Did you know that MCOBs paved the way to Merdeka?
On 18th January 1956, the Round Table Conference took place between the representatives of the UMNO-MCA-MIC Alliance Government, and the Representatives of the Malay rulers with officials from the British Colonial Office at the Lancaster House in London to demand independence for the Federation of Malaya.
The delegation for independence was led by the Chief Minister YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman, Dato’ Abdul Razak Hussein, Dr. Ismail Abdul Rahman, Colonel H.S Lee, Encik T.H. Tan, and Encik Bahaman Shamsuddin as Joint Secretary. The other four representatives for the Malay Rulers were Dato’ Panglima Bukit Gantang Haji Abdul Wahab bin Toh Muda Abdul Aziz, Dato’ Nik Ahmad Kamil, Encik Abdul Aziz Majid, and Dato’ Mohd Seth Mohd Said.
Out of the 9 members of the delegation, 4 were Old Boys of The Malay College Kuala Kangsar namely Dato’ Abdul Razak Hussein (Tun), Encik Bahaman Shamsuddin (Dato’) and 2 out of the a representatives for the Malay Rulers, namely Dato’ Nik Ahmad Kamil and Encik Abdul Aziz Majid. And if we were to consider YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman, who had a short stint in MCKK before he being transferred to Penang Frees School, the MCOBs involved in negotiating the independence of the Federation of Malaya would be come to 5; and it seems that MCOBs paved the way to Merdeka!
The conference that went on for three weeks were negotiating several matters related to the independence of Malaya, finances, administration, internal security, defense, and foreign affairs as well as the formation of an Independent Independence Committee to review the constitution especially the special privileges of the Malay Rulers that must be maintained.
The Independence Mission was successful in securing the consent of the British Government to grant independence to the Federation of Malaya.
Original article: //www.perdana.org.my/~perdana/index.php/spotlight2/item/rombongan-merdeka-ke-london
