Ishak Haji Muhammad

Ishak Haji Muhammad(14 November 1909 – 7 November 1991), better known asPak Sako,was aMalaysianwriter, active in the 1930s until the 1950s. He was anationalistand his involvement began before independence and continued thereafter. He fought for the idea of the unification ofMelayu RayawhereIndonesia,MalaysiaandBruneiare united in one collective.

The monikerPak Sakowas from the title 'Isako-san' given to him by the Japanese, which was the phonetic pronunciation of his name in the Japanese tongue. Ishak's other pseudonyms includeAnwar,Hantu Raya(The Great Ghost),Isako SanandPandir Moden(The Modern-day Pandir)

Early life

Ishak was born in 1909 in Kampung Bukit Seguntang,Temerloh,Pahangand received his early education at the Kg. Tengah Malay School,Temerlohin 1919 and continued his education at the Clifford High School,Kuala Lipisfrom 1924 to 1928. He received his certificate of education from theRaubEnglish School in 1929. In 1930, he went to theMalay College Kuala Kangsar(MCKK) to train as an officer in the Malayan Civil Service. He held posts as Assistant Deputy District Officer, a Class IIIMagistrateand a language teacher before entering the literary scene. He attended theMalayan Communist Partyin 1941 before theJapanese OccupationofMalayaand became a central committee member of MCP along withRashid Maidin,Ahmad BoestamamandAbdullah CDinPerak.(No reference)

Writings and politics

Ishak grew bored with his job as a British administrator and found the life of a British civil servant full of deception, favouritism and no interest in preserving the interests of the Malays who were said to have been given protection by the British. In 1934, he resigned from the Malayan Civil Service and travelled the peninsula Malaya. He later concentrated on nationalist literature and politics. He was imprisoned twice (1948–1953; 1965–1966).

Malay envoy

Ishak was the first with the idea to publish theUtusan Melayu(The Malay Post) newspaper and subsequently became the founder of the publication. He leftWarta Malaya(Malayan Times) and travelled toPahang,KelantanandTerengganuto campaign for the establishment of theUtusan MelayuPress. He worked at the paper underAbdul Rahim Kajaias editor. During theJapanese occupation of Malaya,he became the editor ofBerita Malai(Malayan News).

He continued to live inHulu Langateven though he worked inKuala Lumpur.He would take the public transport to office. For a while, he did have a Fiat when he was working inRembau,but he did not drive and had to hire a driver.[1]

Literature

Ishak produced many novels, short stories, essays and memoirs as well as writing articles for the Utusan Melayu Group's newspapers. The National Library of Malaysia has, in their collection, more than 1,000 copies of his literary work.

His two most well-known works arePutera Gunung Tahan(The Prince of Mount Tahan) andAnak Mat Lela Gila(The Son of Crazy Mat Lela), which reflected his views and aspirations as a patriot and writer. They weresatirenovels aimed at the British and also were a critique of the British. Ishak placed importance on Malay culture in his writings and glorified Malay culture by comparing it to English culture which is said to lack quality and is too aggressive. He was also active in short story-writing.

Below is a sample of his other works:

1. Budak beca(Trishaw Boy). Marang: Mohamad bin A. Rahman, 1957
2. Judi karan(The Electric Bet).Singapore:Geliga, 1958
3. Pengantin baru(The Newlyweds).Singapore:Geliga

In his later years, he was more known as a columnist inUtusan MalaysiaandGila-Gila(a local satire magazine).

Awards

As tribute for his contributions, theUniversity of Malayaawarded him an Honorary Doctorate of Literature on 29 June 1973. On 29 May 1976, Ishaak received thePejuang Sastera(Literary Exponent) Award from the Prime Minister.

Death

He died on 7 November 1991 at 5.40 am at his home in Kampung Bukit Raya, inHulu Langat,Selangor.He was buried in his childhood village inTemerloh,after the Friday prayers, next to the graves of his parents, in accordance with his wishes.He had been admitted to the Tawakal Hospital on 18 October after suffering from a stroke, and had just left the hospital for two weeks before he died. Earlier in the year, he had suffered another stroke and was admitted to the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital on 22 July. That attack left his right side paralysed.

As tribute,UMNOdonated RM16,874.15 to his family at the close of its General Assembly that year. RM10,000 came from theUMNOheadquarters while the remainder was contributed by its delegates during the assembly. It was presented by the Prime MinisterMahathir Mohamadto the Chief Minister ofPahang,Khalil Yaacobto be given to his family.

Legacy

Several places and honours were named after him, including:

• Jalan Pak Sako,Temerloh,Pahang
• Kolej Pak Sako,Universiti Industri Selangor(UNISEL),Bestari Jaya,Selangor
• Akademi Pak Sako, Jalan Telawi,Bangsar,Kuala Lumpur

References

• Harry Aveling, trans., Ishak Haji Muhammad: The Prince of Mount Tahan, Singapore: Heinemann Educational Books, (Asia), 1980.
• Harry Aveling, trans., Ishak Haji Muhammad: The Son of Mat Mat Lela, Singapore: Federal Books, 1983.
• Ishak Haji Muhammad, "Ilham Mencipta Putera Gunung Tahan", Dewan Sastera, 23 April 1976.

External links

• Malaysian Armed Forces Library