TENTERA NEGARA KALIMANTAN UTARA/BRUNEI UPRISING
“Bruneians are not eggs to be transferred from one basket to another” – Azahari/PRB
Background: Unification of British Borneo territories as a Borneo federation under one colonial administration was first mooted in 1930 by Sir Cecil Clementi, Straits Settlements Governor and British High Comissioner for Brunei. During WWII, British post war plan was to consolidate all of its territories in South East Asia. An overture –Malaya Union plan - was made to Vyner Brooke who rejected it as Brooke insisted that Sarawak is an independent and sovereign country, and a devolution of power from the Rajah to the people of Sarawak had already been enacted with the Sarawak Constitution and Nine Cardinal Principles in 1941 on its centenary. On 1 July 1946, Britain made Sarawak a Crown colony which was followed with a protracted 5-year anti-cession movement led by the Malay.
On 23 April 1953, the federation of Borneo Territories – Brunei, Sarawak and North Borneo – was brought up again by Sir Anthony Abell and the British High Commissioner to Brunei, meeting chaired by Malcolm McDonald. The Sultan of Brunei was cool to the idea and on 12 May 1953 who decreed his intent to grant to his subjects, for the first time a written Constitution to make laws and to perpetuate monarchy rule.
Parti Rakyat Brunei (PRB) was set up in 1956 aimed at bringing Brunei into full independence from Britain. In 1961, when the Malaysia Plan (MP) was proposed by Tunku Abdul Rahman, PRB rejected it outright as Azahari had said, it would be an insult to Brunei if it were to enter its history that Brunei were to gain independence through Malaya.
In August 1962, Brunei held its democratic elections and PRB would win all 54 of 55 council seats. But PRB would not be permitted to form the legitimate Brunei government, as PRB was opposed to MP. (this is like the position where the Myanmar military would not allow Aung San Su Kyii’s party to form the govt). In September 1962 PRB, Sarawak SUPP and Sabah Pasok Momogun would submit a memorandum to United Nations to seek the intervention of UN on the self-determination issue under UN Decolonization Declaration 1960 and to request for oral representation before UN. Purportedly Azahari had gotten the support of Indonesia, Philippines, Russia, China and Pakistan for his North Kalimantan federation proposal. On 14 September, UN Sub-committee on Petitions adopted the Memorandum with a recommendation to the Committee of 24 to grant a hearing to the petitioners to send their representatives. But the journey of PRB-SUPP-PMP comprising Azahari/Zaini/Yassin Affandy, Ong Kee Hui/Stephen Yong and O K Sundang to UN was aborted by the Uprising of 8 December 1962.
On 24 November 1962, PRB would put a motion: That the Council of State having its session today decided to demand the British Government to cancel the Malaysia concept which is scheduled to materialize in August 1963, since the action of the British government forms a denial of the human right of self-determination.
As Azahari was frustrated in his attempts to form the legitimate government of Brunei, Tentera Nasional Kalimantan Utara, an underground movement which is primarily anti-British and pro-independence/pro Borneo federation would start sending some of its members to Indonesia Kalimantan for training. It must be emphasised here that Sukarno never had the intent to invade British Borneo – same as Malaysia trained the Moro fighters, one couldn’t say Malaysia was going to invade Philippines – Sukarno was a fiery firebrand much disliked as Hugo Chavez figure, and US /Britain would very soon fix Sukarno by toppling him and putting Suharto in place who would go on to kill millions of its people. Sukarno's prophetic statement that Msia is neo-colonization could be said to be proven.
On 8 December 1962, the Brunei Uprising happened, starting in Seria and in Sarawak, Sipitang in Sabah and Limbang, Bekenu in Sarawak. The TNKU, largely led by the Kedayan but also comprising Malay, Iban, Bisaya, Lun Bawang and Chinese, would take down the Union Jack flags and hoist the TNKU flags, and held the towns for six days. The towns were safe and there was no damage to civilians or property.
The British would send their commandos to storm Limbang and Bekenu and after fierce fighting for half day or more – British gunpowder was of course mightier – TNKU would be defeated. Those captured would face trial, British judges, (Yakub was one of the prosecutors) and dealt prison terms ranging from months to 15 years … for rebelling against the Queen of England.
It is important to put history right in correct perspective. Firstly it is incorrect to call it Brunei Rebellion/Pemberontakan because the Brunei TNKU was not rebelling against the Sultan of Brunei; the TNKU was an independence/liberation struggle from the British and a fight for self-determination, and the desire to form North Kalimantan with the Sultan as monarchy head. The TNKU are not rebels to be called ‘penkhianat/traitor’ but are pejuang/independence/freedom fighters. To quote the Kedayan fighters: we want merdeka sendiri. we berjuang tapi kalah. what can we do?
PRB, to be outlawed after the uprising, considered that their actions were trying to prevent ‘the selling of their state and people to anybody else’. As Azahari had said, “Bruneians are not eggs to be transferred from one basket to another”.
I hope some Sarawakians will open their eyes after reading this. Lina. 29/12/2013.
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Lina Soo is a candidate for State Reform Party (STAR) for P196 Stampin, Sarawak in GE-13 and the author of popular book "Sarawak the Real Deal"
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