The police tried everything – arrests, intimidation, and the media. They failed to dampen the Jerit cycling team’s spirit. Each day was a struggle, but on the final day, it was Jerit that recorded a resounding victory. Defying the odds, their cyclists reached Parliament to achieve a remarkable victory, recalls Aruthchelvan.
In the Jerit “Cycle for Change” campaign, Rani Rasiah describes how a group of young Malaysians stunningly overcame the odds to highlight the concerns of the working class and marginalised groups. Among the cyclists’ demands were calls for the abolition of oppressive laws and for better protection of workers including a minimum wage.
Mandi safar to us non-Malays meant a licence from our parents to play in the river because we were taken care of by the Malay families with whom we had tagged along. It was unadulterated fun; we had no idea of the religious reasons attached to it, recalls Choo Sing Chye.
Workers were made destitute and the dignity of labour trampled upon by ISA detentions and oppressive labour laws, recalls Sai N S Wigneswaran.
The rise and demise of the Labour Party of Malaya was an important experience of socialist politics in Malaysia. Mistakes were made and many leaders and members paid a heavy price for them. Even so, their courage, commitment and sacrifices before and after independence cannot be denied a proper historical appreciation, observes Tan Kim Hong in tracing a brief history of the party.
The late Dr M K Rajakumar’s life was driven by service to others without regard to what he might gain in return, observes Dr Agoes Salim.
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I still remember the late Dr M K Rajakumar’s message the day before I was smuggled out of the country: “Hamid, have faith in the struggle, keep safe..,” recalls Syed Hamid Ali.
The late Dr M K Rajakumar was a great man in a tumultuous era in Malaysian history. Unfortunately, he lived in an era that was not ready for a man like him; otherwise, he would have moved the world, observes Tan Kai Hee.
His mission was to serve the people – be it as a politician, a physician, a person. This selfless dedication stemmed from the socialist ideals he had imbibed from young: witnessing an Asia swept up in the anti-colonialist storm, going beyond being a witness in bringing about the dawn of the independence era in Malaysia.
The late Dr M K Rajakumar was an outstanding human being who left his mark on the history of our people’s struggle for a society worthy of all human beings, says Dr Lim Hock Siew.