Angkatan Wanita Sedar (AWAS; Conscious Women's Front) was the first nationalist women's organisation in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. It was established in late 1945 as women's wing of the

Malay Nationalist Party Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (PKMM), also known as the Malay Nationalist Party, was founded on 17 October 1945 in Ipoh, Perak. The party was the first Malay political party formed after the Japanese occupation of Malaya. The main goal of the ...

( ms, Partai Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya, PKMM).

Aishah Ghani Aishah binti Ghani ( ms, عائشة بنت غاني, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; 15 December 1923 – 19 April 2013) was a Malaysian politician who served as Minister of Social Welfare from 1973 to 1984 and Head of Wanita UMNO wo ...

was the first president of AWAS. The organisation was also led by

Shamsiah Fakeh Shamsiah Fakeh (1924 – 20 October 2008) was a Malaysian nationalist and feminist. She was the leader of Angkatan Wanita Sedar (AWAS), Malaysia's first nationalist women organisation and a prominent Malay leader of the Communist Party of Mal ...

. At its peak, AWAS had a membership of 2000 women. The group organised, held discussions and hosted Indonesian women visitors. AWAS members, led by Sakinah Junid, participated in a six-mile protest march against the British prohibition disallowing the use of motorised vehicles in processions. Anthropologist Wazir Jahan Karim attributes the impetus for the creation of AWAS to the core leaders of the organisation:

Sakinah Junid Puan Sri Datin Seri Panglima Sakinah Junid (10 October 1922 – 7 September 2004) was the long-serving Dewan Muslimat's Chief of Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) for twenty years ranging from 1963–1983. She is the wife of Asri Muda, PAS le ...

and

. On 22 February 1947, AWAS joined the People's Action Centre (PRINCE), a coalition of six left-wing political parties led by

Ishak Haji Muhammad Ishak Haji Muhammad (14 November 1909 – 7 November 1991), better known as Pak Sako, was a Malaysian writer, active in the 1930s until the 1950s. He was a nationalist and his involvement began before independence and continued thereafter. He fo ...

(Pak Sako). Following the defeat of Japan, the British Military Administration resumed control of Malaya and banned AWAS in 1948 together with several other political parties like PKMM and Hisbul Muslimin, accusing for having connection with

Malayan Communist Party The Malayan Communist Party (MCP), officially the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM), was a Marxist–Leninist and anti-imperialist communist party which was active in British Malaya and later, the modern states of Malaysia and Singapore from 1 ...

References

{{reflist History of Malaysia Women in Malaysia Organizations established in 1945 Organizations disestablished in 1948 1945 establishments in British Malaya 1948 disestablishments in Malaya Women's wings of political parties