We feel free when we escape — even if it be but from the frying pan to the fire.
– Eric Hoffer, American philosopher
As Ahmad Zaidi Adruce took refuge at a Malay fisherman’s abode at Sibu Laut, 16 miles from Kuching, he contemplated his future.
It was the eve of Malaysia Day and by then word was out that Zaidi had ‘disappeared’ from the coast and a British RAF helicopter was sent to search the seas off the Malay fishing village of Telaga Air.
At 9pm on September 16, a small Chinese fishing boat with Zaidi disguised as a fisherman headed for Kalimantan.
Four hours later, the boat reached the headland and the choppy sea threatened to sink the vessel.
Accustomed with superstition and beliefs, he recalled: “At 2am we reached Tanjong Dato and the high waves threatened to swamp the small boat.
“To pacify the sea gods our boat skipper (Lim Poh Leong) burnt wads of red paper as offerings. A gentle calm then set in as we continued and arrived at Tanjong Belacan. We were finally on Indonesian soil.”
In the late early afternoon, Zaidi heard news over radio in Pontianak that Malaysia had been formed.
“Now there was no turning back. I wondered how the BPS viewed me? Would my departure be viewed as abandoning their struggle?
“I certainly incurred the wrath of the British. If I had stayed behind there was a possibility that I would have been Sarawak’s director of education. Why was I throwing away such a golden opportunity?”
Zaidi was divided between the two evils — the Confrontation and the move by the Partai Komunis Indonesia (PKI) to take over the Indonesian government.
If that happened and the communists came into power, this would be the end of his dream of a truly liberated Sarawak.
After arriving in Jakarta, he found himself caught in between the Indonesian army chief General Nasution and PKI-led led by DN Aidit.
After flying to Jakarta from Pontianak, Zaidi had to assume the pseudonym ‘Lieutenant Sulaiman’ to avoid being arrested by his enemies and communist spies!
Nasution later appointed Zaidi as ‘minister of defence’ in a shadow cabinet of the Negara Kesatuan Kalimantan Utara (NKKU) or Unitary State of North Kalimantan.
After discussions on the communist threat, Zaidi was sent back to Pontianak by Nasution to organise the Sarawak-Kalimantan border operations.
In the first major Confrontation raid, Indonesia attacked Long Jawe in Belaga; a dozen Border Scouts and security forces were murdered before the British retaliated and killed 30 troops.
As the “undeclared war” progressed with cross-border skirmishes, Zaidi realised that he had been caught in a power-struggle between Nasution and his arch-rival General Pangabean, the commander of Kalimantan.
Both Nasution and Pangabean were Bataks from Sumatra — the former an Indonesian loyalist and the other, a separatist with communist leanings.
Zaidi continued: “Pangabean wanted to create enmity between President Sukarno and Nasution because he was ambitious and wanted to replace Sukarno.”
In early 1965, a plan to assassinate Zaidi was hatched by Pangabean and to protect the Sarawakian, Nasution sent the Sarawakian to Balikpapan in East Kalimantan, 1,000km from Pontianak.
Zaidi said that his ‘mission’ was to make contact with the Kenyah-Kayan, Murut (Lun Dayeh-Lun Bawang) and Punan-Penan communities living in the border 1,600-km Sarawak-Kalimantan border.
“I started my East Kalimantan journey at Tarakan, heading up the Sesayap river by boat with a young Batak Major Benny Murdani who later became Indonesia’s defence minister.
“We reached Melinau just before Kerayan district and reached Long Bawan (adjacent to Ba Kelalan in Lawas). It was a journey of several weeks and Murdani who was not familiar with Borneo terrain, ended up with blisters.
“Later I told Murdani he had to keep his feet dry to avoid having blisters. One of my practices was taking off my shoes when crossing a stream and rubbing tobacco on my feet to prevent leeches climbing up your limbs,” Zaidi added with a smile.
At the fringe of the border near Ba Kelalan he almost walked into an ambush set up by a young Malaysian Eurasian Lieutenant Zain Hashim from the Malay Regiment. Lt Zain later rose to become Malaysia’s armed forces chief.
In mid-1965, Zaidi was summoned to Jakarta to carry out another important mission; to fly to the Middle East to persuade the Arab states to support the NKKU cause.
During his month-long stay in Egypt, he wrote a book entitled ‘Bandung Spirit Set Aflame’ about the struggle for an independent Sarawak through the Unitary State of Kalimantan (NKKU). The book was subsequently banned by the Malaysian government.
On September 30, 1965, the PKI attempted to assassinate Nasution in the infamous ’Lobang Buaya’ incident.
Nasution escaped by jumping over the wall of his Jakarta residence but six of his generals were murdered and thrown into an abandoned well in the outskirts of the city.
Later Nasution joined pro-Islamic army General Suharto whose forces killed a million PKI members in a six-month-long political genocide.
The massacres also known as ‘Gestapu’ the acronym being ‘Gerak September Tiga Puluh’ or September 30 Movement, is now etched in Indonesia’s tragic history.
By August 1966 a peace-accord was signed between Indonesia and Malaysia in Bangkok.
A year later in March 1967, President Suharto formed the new Indonesian cabinet without Sukarno and Zaidi was left in a limbo.
A vehement anti-neo colonialist on the run, he could not return to British-controlled Sarawak.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
