Universiti Kedua (Kassim Ahmad; 2010)
At a time when the government propaganda machinery managed to brainwash youngsters like myself to think that right is right and left is wrong, a man stood steadfast on his socialist belief. He was detained under the notorious Internal Security Act (ISA). Despite the agony of being away from his young family, deprived of seeing his children grow, especially at a crucial age and the constant torture in a cell, he stood his ground. He refused to give a 'false' confession to his captors. Despite his reluctance to be 'reformed', he was given an unconditional release after 5 years of spending time in Kamunting. This memoir narrates his experience of being arrested in the fateful early hours of 3rd November 1976 to his release on Hari Raya Day, 30th June 1981. It is a slow-moving write-up, as life in the prison is, narrating the frustrating time in Kamunting as the clock ticks on by. His interrogations go on till unearthly hours, trying to break him psychologically.
He spent most of his time writing and thinking about life and religion. He read the Quran over and over again. He tried to relate the world's happenings to his scriptures and try to make sense of things. He even managed to send out manuscripts and got his book published. He was even accepted to do his Ph. D. in UKM but expectedly was denied by the Government.
He had a bout of shingles and was hospitalised later after a fellow inmate punch him in his face over some argument, fracturing his temporomandibular joint.
His fellow inmates were people include Abdullah Ahmad and Syed Husin Ali. Some of the people in Kamunting were actually ruling Government people who were the victims of internal political wrangling.
It is incredible how much a person can hold on to his beliefs and never crack under pressure. This 81-year-old man is recently entangled with the wrong of the law, questioning the validity of Hadis in Islamic religion and accusing the keepers of the faith as elitists.
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