Kontik Kamariah, born in Kuala Lumpur in 1911. She grew up in a family that strongly emphasized education, Kontik started her schooling in a Malay school. From an early age, she was active in sports and had the freedom to pursue her interest. Her father later enrolled her in an English-medium school, Methodist Girls’ School in Kampung Attap, Kuala Lumpur, where she studied from the third to the ninth grade.

She achieved Senior Cambridge certification in 1929, a notable accomplishment at the time as she was the first Malay woman to reach this level of education. Between 1929 and 1931, Kontik attended the English Normal Teacher Training Centre at Victoria Institution, Kuala Lumpur, where she was the sole Malay student in her course. Kontik began her professional career in 1932 as a school inspector at the Kampung Baru Malay Girls’ School in Kuala Lumpur. Within six months, she was promoted to Supervisor of Malay schools in Selangor, making her the first Malay woman to hold such a position. This demanding role required her to travel extensively across Selangor to visit various schools. She was known for style and confidence as she travelled to the schools driving an Austin car and later and MG Sports car.

Her presence had a profound effect on the students she met. Aishah Ghani, in her memoir, recounts that during her fourth-grade year at Sekolah Melayu Bukit Raya, the school was visited by a female Inspector named Cik Kontik Kamariah bt. Ahmad. Aishah described Cik Kontik as a modern and intelligent woman in her early twenties. What impressed Aishah the most was seeing Cik Kontik arrive in a red sports car, her fluency in English, and the respect she had from the male school principal. This visit instilled in Aishah the belief that advancement for women requires courage and a solid education. This encounter with Kontik Kamariah left a lasting impression on the young Aishah Ghani and she was inspired to continue her education and to be a modern, empowered, educated woman like Cik Kontik Kamariah.

Kontik Kamariah married Bahadun Haji Hassan who was a Malaysian Ambassador to South Korea. As the ambassador’s wife from 1957 to 1968, she frequently accompanied her husband on his international assignments. The couple had two children together.

Kontik was active in the cooperative movement in Malaya. When teachers found it hard to obtain loans, she help set up the Selangor Co-Op Thrift and Loan Society as a solution She was also President of the Cooperative Union of Malaya and founded the Selangor Malay Officer’s Housing cooperative. In her later years, she ventured into the business world. Tan Sri Datin Paduka Kontik Kamariah passed away in 2006.

Sybil Medan Kathigasu was born on 3 September 1899 in Medan, Sumatra, in what was then the Dutch East Indies. She was the daughter of Joseph Daly, an Irish-Eurasian planter, and Beatrice Matilda Daly (née Martin), a French-Eurasian midwife. Sybil was the fifth child and the only daughter in her family. 

Trained as a nurse and midwife, she met her husband Dr. Arumugam K Pillay (later known by his Christian name Dr. Abdon Clement Kathigasu) while working at the General Hospital in Kuala Lumpur. Together with her husband, they opened a clinic at 141 Brewster Road (now Jalan Sultan Idris Shah) in Ipoh, beginning in 1926. Sybil was an equal partner in this practice, taking care of house calls and midwifery. However, with the Japanese invasion of Malaya during World War II, the Kathigasus fled to the nearby town of Papan just before Japanese forces took control of Ipoh. 

In Papan, the couple resided at 74 Main Street, where they continued their medical practice while covertly assisted the resistance. They kept hidden a shortwave radio, nicknamed ‘Josephine’, to listen to BBC broadcasts, and discreetly provided medical supplies, treatment, and information to those fighting against the Japanese occupation including the communist guerrillas. In 1943, their activities were discovered, leading to their arrest and torture. 

Despite facing horrendous torture and interrogations by the Japanese military police, Sybil Kathigasu remained resolute. She was sentenced to a lifetime imprisonment under the Japanese military court. Following the fall of the Japanese Military administration in Malaya in August 1945, the MPAJA ensured the Kathigasus release and Sybil was reunited with her family. She was then flown to London for medical treatment. Her injury from the beatings were so severe that she was no longer able to walk.

 During her time in Britain, she began writing her memoir. She died in June 1948 at 49 years old, succumbing to septicaemia from an injury that was inflicted by the Japanese military police. Her body was buried in Lanark, Scotland but was later brought back to Ipoh in 1949 and reburied at the Roman Catholic cemetery in St Michael’s Church on Brewster Road.   

In recognition of her bravery, Sybil was awarded the George Medal for Gallantry in 1947 by King George VI.  A road, Jalan Sybil Kathigasu, in Fair Park, Ipoh, was named after Kathigasu after independence to commemorate her bravery. 

For more information read Sybil Kathigasu’s memoir: No Dram of Mercy.

“Kesedaran tentang perjuangan nasionalisme demi menuntut Kemerdekaan Tanah Air turut menyedarkan aku tentang penindasan terhadap wanita. Tidak ada perjuangan untuk kebebasan laki-laki, melainkan hanya ada perjuangan untuk kebebasan wanita.” – Shamsiah Fakeh

Shamsiah Fakeh was a prominent freedom fighter and advocate for women’s rights, integrating the fight for women’s liberation with the broader struggle against colonial oppression. As an early feminist in Malaya, Shamsiah’s life experiences highlighted the dual struggle against gender oppression and colonial injustices.

Born in Kampung Gemuruh, Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan in 1924, Shamsiah was the second of eight children in a poor family. Despite financial constraints and the social norms at the time, Shamsiah’s parents valued education and enrolled her in the Malay school. In 1938, at age 13, Shamsiah continued her education in Padang Panjang, West Sumatra, at the Dinniyah Puteri School.

Her education at Dinniyah Puteri was cut short by the onset of war, leading to her return to Malaya in 1940. Shamsiah then attended Madrasah Aliyah Islamiah in Kuala Pilah, where she was encouraged by the founder of the school to marry a classmate. Despite this marriage intended to aid her family, Shamsiah suffered immense hardship, including the tragic loss of two children due to malnutrition, and the marriage ended in divorce. 

Following Japanese occupation, Shamsiah joined the PKMM (Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya) and became an active member. By mid-1946, at age 21, she was appointed head of the PKMM women’s division in Kuala Lumpur. At the 1946 PKMM Congress in Malacca, Shamsiah was elected to the Central Committee. AWAS (Angkatan Wanita Sedar), initially a PKMM wing, became an independent organization under Shamsiah’s leadership. It organized its own activities and held its first Congress in Kajang in 1947. AWAS was part of the PUTERA-AMCJA coalition leading the Hartal movement of 1947. 

As a well-educated, charismatic, and eloquent leader of AWAS, Shamsiah served as a role model for many women of her time. She emphasized the importance of women’s involvement in the independence struggle, encouraging them to become leaders and prioritize education. Shamsiah advocated for mothers to ensure their daughters attended school and organized awareness programs in villages to expose women to the wider world. She believed women’s roles should extend beyond the kitchen, recognizing their potential to contribute to the nation. Shamsiah and AWAS organized reading, writing, and skill classes for women, and encouraged them to stay informed by reading newspapers. AWAS members played a crucial role in fundraising for PKMM’s struggle, donating their earnings and rice from their fields. Some women even contributed their gold jewelry to support the cause. As part of PKMM, AWAS successfully channeled significant funds for PKMM’s activities, highlighting the essential contributions of women’s labor and financial support in the fight for independence.

In 1948, upon the disbandment of PKMM, Shamsiah joined the Malayan Communist Party (PKM) as an alternative space to continue fighting for the country’s independence. Shamsiah took up arms as a guerrilla fighter, organizing mass support in villages and enduring challenging conditions in the jungle. By 1953, she was based on the Malaya-Thailand border, working in PKM’s communications department and married Ibrahim Mohamad in 1956.

Shamsiah and her husband, Ibrahim, were sent to China to continue their studies on communist ideology, arriving in Beijing in 1957 as guests of the Chinese Communist Party. They worked with Radio Peking and represented PKM internationally. After a period of imprisonment in Indonesia during anti-communist actions, they returned to China in 1967 but were later expelled from PKM. They lived in Xiang Tan, Hunan, working as factory laborers, and raised three sons.

After numerous attempts, Shamsiah and her family were allowed to return to Malaysia in 1994. Shamsiah Fakeh passed away on October 20, 2008, remembered as a revolutionary fighter for independence and women’s emancipation.

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For more information on Shamsiah Fakeh, read her autobiography “Memoir Shamsiah Fakeh: Dari AWAS Ke Rejimen Ke-10” published by SIRD/ Gerakbudaya: http://bit.ly/1prrIyX (English version: http://bit.ly/1ohnnz6) . Go to this link for a song tribute to this revolutionary independence fighter: http://bit.ly/ZJoYrC

“If we want independence, we can certainly achieve independence”
“If you believe in yourself, anything is possible,” – Sakinah Junid

Sakinah Junid was born in Kampung Lalang, Padang Rengas, in 1923. She  was the daughter of Syeikh Junid Thala, a prominent religious scholar in Perak, and Sariyah Haji Said. Sakinah attended the revolutionary school for women in Padang Panjang, Diniyah Puteri led by Rahmah El Yunussiyah. Sakinah Junid was a powerful orator renowned for her eloquence. She adeptly combined pantun, poetry and Quranic phrases to inspire and galvanize young people in their fight for independence, effectively raising their political consciousness.

Sakinah Junid played a significant role in Angkatan Wanita Sedar (AWAS), the first nationalist women’s organization in Malaysia, established in late 1945. Even at a young age, Sakinah displayed impressive leadership skills and charisma. At 24 years old, she spoke to a crowd of 7000 at a rally in Taiping in 1947, representing the women’s voice for independence. Her image was captured in a magazine article captioned, “Wanita Zaman Atom”, documenting Sakinah as the emerging woman leader of the new era. 

Sakinah Junid famously led a group of 300 youths from Angkatan Pemuda Insaf (API) and AWAS in a march from Padang Rengas to Kuala Kangsar to attend a mass gathering against the Malayan Union on May 28, 1948. Throughout the march, they passionately sang patriotic songs such as “Darah Rakyat” and “Dari Barat Hingga Ke Timur,” alternating with chants of “Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!” (Independence!). Despite the British ban on public vehicles, which prevented them from travelling via bus to the rally, Sakinah’s resolute leadership and determination inspired the group to continue. She reminded them, “In Indonesia, young men and women struggle to shed their last drop of blood to fight for independence…young men and women of Malaya, we have not been asked to do more than shed a drop of two of sweat..” Confronting the men’s initial reluctance to walk the distance, she boldly challenged them, “Brother member of API, are you ready to make it on foot with us? If you are not ready, stay behind, but before you do, you will have to be prepared to change clothes with us women from AWAS!”

After the ban on PKMM, Sakinah pursued a political career with PAS. Her husband, Mohd Asri Haji Muda, was a prominent PAS leader. Sakinah led the Dewan Muslimat, the women’s wing of PAS, from 1963 to 1983, a period of 20 years. She eventually left PAS to follow her husband into the newly formed Hizbul Muslimin. In 1993, she joined UMNO as a regular member in support of Anwar Ibrahim. Sakinah Junid passed away in 2004.

A biography about Sakinah Junid and her husband was written by one of their daughters Ratna Inzah:  “Asri Sakinah: Menyulam Kehidupan”  2021

Born on 29 June 1915, Lim Phaik Gan, known as P.G. Lim, was a towering figure in the fight for social justice in Malaysia. Her journey began with an exceptional education at Cambridge University, where she trained in law, setting the stage for a lifelong commitment to advocacy and public service. Known for her fierce determination and unwavering sense of justice, P.G. Lim once told The Washington Post, “If I find that something is wrong, I fight… If there is a need, I take the case, sometimes when no one else will.”

Throughout her career, Lim consistently championed the rights of the underprivileged, particularly in her work with trade unions. One of her most significant legal victories was in the landmark 1964 Railwaymen’s Union of Malaya case. As counsel, she successfully secured government employee status for 14,000 day-wage railway workers, dramatically improving their working conditions and rights.

Lim’s dedication to justice was also evident in her role in the famed 1953 Privy Council case of Lee Meng. Lee Meng, a young woman sentenced to death for being a messenger for the Communist Party. Her legal acumen and tenacity were instrumental in bringing reprieve to Lee Meng, showcasing her commitment to due process and human rights even in politically charged cases.

In 1971, P.G. Lim broke new ground as Malaysia’s first female ambassador, representing the country with distinction at the United Nations. She later served as Ambassador to Yugoslavia, Austria, Belgium, and the European Economic Community (EEC), where she was respected for her diplomatic skill and ability to navigate complex international relations.

After retiring from the diplomatic service, Lim continued to contribute to Malaysia’s legal landscape as the Director of the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration, where she played a key role in resolving disputes and promoting arbitration as an effective means of conflict resolution.

Tan Sri P.G. Lim passed away in May 2013, leaving behind a legacy of courage, integrity, and service. Her life’s work continues to inspire future generations. To delve deeper into the remarkable life of this extraordinary woman, read her autobiography, Kaleidoscope: The Memoirs of P.G. Lim. http://bit.ly/1wTNpxV

Bangun melur bangun melati,
Kembang bunga petang dan pagi,
Biar lebur biar mati,
Namun tak mahu dijajah lagi.-Khatijah Sidek

Che Khadijah Mohd Sidik, more widely known as Khadijah Sidek was a freedom fighter and fierce advocate for women’s rights. Born in 1918 in Pariaman, Sumatra, Khadijah was politically active from a young age. As a student, she joined anti-colonial organizations like Keputerian Indonesia Muda and Kepanduan Bangsa Indonesia. She became a leader of Putri Kesatria, an anti-colonial women’s group based in Bukit Tinggi, Sumatra. 

In 1946, Khadijah moved to Singapore after marrying a Malayan citizen. There, she dedicated herself to organizing for women’s rights and raising political awareness through the Indonesian and Malay Women’s Assembly (HIMWIM). During this time, she was invited to attend political meetings in Malaya. Khadijah observed at the time political leaders would call out “Hidup Melayu!” in their rallying chants, and were hesitant to shout out “Merdeka!”. She argued that this excluded other ethnic groups and advocated using “Merdeka” as a unifying rallying cry for all Malayans in the fight for independence. 

Khadijah’s activism in Singapore led to her imprisonment under the British Emergency Act and she was labelled a communist. During her two-year imprisonment, Khadijah gave birth to a daughter. Upon her release, she was exiled from Singapore and placed under detention in Johor for ten years. During her time in Johor Bahru, to make ends meet, Khadijah opened a food stall at the market called Restoren Merdeka. 

In 1953, Khadijah joined UMNO, invited by Ibu Zain, and was elected as the leader of Kaum Ibu in 1954. At the time, Kaum Ibu was known as a party for elite women. As a grassroots organiser, Khadijah worked hard to change this perception, reaching out to women in the villages and mobilising mass support. Under her leadership, 130 new Kaum Ibu branches were established with 10,000 new members. The grassroots women’s financial contribution and votes were instrumental to the alliance winning the general election in 1955. 

Within UMNO, she fought tirelessly for women’s rights, demanding equal representation within the party and more leadership roles for women. She advocated for the autonomy of the women’s section and the establishment of a women’s youth section equal to the existing UMNO men’s youth section. Khadijah’s activism included protesting the exclusion of women from state elections, leading her and other delegates to walk out during a party assembly. As a result of her demands for gender equality in the party, she was expelled from UMNO in 1956 for “disciplinary reasons.”

Undeterred, Khadijah joined PAS, where she significantly increased the membership of Dewan Muslimat, PAS’s women’s branch, from 3,000 in 1963 to 8,500 in 1966. She rejoined UMNO in 1972, continuing her political involvement as a regular party member. In the final years of her life, Khadijah dedicated herself to social and religious educational work, passing away in 1982.

For more on this champion of women’s rights, read “Memoir Khatijah Sidek: Puteri Kesatria Bangsa”

Born in Hulu Langat, Selangor, in 1923, Aishah Ghani’s life was shaped by a strong commitment to education and activism. She first attended school at the Sekolah Melayu Bukit Raya. At the age of 11, upon finishing her primary schooling, her family made preparation to arrange for her marriage. Aishah vehemently protested even going on hunger strike for a several days. Her parents finally relented and sent her to further her education at Diniyah Puteri and later at Maktab Perguruan Tinggi Islam in Padang, Sumatera.

Aishah’s career began in journalism as a writer for Pelita Malaya, the newspaper of Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM). She quickly rose to prominence as a leader of Angkatan Wanita Sedar (AWAS), although her tenure lasted less than a year due to her disagreement with KMM’s strategies. She used her marriage as an excuse to step back from the organisation, not before recruiting Shamsiah Fakeh to take over her position.

Aishah then took a significant step by going to London to study journalism from 1955 to 1958. Tunku Abdul Rahman invited Aishah to return to Malaya in preparation for Malaya’s independence which meant cutting short her studies.  Aishah declined and decided to stay in London to finish her education, knowing that there would still be much for her to contribute to the nation once she has completed her higher education. Upon her return, she worked with Berita Harian and later became an editor for The Straits Times.  She quit journalism to focus on her political career becoming a member of the UMNO Supreme Council and vice-chairperson of Woman UMNO in 1963.

 In 1962, Aishah was appointed as the first female senator in Malaysia. She also became the first woman representative to the United Nations. From 1972 to 1984, Aishah served as the Ketua Pergerakan Wanita UMNO and from 1973 to 1984, she was the Minister of Welfare. During her tenure, she played a crucial role in the reform of Syariah law, advocating for women’s rights within the legal framework. She passed away in 2013 at the age of 90.

Read more here: Aishah Ghani: Memoir Seorang Pejuang. 1992.  Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Kuala Lumpur. 

Freedom fighter Shamsiah Fakeh (1924-2008). Born in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan in 1924, Shamsiah received her early education at the Madrasah Aliah Islaiah in Negeri Sembilan and Madrasah Tuddimiah in Padang, Sumatera, experiences that sparked her early political consciousness. As a young woman she stood out as a powerful orator and was sought after by different political parties including UMNO. She chose the path of the Malay Nationalist Party (Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya) as she believed in their fight towards independence from the British. Shamsiah became an important leader of PKMM’s women’s wing and the first women’s movement in Malaya, AWAS (Angkatan Wanita Sedar). When the British banned PKMM, followed by a mass arrest of left-leaning leaders in 1948, Shamsiah moved her fight towards independence in the jungles by joining the Communist Party of Malaya under the 10th Regiment of the Malayan People’s Liberation Army in their armed resistance. She was a leader in the Communist Party and was a jungle guerrilla for eight years. In 1956, Shamsiah and her husband, Ibrahim Mohamad, were sent to China for further education. They served as broadcasters with the Radio Peking’s Malay language service. In 1965 they were imprisoned for two years in Indonesia during anti-communist crackdowns. They returned to China and lived there until 1994 when they were finally allowed to come home to Malaysia. In the foreword of her memoir, Shamsiah writes: “I was merely a woman fighting the British for my country’s independence and the emancipation of women.” She died in 2008 in Kuala Lumpur.

For more information on Shamsiah Fakeh, read her autobiography “Memoir Shamsiah Fakeh: Dari AWAS Ke Rejimen Ke-10” published by SIRD/ Gerakbudaya: http://bit.ly/1prrIyX (English version: http://bit.ly/1ohnnz6) . Go to this link for a song tribute to this revolutionary independence fighter: http://bit.ly/ZJoYrC

Puan Sri Puteh Mariah (1914-2006). Born in 1914 in Teluk Intan, Perak, Puteh Mariah started her public service in the 1940s going into the streets and helping families who suffered the ravages of war. Her experience in outreach work, bringing food, clothing and medical supplies for those in need, changed her outlook in life; she decided “could not afford to be an outsider anymore” but instead “became an activist”*. A pioneer in many different ways, she was the first head of Kaum Ibu (the precursor to Wanita UMNO), which she co-founded in 1949. She left UMNO to help form Parti Negara with Dato’ Onn Jaafar and became the first woman to hold the highest post in a political party as the Secretary General of Parti Negara in 1956. Puteh Mariah was also one of the first women nominated to the Federal Legislative Council, serving from 1948-1955. In the Legislative Council, she fought for education opportunities for Malayans, better wages for local teachers and wage equality for women. She was, in particular, a strong champion for the education rights for women. In 1950, she was appointed as a Justice of the Peace, the first woman to be conferred this honour in the Federation. Post-independence, she continued to be active in social work, serving many different committees, including the Central Welfare Council, the Children’s Welfare Council, and she was also the first local President of the Girl Guides Association of Malaya.

* New Straits Times, 3 August, 1987.

Puan Sri Janaki Athi Nahappan, also known as Janaki Devar (February 1925- May 2014). At a young age of 17, inspired by Indian nationalist Subhas Chandra Bose’s appeal to the Indian diaspora to fight for India’s independence, Janaki joined the Rhani of Jhani regiment, the women’s wing of the Indian National Army based in Southeast Asia. Janaki excelled in her military career rising to the rank of Captain and Second in Command in the regiment. She fought against the British along the Burma India border. After the war, she focused her efforts on welfare services in Malaya. She was part of the Indian National Congress Medical Mission in Malaya where she travelled throughout the country and learned about the challenges facing the Indian community in Malaya. Inspired by this experience, in 1946, Janaki co-founded the Malayan Indian Congress (MIC) with John Thivy as president. She was an active MIC member and later was appointed Senator in the Malaysian Parliament. In 2000, she was awarded the Padma Shri award—one of India’s highest title— in recognition of her social welfare work and her service to the Indian National Army.

*To learn more about freedom fighter Janaki Athi Nahappan and the Rani of Jhansi regiment, read Women Against the Raj: The Rani of Jhansi Regiment (2008) by Joyce Lebra: bit.ly/TV4ZmG. **Photo from: A Gentleman’s Word: The Legacy of Subhas Chandra Bose in Southeast Asia (2012).

Tribute to Tan Sri Lim Phaik Gan or better known as P.G. Lim. Born on 29 June 1915, P.G. Lim was known as a fighter for social justice. Trained in law at Cambridge University, she was an advocate for the underprivileged and of trade union rights. In a quote in the Washington Post, Lim said “If I find that something is wrong, I fight..If there is a need I take the case sometimes when no one else will.” She was counsel in the landmark Railwaymen’s Union of Malaya case that accorded government employee status to 14,000 day-wage railway workers in 1964. She was also instrumental in bringing reprieve for a young woman sentenced to death for being a messenger for the Communist Party in the famed 1953 Privy Council case of Lee Meng. In 1971, she was appointed as the first Malaysian woman ambassador, first to the United Nations and later to Yugoslavia and Austria, Belgium and the EEC. On her retirement from the diplomatic service, she was Director of the Kuala Lumpur Centre for Arbitration. Tan Sri PG Lim passed away in May 2013. To find out more about the inspiring life of this woman of substance, read P.G Lim’s autobiography “Kaleidoscope: The Memoirs of P.G. Lim” http://bit.ly/1wTNpxV