go to my blog.

Documents

HARTAL - THE UNTOLD STORY --- FAHMI REZA Interview with The SUN