Kamarulzaman Teh (15 January 1920 – 5 November 2002), who was imprisoned in the Federation of Malaya for 22 years, is the longest political detainee 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 ...

's history. He was the leader of Angkatan Pemuda Insaf (API), who fought the Japanese during the

Japanese occupation of Malaya The then British colony of Malaya was gradually occupied by the Japanese between 8 December 1941 and the Allied surrender at Singapore on 16 February 1942. The Japanese remained in occupation until their surrender to the Allies in 1945. The ...

Early life

Kamarulzaman was born into a family of Malay farmers in

Temerloh Temerloh is a municipality in central Pahang, Malaysia. Temerloh has been proven to be the "centre of Peninsular Malaysia" (Malay: ) 3TS, which is situated at Kampung Paya Siput, Lanchang. Located about from Kuala Lumpur along the Kuantan–Kua ...

Pahang Pahang (; Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a sultanate and ...

. He joined Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (PKMM) during the Japanese occupation in Malaya to fight against the Japanese army. He was very enthusiastic about the party as he saw

socialism Socialism is a left-wing Economic ideology, economic philosophy and Political movement, movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to Private prop ...

as a way to conquer poverty in his state through taxation of landowners. He was also attracted to guerrilla warfare, which he thought of as the most effective way to counter the Imperial Japanese army. Ultimately, he was elected as the head of the youth wing in Angkatan Pemuda Insaf (API) of Pahang.

Incarceration and Charge

During the Malayan Emergency in 1948, the British took Kamarulzaman into custody in a bus station in Temerloh, without further investigation. He was also charged with owning firearms. He was sentenced to death by hanging, but was later granted a royal pardon from the Sultan of Pahang. His charge was reduced to life imprisonment instead. He spent the following 14 years in the prison at Temerloh. Following the departure of the British, he was released, but placed under surveillance. However, his freedom was short-lived, as he was arrested and detained under the

Internal Security Act Internal Security Act may refer to: * Internal Security Act 1960, former Malaysian law *Internal Security Act (Singapore) * McCarran Internal Security Act, a United States federal law *Suppression of Communism Act, 1950, a South African law, rename ...

for another eight years.

Release from prison

Following his release, Kamarulzaman joined Parti Sosialis Rakyat Malaysia (now

Parti Rakyat Malaysia The Malaysian People's Party (abbreviation: PRM; Malay: ''Parti Rakyat Malaysia'') is a political party in Malaysia. Founded on 11 November 1955 as Partai Ra'ayat, it is one of the older political parties in Malaysia and traces its pedigree t ...

) and campaigned unsuccessfully for election in 1974. Even with his loss, he remained actively involved in PRM throughout the seventies.

Health

Kamarulzaman's health slowly deteriorated. Because his family had difficulties paying his medical bills, he was taken care of by his adopted sister and her husband. He was put in a home for the elderly in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

. His health worsened in July 2002, and he was moved from Kuala Lumpur back to his hometown in Temerloh.

Reunion and death

After returning to Temerloh, he went to southern

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

to reunite with his old comrades. His friends included General Secretary of the

Communist Party of Malaya 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 ...

Abdullah CD Cik Dat bin Anjang Abdullah, commonly known as Abdullah CD (born 2 October 1923), is a former Malaysian politician who served as chairman and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM). Biography Abdullah was born on 2 October 1 ...

and

Chin Peng Chin Peng (21 October 1924 – 16 September 2013), born Ong Boon Hua, was a Malayan communist politician, anti-fascist activist and long-time leader of the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) and the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA). During ...

. He also reunited with his friend

Rashid Maidin Rashid Maidin (10 October 1917 – 1 September 2006), sometimes given as Rashid Mahideen, was a senior leader of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM). Personal life He was born in Kampung Gunung Mesah, Gopeng, Perak; coincidentally on the same ...

when Rashid visited him in the nursing home. At that time, he was immobile and no longer able to recognise people due to his severe health problems. He died in Thailand at 10:30 am on 5 November 2002. He was buried in the Muslim graveyard at

Narathiwat Province Narathiwat ( th, นราธิวาส, Malay: Menara) is one of the southern provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from west clockwise) Yala and Pattani. To the south it borders the Malaysian state of Kelantan a ...

that same day.

References

{{Authority control 1920 births 2002 deaths Malaysian people of Malay descent Malaysian socialists Malaysian politicians