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"If the men don't dare to face a challenge, take my scarf and give me a songkok."
- Khadijah Sidek
Hey Fonzies! Did you know that it’s 🌟Women’s History Month🌟? While March may be ending, it’s never too late to learn more about notable women of the past. Many of us are familiar with the term “feminist” and (hopefully) consider ourselves as one. But if you were to name one famous feminist, perhaps a Malaysian, would you be able to? If you don’t, it’s alright. We’ve all either fallen asleep in History class or didn’t learn about Malaysian history at all. In this article, we’ll follow the journey of Khadijah Sidek—a nationalist, politician and vocal campaigner for women’s rights. Through a timeline and a sprinkle of memes, let's explore her fiery passion for the fight towards Malaysia’s independence and the role of women in it.
1918.
Khadijah Sidek
(Credit: soscili)
Khadijah was born in West Sumatra to a family of matrilineal Minangkabau heritage, which implied that only female children could inherit and pass on the family’s name and properties. Hence, her parents always expected her to become something more than just a homemaker. With this upbringing, she never viewed herself as being lesser than a male, but instead saw women as equal to men especially in political activism during the colonial period.
1933.
Khadijah Sidek
(Credit: manismadu)
During her schooling days in Sumatra, she obtained her anti-colonial consciousness and was even expelled from school for engaging in political activities. Her mother wanted her to get married, but Khadijah resisted and fought to continue her studies in teacher training. In her own words, she wanted to “see the world, to be a leader of women and to better the lot of women”.
1945.
In September of this year, World War II came to an end with the surrender of the Japanese. Following that, Khadijah became one of the founding members and the first president of the Puteri Kesateria (Warrior Princess), an anti-Dutch revolutionary army that promoted women's rights and empowered women through various activities and established schools for girls. Khadijah and her sister founded a military school which mobilised and trained young girls under the paramilitary women’s section of the organisation.
When Indonesia’s first defence minister inspected Puteri Kesateria, he expressed his appreciation for the trained paramilitary volunteers but emphasized that there was no need for women to fight on the frontline since there were enough male soldiers at the time. However, Khadijah replied in a speech, saying that preparing women for combat was just as important as training men since the war of independence might get worse. They had to be ready to resist the Dutch and sacrifice themselves if necessary. According to Khadijah in her memoir, the defence minister did not like women being “too independent”, which may be the reason for his comment.
1947.
Welcome to Malaya! During Khadijah’s first visit, she was left with the impression that the women here were much more oppressed, weak and lacked political awareness as compared to Sumatra. Therefore, she came to Malaya for a second time in 1947 to establish a training school for the Puteri Kesateria in Singapore. Since the uniforms worn by the trainees were in the same military style as worn by the men, she faced criticism from the male village leaders and nationalists who saw it as going against Islamic norms. However, her courage shone through as Khadijah challenged and eventually persuaded them to agree with her point of view.
A few months later, the Dutch launched a military campaign called “Police Actions” to take control of Sumatra and parts of Java by attacking nationalist fighters and supporters. Since Khadijah was currently in Singapore, she could not return home and became a political refugee. Nevertheless, this did not deter her from progressing towards her cause. During her time in Singapore, Khadijah founded HIMWIM (Himpunan Wanita Indonesia-Malaya), an organisation which aimed to strengthen anti-colonial sentiments among its members while sneakily posing as a social welfare group for women.
1948.
Khadijah Sidek's Arrest
(Credit: Khadijah Sidek)
Khadijah was arrested by the British colonial authorities during the Emergency period and was imprisoned without trial for two years under the charges of trying to overthrow the British government. During that time, she was 3 months pregnant and had to give birth to her first child and nurse him in prison. After she was released, she was exiled from Singapore and had to remain in Johor for 10 years under police surveillance.
1953.
Johor Bahru opened new doors to Khadijah as she joined the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and became a member of the UMNO congress in Malacca. During the congress, she spoke about women’s rights and proposed that more women representatives be able to attend the congress. Although the idea was rejected, her determination and bravery were recognised by Tunku Abdul Rahman, who was the president of UMNO at the time. She was eventually appointed as the Information Officer of Kaum Ibu, also known as the Women’s Wing of UMNO.
During her 10-month period as an Information Officer, Khadijah travelled the whole of Malaya to recruit members, reactivate Kaum Ibu branches and establish new ones. She went to villages to raise the spirit of women to fight for Malaya’s independence. During her visits with Tunku Abdul Rahman, Khadijah's passion for preaching "Merdeka!" became so intense that even he became fearful. She managed to recruit around 10 000 members and establish 130 KI branches throughout the peninsula. She also trained the women members of UMNO to become capable leaders by sharing what she deemed as important leadership qualities.
“You must not be proud, be humble; listen to criticism but don’t be depressed; treat everyone equally, rich or poor, like sisters. If your attitude is like this, then you will be successful wherever you go.”
1954.
Kaum Ibu meeting led by Khadijah Sidek
(Credit: The Rakyat Post)
1954 was a ✨glow-up year✨ for Khadijah as she was elected to be the Chief of Kaum Ibu. As the new leader, she demanded more women’s representation in the UMNO Supreme Council and more opportunities for women in the local elections to form Malaya’s government. At the time, it was only accepted for women to be membership-fee collectors and vote gatherers for male leaders. Khadijah stood firmly against this and saw it as an insult to the capability and status of the UMNO women. Hence, she urged for five of thirty-five seats in parliament to be allocated for candidates from Kaum Ibu to contest in the upcoming elections. Several male members opposed the proposal, but Khadijah intervened fiercely.
Two weeks later, the Johor Bahru division tried to get her expelled from UMNO but failed in doing so. From this moment on, Khadijah Sidek would be perceived as a threat to the party by many members. She was seen as radical and hot-tempered, and her beliefs about women’s role in politics did not align with many of the male leaders’ traditional ideologies. Khadijah even noted in her memoir that many of the leaders seemed afraid of her.
1956.
For the second time, The Johor Bahru UMNO division urged the national leaders to expel Khadijah Sidek. According to them, she was a danger to UMNO’s image due to her public conduct and speeches. Several sections of Kaum Ibu didn’t agree and threatened to have a mass protest. Even Tunku Abdul Rahman appealed against her expulsion. Unfortunately, the Supreme Council agreed with the decision and Khadijah was abruptly expelled from UMNO. It was clear that Khadijah challenging the gender norms and patriarchy within the party was too much for the male leaders to handle.
1959.
Merdeka! We are officially two years free from British rule. Even though Khadijah could not be by UMNO’s side as the country gained independence, she remained a committed activist and advocated for women's rights. This year, she would return to the political scene as a member of parliament under the Pan-Malayan Islamic Party (PMIP). In her five years of being a parliament member, she spoke out about education for girls, rural economic development and many other important issues. Khadijah received the respect and fame she deserved for her fiery public speaking skills. As a result of her political efforts and campaign activities, the number of female members in PMIP grew and more Malayan women became interested in politics.
Khadijah Sidek passed away in 1982 at the age of 64, but her legacy continues to live on. Her ideas were considered radical and aggressive by many in her time, yet because of her courage and determination to make her beliefs a reality, Malaysian women can sit in a classroom, vote and become leaders today. Let Khadijah Sidek be an inspiration for all women to be loud and unwavering in our beliefs and to challenge social norms that oppress us.
Written by,
Amanda De Witt
The Fonz.
Sources
Ting, Helen. (2013). Khadijah Sidek: The Pioneering Fighter for Female Malay Political Representation in Malaya. 111-124.
Sohaimi Abdul Aziz (2011) 'Khatijah Sidek: Suara pejuang terpinggir yang dibisukan dalam sejarah perkembangan UMNO', Akademika, Vol 81, No.3, pp 43–47
Khatijah Sidek (2001) Memoirs of Khatijah Sidek: Puteri Kesateria Bangsa, Bangi: Penerbit UKM.
Mohamed Nor, Rohana. (2003). Perjuangan Politik Khadijah Sidek. 23-37.
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