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”