`


THERE IS NO GOD EXCEPT ALLAH
read:
MALAYSIA Tanah Tumpah Darahku

LOVE MALAYSIA!!!


 


Tuesday, September 13, 2011

The man behind ‘Bukit Kepong’

Jins Shamsuddin talks about his understanding of Bukit Kepong, Mat Indera's true colours and Umno's role in liberating the nation.

FEATURE

Exactly three decades ago an historical film on a violent clash between communists and police opened in Malaysian cinemas and went on to win eight awards at the Third Malaysian Film Festival.

Little did its filmmaker know that the film’s theme would one day be the flint that would spark a fiery debate over the true account of the nation’s independence.

The film was “Bukit Kepong”. Its producer, director and lead actor was Mohamed Zain Shamsuddin or better known as Jins Shamsuddin.

Jins played Sergeant Jamil Mohd Shah, one of the 25 who were killed on Feb 23 1950, when 180 communists attacked a police station in Bukit Kepong, near the Muar River, Johor, just before dawn.

The film is a staple for local TV stations during the run-up to Merdeka each year and is also the now prominent filmmaker’s best calling card.

But more than that is the film struck a deep chord in him given his intimacy with the story and its characters while making the film.

In his humble opinion, PAS deputy president, Mohamad Sabu, has committed a grave mistake in recognising Muhammad (Mat) Indera as a freedom fighter instead of the communist leader that he is.

“Mat Indera was most definitely a communist,” Jins, 76, emphasises. “He voluntarily embraced the communist ideology and led the attack on Bukit Kepong.”

“It was he who sounded the trumpet to signal his platoons to either attack or retreat. The police and civilians who died in the attack were the real heroes, not him. He was not a freedom fighter.”

‘ Mat Indera didn’t kill anyone’

Jins pauses for a moment, then appears to mellow a little. When he speaks again his tone is distinctly gentler.

“But Mat Indera didn’t kill anyone,” he clarifies. “In fact, he secretly urged the policemen’s families to escape while they could. But when the British caught him they accused him of murder and sentenced him to death.”

“The communists used him as a bait to recruit Malays into the Malayan Communist Party (MCP). Mat Indera was a religious man so they asked him to teach the Quran and gradually persuade his students to join the party.”

At this juncture, Jins’ eldest son, Putera Hang Jebat, who has been quietly listening at the sidelines, interrupts to ask whether his father is on the side of Mat Indera or the police.

“Oh, the police of course!” Jins replies instantly. “What I’m saying is that even though Mat Indera was a communist he also lent support to the Malays and the police because he didn’t kill anyone. He never used any weapons, just the trumpet.”

But this doesn’t satisfy Jebat who argues that Mat Indera was equally responsible for the deaths that day as he possessed full control over the attack strategy.

“He had a choice whether to blow that trumpet,” Jebat points out. “And he clearly knew that the purpose of the attack was to kill off the other side.”

“He also knew that women and children were in the police barracks and if he truly didn’t want to kill anyone, he would have made sure that they got out beforehand.”

Film told from police’s perspective

Jins nods vigorously at his son’s analysis, then admits that he downplayed Mat Indera’s “cruelty” in the film after a visit from the ex-communist’s family.

When the family got wind of the film, they travelled from Muar to Kuala Lumpur to find out how he planned to portray Mat Indera.

“I told them that the film wouldn’t cast him as a very bad person but instead one who taught Islam and who didn’t shoot Malays,” Jins recalls. “We also had to be careful in case the family sued us for defamation. Luckily the police agreed to my suggestion to tone down Mat Indera’s character.”

Approval from the police was crucial as the then Inspector-General of Police, Hanif Omar, had personally dropped this project in Jins’ lap.

According to Jins, the police supplied all the research material on which the film was based and the final script had to secure a nod from Hanif before filming could begin.

Jins readily acknowleges that “Bukit Kepong” is told from the police’s perspective but insists that the film is based purely on historical facts and contains no figment of imagination.

“I lived in Muar for a year to interview ex-communists and villagers who lived through the Emergency,” he stresses. “Every part of this film is based on facts and this is why it received eight awards.”

However, he also says that he adhered strictly to Hanif’s recommendations and directives. Asked if any of his own research contradicted that given by the police, Jins shook his head.

“Everything matched,” he confirms. “I had to show the police the final script and it was returned to me untouched because I used their ideas and directives as a guide. We have to accept those directives because Hanif was the IGP and he also helped raise funds for the film.”

‘Mat Sabu should surrender’

Unfortunately, it is his close ties to the police as well as his Umno membership and previous senatorship that have called the film’s authenticity into question in the light of the controversy over the tragedy.

Mat Sabu recently claimed that Jins’ Umno membership meant that “Bukit Kepong” is a reflection of Umno’s perspective and not the facts. Jins is chastened.

“It is not true,” Jins states. “Mat Sabu is against Umno so he is looking for ways to turn others against it as well.”

“He should step down and surrender because he is a Malay who belongs to an Islamic party and who shouldn’t be pitting one Islamic party against another. Mat Sabu should not go against Umno.”

Jins shoots down Mat Sabu’s statement made during his catalytic ceramah in Tasek Gelugor, Penang, that Mat Indera was a freedom fighter because he fought against the British rule.

He also rejects the communists’ claim that they were freedom fighters and that the Malays who were working for the British were caught in the crossfire.

“It was Umno led by (first premier) Tunku Abdul Rahman who fought for Malaya’s independence,” he declares. “The communists were not freedom fighters. I am completely against them because they were locals who killed their own people.”

But there were many others who were neither communists nor Umno members who also fought for the nation. Among them are founder of Parti Rakyat Malaysia, Ahmad Boesteman, and founder of Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya, Dr Buharnuddin al-Helmy.

None of those names, however, are celebrated during Merdeka and Jins has a straightforward explanation for this.

“None of them supported Umno at that point in time,” he says. “I made this film in support of the government and as a tribute to Umno’s fight for our nation’s independence.”

“But Merdeka is not just about freedom. It is about the responsibility of our leaders to take us forward and further.”

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.