亲密战友、前辈与朋友
（悼念赛·查哈利）

In memory of Said Zahari
Tan Kok Fang

I became acquainted with Said in Changi Prison when we were dumped there following our detention without trial in February 1963. There were about a hundred others from Barisan Socialis, Partai Rakyat, Nanyang University (graduates and undergraduates), trade unions, farmers' organizations and old boys' associations, etc. all cooped up in a concrete and steel enclosure known as E Hall.

Said stood out "as a large man with a relaxed manner and easy smile" as Dr. Rajakumar so aptly described the man in the Foreword to the 1973 edition of Poems from Prison. So it was easy for any one to want to be close to him to share in his vast experiences as a veteran journalist, his down-to-earth wisdom, and his gentle openness as a human being. So much so that in his company, we seem to feel that the harshness of imprisonment diminished by a great margin or even temporarily thrown to the winds.

The passing of prison days was often hard to mark. One fine day, I remember he told us that he wanted to learn Chinese. He was really serious about it. So a team of teachers consisting of Nantah graduates was assembled to help him and Mahadeva, another journalist who was also keen on the project. So as not to become a one-way street, we suggested to him to coach us in Bahasa. What followed very quickly was that scores of Chinese-educated detainees signed up for the course. Learning Bahasa then was the right thing to do. And learning Bahasa today is without doubt the right thing to do too. We must keep Bahasa as our common language and use it every day, every time.

It was a time of great learning as we literally turned Changi the prison into Changi the college. We must keep learning as our life-long enterprise. So, Said was there to provide the encouragement and the expertise needed to lead us to pass a series of tests, from Darja Satu all the way to the top Darja Tiga. From that exposure, I believe we also learned much about the cultural aspects of the life of our Malay brethren. That helped to strengthen our conviction that we are all brothers and sisters and will live side by side harmoniously pursuing a common goal in this world.

Passing time by learning aside, detention without trial is never a pleasant experience. There were heart-rending days and nights when you think of your loved ones suffering as much as or even more than you do through no fault of theirs, while you are decidedly stuck in your cell unable to extend a helping hand; as Said wrote in the poem entitled "Sadness" on page 108 of his book “...the sky full of angry clouds, the moon swallowed by the snake and the stars took flight... where is the sun, I long for your brightness.”

Yes, like Said, we were fully charged with anger. Because our opponents did not play by the rules. Because they abused their power by resorting to a draconian set of rules used by the British colonialists to arrest their political opponents and kept them in jail without trial for indefinite periods of time.

They cowardly branded us as “anti-National”. Read the poem on page 93. But people knew full well that the opposite is true. How would nationals and patriots like us, fighting with all our might to get rid of the colonialists, to eliminate oppression, to liquidate injustice and servitude, fit into that false description of theirs?

Then, in another of his poems: "A Thousand Laments", he wrote: “...I dreamt I was playing at the Changi beach, ...I heard sighs from distant ripples of water, missing the warm beckoning of coconut trees that have gone missing from the beach. I look towards the sky, to see the clouds marching, just as they did, when I used to come this way, but I am again disappointed, the clouds that I missed are also nowhere to be seen! And so I return, to the reality, spawning a thousand laments".

During our incarceration in Changi, it was a common occurrence for our mind to wander off to some good old days of yore, even just simple, freedom days, and then, suddenly, you are back to reality, finding yourself languishing in that cold, inhuman fold. It just goes to signify that the yearning for freedom is forever alive and persistent, simply because we are ordinary peace-loving human beings. Yet we endured because we believed what we stood for was right and just. We reminded ourselves every day, every moment, that we must remain strong and upright so that no attempt from our crafty, sinister captors will succeed in breaking our hearts and our will.

And so Said stood as a tower of strength for 17 years in jail, detention without trial. As the sole breadwinner for his wife and four children, he and his family must have endured indescribable hardships. How heinous and inhuman his captors have been. Yet, he had come through with beliefs and spirit intact. He belonged to that special breed of men whom we are forever privileged and proud to have been associated with as comrades-in-arm, mentors and friends.

We shall never forget those days of yoke and tyranny. Said's book shall be kept close to me as if he is still around amongst us, hearty and hale!

***

You can buy Said Zahari's Poems from Prison from Function 8. Email your address to 2010Function8@gmail.com and Paynow S$30 (inclusive of administrative charges) to UEN 201025212E.

While stock lasts, a copy of the Memorial booklet will be included free of charge.