The end of World War 2 in the Pacific theatre came with the detonation of two atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with the Allied Forces threatening to detonate the third atomic bomb in a matter of days or weeks. Coming close behind the threat was the invading Russian Red Army. The Japanese surrender led to a somewhat anti-climatic end to the war for many living under Japanese Occupation in the Pacific and Southeast Asia.
Amongst those affected was the Kingdom of Sarawak. A British Protectorate since 1888, the Brooke family ruled the state since the tiny Kingdom’s founder, James Brooke, came ashore in 1839 (Pybus, Cassandra (1996). White Rajah: A Dynastic Intrigue. Univ. of Queensland Press). He helped to put down a rebellion against the Brunei Sultanate, earning him the Sultan’s favour to rule the state. Vyner Brooke, the third White Rajah of Sarawak, was visiting Sydney, Australia, when World War 2 broke out. Cut off financially from the Kingdom, he had to rely on the British Crown.
When the war ended in 1945, Vyner Brooke was already an old man, at 72. Without an heir, he was reluctant to appoint his brother, Bertram Brooke, or his nephew (and Bertram’s son), Anthony Brooke. Bertram was only two years younger than him. Anthony, though younger and probably capable, was just 33. But Vyner disliked the young man for marrying a commoner. He decided to surrender the Kingdom of Sarawak to the British Crown.
The Rakyat
Seeing the Western power and the West-dominated government losing the war to the Japanese galvanised the rakyat that their future was in their own hands. Hence, they wanted to be an independent nation.
Despite the locals wanting to be independent, or at least continue to be an independent nation, Vyner Brooke went ahead to cede the nation to the Crown Colony on 1 July 1946.
Enter Rosli Dhoby. Born in 1932 to a Malay from Palembang and a Melanau mother in Sibu, he became a teacher (while no online records indicated which school he had taught at, he was said to have taught at his alma mater, Methodist English School, which has since been renamed as SMK Methodist). However, with the surrender of Sarawak to the British Crown, he resigned from his job and became a volunteer teacher at a people’s school.
He joined the Pergerakan Pemuda Melayu Sibu (PPMS) or Sibu Malay Youth Movement. His leadership shone, and he was recruited to join an underground movement known as Rukun 13. As they had failed to prevent Sarawak from being part of the British Crown Colony, they decided that only by killing the British would they achieve independence.
The Opportunity
Sir Duncan George Stewart was officially appointed the second British Governor of Sarawak in October 1949. He scheduled a visit to Sibu on 3 December of the same year. The Rukun 13 took the opportunity to proceed with their plan to assassinate the governor.
Rosli Dhoby and Morshidi Sidek waited for the governor’s arrival on the fateful day. As the governor approached the two men, Morshidi Sidek whipped out a camera, requesting a photo. Sir Duncan Stewart obliged. There and then, Rosli Dhoby stabbed him in the stomach using a badik, a small curved dagger. Mortally wounded, his blood turned his white tunic red. He was quickly sent to Singapore for medical treatment, dying a week later on 10 December 1949.
Sentencing and Execution
The British were swift in arresting Rosli Dobhy and the Rukun 13. The Court found him guilty and sentenced him to death with Morshidi Sidek, Awang Rambli Awang Matsaruddin, and Bujang Suntong.
On 2 March 1950, the four patriots were hanged to death in Kuching Prison. It was in this prison ground that they lay interred until 1996.
A True Love
Often, when we talk about historical figures, especially those who willingly sacrificed themselves for the cause they believe in, we gloss over those that they left behind. In the case of Rosli Dhoby, even though he never married, his sweetheart, Ani Ali, endured time. Hajah Ani Ali, as those around her knew her, stayed loyal until her passing in 2018.
Controversy
The Execution of Rosli Dhoby
At the time of his execution, Rosli Dhoby was just 17, below the age of majority. According to some people who claimed to be close with the family, the British requested Rosli Dhoby’s birth certificate on the pretext that he was underage. After the family gave the birth certificate to the British, they declared that he was 19 and thus eligible to be executed. There may be truth to this, as Dr Jeniri Amir, a Sarawakian historian, discovered a Reuters report on Rosli Dhoby's hanging claim that he was 19.
Rosli Dhoby was Pro-Indonesia
Many British records indicated that Rosli Dhoby took up arms because they were inspired to be part of Indonesia. The men of Rukun 13 were inspired by what they saw in Indonesia. Rosli Dhoby’s father was also an Indonesian Malay from Palembang.
However, being inspired does not equate to wanting to.
Indonesia then had just emerged victorious from Dutch colonialism, finally obtaining the Dutch concession for an independent Indonesia at the end of a United Nations-sponsored negotiation on 3 November 1949. Therefore, it is unlikely that the Indonesian would risk such an attempt to destabilise a neighbouring region which was under an international superpower so soon. In fact, Free Malaysia Today had once covered a rebuttal by a Rosli Dhoby family member on the claims that he fought for Indonesia. Unfortunately, they are no longer hosting the article.
Rosli Dhoby Fought For Darul Hana
Darul Hana, or Kesultanan Sarawak, was an old sultanate that existed between 1599 and 1641. The name of the sultanate is obscured in history and is often referred to as Kesultanan Sarawak. The name Darul Hana only came about in the modern era when the Darul Hana Bridge came about.
More Likely Explanation
A more likely explanation for Rosli Dhoby and the Rukun 13 motivation was that they wanted an independent Sarawak. In his last testament before execution, he specifically requested to have his body covered with the “panji-panji Kebangsaan Sarawak”, hinting at the nationalistic endeavour rather than anything else.
Legacy
Today, SMK Rosli Dhoby carries the name of the brave teacher, carrying his legacy. Located along Jalan Deshon, perhaps it is most apt that a school carries the his legacy to the future.
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