Mat Indera not a CPM member, says brother

The sibling of Mat Indera, the independence fighter labelled a traitor by the British government, today confirmed that his elder brother was neither a communist nor a member of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM).

"He was never a CPM member. He was not a communist," stressed Baharum Shah Indera, 65.

Speaking at a press conference in the PAS headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today, Baharum, who is an army retiree, said Mat Indera was active with nationalist organisations such as Angkatan Pemuda Insaf (API) and Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (PKMM).

These, he said, are facts quoted in historical writings on Malay leftist movements and the ‘Pengukir Nama Johor' book, published by the state government, commemorating local heroes. Mat Indera is prominently featured in it.

Committed to Islamic teachings

According to Baharum, his brother only later joined the underground movement headed by the CPM in the jungle, after almost all pro-independence organisations, except for Umno, were outlawed by the British colonial authorities.

This was because there were no other outlets for the fight for independence other than the communist-led guerilla movement and the British-sanctioned Umno.

However, he reiterated that his family was certain that Mat Indera (right) never turned communist despite his time with them in the jungle, because of his well-known commitment to Islamic teachings.

"How could he throw away his religious convictions just like that?" quizzed Baharum.

Indeed, it could be the other way around, Baharum explained, relating that his brother actually taught religion to those in the jungle with the communists.

Asked for proof of this, he said that he was in the process of compiling testimonies from those whom his brother had taught.

As related by another sibling to the media yesterday, Mat Indera was a religious teacher who studied at a religious school under the father of Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, and later taught at state religious schools.

Baharum urged the government to vindicate his brother as the real independence fighter that he was and free the people from the history written by our once-masters.

Relating how his family suffered jeers and insults because of the label 'traitor' slapped on Mat Indera by the British, he said it was time that the yoke of the occupation be truly removed and his brother's name restored.