U Raschid, a Burmese Muslim, of Indian parentage, was a very dear friend, and close associate, of Gen. Aung San in Burma’s struggle against British Colonial rule in Burma.

Their friendship went back to the days when the Rangoon University Students’ Union (RUSU) brought together like-minded people to debate and discuss pressing issues of the day. It was here that the very close bonds developed in the mid 1930s, especially between Raschid, Aung San and U Nu.

These three, along with Kyaw Nyein, Ko Ohn, Tha Hla and others captured the leadership of RUSU in 1935, with Nu becoming President, Raschid Vice-President, and Aung San editor of the Oway (the University Students’ magazine). The next year, Raschid was elected President of RUSU, while Aung San served as Vice-President, and Nyo Mya became editor of the Oway. (Raschid had served as the first General Secretary of RUSU at its founding in 1930.) The historic students’ strike of 1936, which was to become the key element in building the future leaders of independent Burma, took place under the leadership of Nu, Aung San, Raschid, and Kyaw Nyein. Dr. Maung Maung ( the former Attorney General) and for a few weeks President of Burma after the peoples uprising of 1988, in an article in the Guardian Magazine in 1956, wrote: “But the Strike of 1936 was a landmark in the nationalist movement in Burma, a distinct milestone. . . .Yet, there is not a soul to deny that if Ko Nu was the cause, in part, of the strike, and the inspirer and dreamer in the strike, it was M. A. Raschid who organized it and gave meaning and life to it. If it was Ko Nu who delivered the speeches, stars shining in his eyes, and moved the masses to anger or to tears, it was Raschid who organized the day to day affairs of the strike and gave sustenance to it after the early emotions and passions had cooled. If it was Ko Nu who thundered mightily against the University act, which was, he said, the very symbol of tyranny under which the students, nay, the peoples of Burma writhed in mortal agony, it was Raschid who read up the

Act at midnight while the strikers slept on.” Further on he writes, in the same article: “Let the historians therefore value the strike as they wish. Let them extol it to the moon. Or let them reduce it to near zero. Let them call it the movement, or a movement; let them call it the beginning, or the culmination, or let them say it was neither, but only a ripple in the ocean of the national struggle. Let the historians say what they wish, and argue wisely and hotly

A very brief biographical sketch by

Bilal Raschid

A FOUNDING FATHER OF INDEPENDENT BURMA

U M. A. RASCHID

A brief biography of U Raschid

forever. But on one point they must concur: that Raschid was the soul of the Strike.”

When the strike ended, Raschid had emerged with a solid reputation. More, he had won good and loyal friends. The autograph book that U Raschid had during that period, has very interesting entries by the future leaders of Burma. U Nu wrote: “I love those who love Burma: I love those who are honourable . . . I have loved, respected and followed you.” Kyaw Nyein, who had strong ethnic prejudices, wrote: “The strikers camp – where Kalah meets Bamah”. And Aung San, who was always sparing in compliments, wrote this: “From M. A. San to M. A. Raschid, but no M.A. after our names. This is one point of resemblance between us – but others too, which you know of course. We two have served together on the University E. C. and perhaps will have to do so till our death.”

In his hand written notes to U Raschid, Aung San always started with “My dear Bhai ‘shid”, as an affectionate salutation. He often came to U Raschid’s home in Bow Lane, Rangoon, to discuss matters relating to the struggle against

British Colonial rule with him. Aung San cancelled one of his Governor’s Council meetings in early 1947, when he was informed that U Raschid had returned to Burma, and was in Aung San’s office at the Secretariat to see him. Aung San had even written to Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru (one of India’s founding fathers, and its first Prime Minister) asking him to find U Raschid, and send him back to Burma.

U Raschid was elected the first President of the All Burma Students Union at its founding in 1936; and he had the unique distinction of being the only student leader to have served as president of both RUSU and the ABSU at the same time. After the 1936 strike, he was also elected to serve as the very first students’ representative on the governing University Council. He served in this capacity for many years after Burma became independent. Later, he became the first Chancellor of the University of Mandalay.

During the time when Aung San was to be installed President of the ABSU, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru came on a visit to Burma. Raschid was elected Secretary of the Reception Committee. That was his first meeting with Nehru, and the beginning of a very close, life long friendship.

His scholastic achievements were also distinctive. He matriculated from the Randeria High School in Rangoon, and stood first in the whole of Burma. He repeated this academic distinction when he graduated in Law from the University of Rangoon, standing first in the whole country.

He was also a drafter of the first Constitution of Burma (1947); and was instrumental in getting Aung San to agree to amendments to certain sections, to ensure equal rights for all minorities. While he had refused Aung San’s request to serve on the Governor’s Council, he did accept an advisory position to Aung San. He would have been in the Council Chamber on July 19, 1947, had he not been sick that day, when the assassination of Aung San and his entire Shadow Cabinet, which included Sayagi U Razzak, took place.

U Raschid was brought into successive Cabinets of Prime Minister U Nu. He was an acknowledged expert on labor matters, and so while other portfolios varied, he was always the Minister in charge of the Labor Ministry. And because of his expertise in this field he was elected President of the International Labor Conference in Geneva, in 1961. He had the distinction of also being the father of the Trade Union movement in Burma, having founded the very first

labor union during the British days, called the Shop Assistants Welfare Society, of which he was President. He served for many years as Vice-President of the Trade Union Congress (Burma) (TUCB), with U Ba Swe as President. After the

General Aung San and U Raschid (1947)

A.F.P.F.L. split, he was elected President of the newly formed Union Labour Organization.

In the mid 1960s, Prime Minister U Nu wanted to send U Raschid as Burma’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. But U Raschid’s devotion to the development of Burma and its people was more important to him. So he asked U Nu not to send him. Prime Minister U Nu then sent U Thant in his stead; and U Thant went on to become the Secretary General of the U.N., in which capacity he brought much honor to the country.

During Burma’s democratic period he also became active in Muslim affairs. He was elected, and served for many years, as the President of the Burma Muslim Organization (BMO). However, like Aung San, he did not believe that politics and religion should be mixed. So the BMO was set up as a purely religious and social organization for the betterment of the Muslims of Burma. While his political affiliation and work took place as a part of the top leadership

of the Anti-Fascist Peoples’ Freedom League (AFPFL). Through the BMO he set up a separate committee comprised of some of the top Muslim scholars to translate the Holy Quran into the Burmese language. This work took twenty-five years to complete. When he presented Prime Minister U Nu with a copy of Volume 1 of the newly translated Holy Quran, the Prime Minister, who was a Burmese scholar of some note himself, said after reading it, that the translation was a “landmark in the history of Burmese literature”. With a life-long interest in the education of Muslim youth, U Raschid, was very happy, and felt privileged to be invited to attend the first World Muslim Conference on Education, held in Jeddah, by the Saudi government. He had set up the Muslim Fund Trust in Burma, which provided scholarships to deserving Muslim students for higher studies, both within the country and abroad.

U Raschid was also fortunate to have married Fatima (Daw Thaung May), whose father Dr. (Capt.) N. A. Khan, was an Assistant Civil Surgeon in Thayetmyo at that time. They married of their own choice (a quite remarkable thing among Muslims at that time!). She became a very supportive and capable wife, whose life-long devotion to welfare work is quite well known to people of that generation. She served on the Boards of the Rangoon General Hospital, and most of the other Hospital run by the existing NGOs of that time. She was also on the Board of the Burma Red Cross; because of which she became a strong promoter of blood donation. She was instrumental in setting up the first blood bank at the Rangoon General

Hospital in the early 1950s. As President of the National Council of women in Burma she oversaw the support and running of three maternity and child welfare clinics in Rangoon; and was also very involved with the Muslim Free Dispensary, as well as the Zinat Islam Muslim Boys’ Home (an orphanage for Muslim children from all over the country).

After the military coup of 1962, U Raschid went through a six year period of detention. His “cell mate” at that time was U Myint Thein, the former Chief Justice of Burma. He was arrested again in 1974, and was released after 18 months, without any charge. The reason of his arrest being that there were some Muslim young men caught in a group that was planning to assassinate General Ne Win; and the Military Intelligence thought that U Raschid might be involved.

U Raschid died in 1978, of prostate cancer, in Karachi, Pakistan, where he had gone to visit his son, Bilal, who had settled there with his family; and is buried there.

Rangoon University Students’ Union Executive Committee & Staff (1936)

U Raschid, President; with U Aung San, Vice-President (on his right); U Nyo Mya (Oway Editor) at extreme right of photo.

SOME QUOTES FROM OTHER SOURCES:

U Nu, the first and only elected Prime Minister of Burma, wrote:

“It was my good fortune to come across Hajee U Raschid in my university student days, and to work with him in the Executive Committee of the Rangoon University Students’ Union; and later in the Council of Ministers of the Government after the independence of Burma. . . .

“He had a winning personality. Though he was not a Burman, he became very popular among the university students. they saw him not as an alien but as one of their own. This fact is borne (out) by te fact that the students unanimously, without contest, chose him as the president of the Rangoon University Students’ Union, as well as of the All-Burma Students’ Union. . .

“Though born in India and had his roots there, Hajee U Raschid grew up, was educated and had worked in Burma among the Burmese. He, therefore, had great attachment to Burma and the Burmese and served their interests to the best of his ability, all the time he was in Burma. there is no doubt about it. we all, therefore, owe our thanks to him.”

Professor Hugh Tinker (The Union of Burma):

“Fortunately, in U Nu the country has a leader big enough to tackle all these difficult tasks, while alongside him stand Ba Swe, Bo Ne Win, Kyaw Nyein, M. A. Raschid, and others who have been tried and not found wanting. . .”

And in a BBC broadcast commentary, in 1961: Speaking of the A.F.P.F.L.’s ‘Clean’ faction winning the election, he said: “U Nu really has only two lieutenants of stature, Dr. E. Maung and Mr. M. A. Raschid . . .” And in an article titled “This Day and Age – Burma”, he expresses similar views, while writing about the “Clean AFPFL”’s victory in the 1961 elections: “His victory is welcome because it represents the free choice of the people of Burma. The Colonels did not attempt to influence events in favor of their Socialist friends. And the Socialist party machine did not produce an automatic majority. But U Nu faces the task of government with a perilously sparse number of firs-class lieutenants. Dr. E maung, the former Acting Chief Justice, and mr. M. A. Raschid, the veteran Cabinet Minister and business man, are both of the highest calibre. . . .”

Dr. Frank Trager (Head of the US Aid Team to Burma):

In comments to Prime Minister U Nu (as narrated by the Prime Minister): “Mr. Trager called on me as Prime Minister, to bid farewell. At this meeting, Professor Trager told me that his delegation has decided to recommend more aid than they had intended; and that was because of the Burmese side leader U Raschid’s eloquence, persuasive powers and convincing presentation of the Burmese case.”

‘Dagon’ Taya (Writer, poet, editor of the Dagon magazine before the war,and Taya after):

In the article “Politics Was His Sole Existence”, in the book “Aung San of Burma”, compiled and edited by Dr. Maung Maung: “Aung San could be highly emotional. I remember a meeting of the Rangoon University Students’ Union held to commemorate an anniversary of the strike. One Indian student stood up and strongly criticized Mr. Raschid, a former president of the Union, and Aung San, shaking with anger, waved his fists at the student and challenged him to a fight.”

Justice William O. Douglas (Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court):

In his book titled “North from Malaya”, which he inscribed with these words in his own handwriting, “For M. A. Raschid, with admiration and affection”, and presented U Raschid a copy, Justice Douglas writes: “I talked with the Minister for Housing and Labor, M. A. Raschid, who with the advice of American and European experts, has conceived what promises to be the brightest low-cost housing project anywhere in the world. Raschid has started it in seven cities and in one village in each of ten districts. The village projects are designed to create model modern villages, including schools.”

The Geneva Diplomat, 15 June 1961, extract from an article titled “Raschid of Rangoon”:

“Burmese Minister of Labour, A. Raschid has been elected President of the 45th. International Labour Conference in Geneva, attended by more than 1,000 delegates from some 100 countries. Minister Raschid is one of the most respected men in international labour affairs. The choice could not have been a better one. Although Burma is predominantly a Buddhist country, Minister Raschid belongs to the Moslem minority of a country where the predominant characteristic of the people is tolerance. Last year, on that most delightful of Geneva’s institutions, the boat trip which the Genevois provide for the ILO delegates when the ILO conference winds up its affairs, Minister Raschid was gunning for us for a remark we used in describing an African delegate. When the misinterpretation was clarified we discovered that finally we had come across the real Voice of Asia who would defend to this utmost ability an African whom he considered to have been wronged.

SOME HISTORIC PHOTOS:

Photo : Su Su (as a teenager) in U Raschid’s home. Behind her is U Raschid; and on Su Su’s left is Mrs. Fatima Raschid. On U Raschid’s right is U Ant Gyi (famous singer). Mrs. Ant Gyi is behind Mrs. Raschid (at right) (1950s photo).

Photo : Mr. Tommy Ezdani (NLD Representative from Kalaw, S.S.S, and a cousin of U Bilal Raschid) introducing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (seated behind) (1990 photo)

The End