Lee Kuan Yew, Razak, worked hardest to form M'sia, says filmmaker

"Road to Nationhood: Formation of Malaysia" documentary film director Ahmad Yazid Ahmad Puad wants Malaysians to always remember all the individuals instrumental in the founding of Malaysia in 1963.

"After 1957, our economy boomed and we prospered under Tunku Abdul Rahman's leadership. However, we were not politically stable and there certainly were challenges Tunku had to face within his own party (Umno) and in Singapore.

"Getting our independence from the British was Tunku's show, yes, but after that, it was Lee Kuan Yew and Tun Abdul Razak who worked the hardest to combine Singapore and Malaya to become one, to make who we are today," Ahmad said after the documentary's premiere yesterday.

The historical documentary takes off after Malaysia gained independence from the British on 31 Aug 1957 and outlines the untold political and economic struggles Malaysia had to face prior to 1963 when the federation was created.

After 1957, Singapore had requested to join with Malaysia to ensure an easier road for their independence from the British. Later, Tunku also considered roping in Brunei (which later differed), Sarawak and North Borneo (Sabah) to join the confederation, which took some convincing on his part.

In 1965, Tunku advised the Malaysian Parliament to vote to expel Singapore from Malaysia. On Aug 9 that year, the move materialised and the latter was no longer a part of Malaysia.

Lee Kuan Yew's tearful speech, in which he shared the announcement from his Malaysia counterparts, was included in the film:

"For me it is a moment of anguish because all my life….you see the whole of my adult life…. I have believed in the merger and the unity of these two territories. You know, it's a people connected by geography, economics, and ties of kinship..."

'Greatest untold love story'

Speaking to Malaysiakini afterwards, Yazid called the documentary "the greatest untold love story of our country".

"Don't forget those who fought for us. The concept of 'merdeka' (independence) should be more sentimental on Malaysia Day because of the struggles our leaders had to go through to see the plan through.

"We faced internal battles and getting all the leaders involves (from Sarawak, Sabah, Brunei and Singapore) on board proved to be difficult. Getting Malaysia formed was a long struggle, and I hope our film is able to remind Malaysians that just saying 'merdeka' isn't enough," he explained.

The story unfolds with accounts of Tunku Abdul Rahman, Lee Kuan Yew, Abdul Razak, and Tan Siew Sin, as told by their friends and family, and how they faced the issues involved with forming Malaysia on 16 Sep 1963.

The 100-minute-documentary features a vast repertoire of foreign and local archives, interviews, and research, which Ahmad said took them from peninsular Malaysia to Borneo and London over a span of two months in 2015.

The film also highlights how Indonesia and Philippines strongly objected to the pact, and how a postponement was made to allow a United Nations team to conduct a fact-finding mission regarding Sabah and Sarawak's participation.

Present at the screening at Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) Nu Sentral were some 30 media representatives and VIPs including Nazir Abdul Razak, who is CIMB Group chairperson and son of Abdul Razak, Tan Siok Choo, granddaughter of Tan Cheng Lock, and Astro chairperson Zaki Ami. Siok Choo was featured in the documentary.

The film is a sequel to "Road to Nationhood: Journey to Independence", which debuted last year and was produced by Rack Focus Films, which Ahmad also heads.

Ahmad claimed he has been involved with filmmaking since he was nine-years-old, and has a number of films under his belt, having worked with companies like Unicef Malaysia and Mediacorp Singapore, to name a few.

"I first set my mind on creating a documentary series (about this theme) when I first sighted a book called Road to Nationhood in 2012. It took some time, but we managed to start filming in 2015 and released the first film the following year," he explained.

The documentary will be aired to the public on the History Channel at 10 pm on Malaysia Day, 16 September, and on MayaHD and Prima channels the following day. - Mkini