#MalaysiaKita | When Malaya gained independence from the British on 31 August 1957 was it built on the right premise?

Being an Anak Malaysia means that I can learn from the multi-racial reflections of my seniors and juniors on their work-life experiences. So, It is indeed heartwarming to read the feedback from one the regular readers, CPA Suppiah Subramaniam, on my story titled “Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka! The day was 31st August, 1957 - Through the Eyes of a Seven Year old Boy” published by newswav.com dated Saturday, 29th August 2026. Permit me to quote him “Nice story on how everyone felt when our first Prime Minister declared our independence. You were 7 years old. I was 15 years old then. I had the opportunity to participate in a mass drill on 30th August, 1957 to commemorate the opening of our MERDEKA STADIUM. We did it with great pride.”

I remember reading the official portal, UMNO had glowing things to say about its founder and first president, Dato' Onn Ja'afar: “He was a man of ahead of his time …… as a nationalist and a fighter of peace, he stood steadfast in his stand on politics. At the height of its political career in UMNO, his clarity and understanding of matters of his homeland had no equal. Despite the fact that he never set foot in a university, he was an unyielding nationalist, with high incredible intellectual ability. He was also a great orator and a writer renowned for his unusual gift for writing in his mother tongue - Bahasa Melayu. During his five most intensive years of politicking among the Malays, Dato' Onn emerged as a leader whose name will forever be etched in our history.” (umno-online.my. Darah Satria issue of 18.10.2011. darah-satria.blogspot.com)

According to Professor Dr. Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, Dato' Onn was also responsible for two key provisions of the 1948 Federal Constitution:

“When the Federal Constitution was promulgated in 1948, some of Dato' Onn's ideas became part of the constitution, two of which have the most important and far-reaching significance. One is the definition of ‘Melayu’ which he actually derived from his own profound knowledge of Malay history and culture. The other was that Islam be recognized as the official religion of the State… He was a stateman, a man of sagacity and intellectual brilliance, which is a rarity among us Malay.” (Mohamed Abid, Reflection of Pre-Independence Malaya, Pelanduk Publication, Page 139)

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