Simon Soon
According to the Penang Riots Report, the Red Flag society was established around 1859. It further states that the Red Flag established an alliance with the Toh Peh Kong sometime at the end of 1863 or 1864, after fighting one another on Acheen St. .The Red Flag had their headquarters at the Malay Mosque on Acheen Street.
A witness testament in 1867 suggests that 'Red Flag was formed into a kongsi since the last 8 years' This suggests that the organisation could've existed in a different form earlier. Mahani Musa draws on Wynne's suggestion that Red Flag could've been around since the 1830s and emerged from the Kedah Wars. Mahani disagrees with Wynne on its political nature and suggested that Red Flag initially functioned more as a religious organisation although no evidence is provided. Vapoo Merican Noordin told the Commission of Enquiry that in the early years, the membership was Malay, he was the first few Jawi Pekan to join. Entrance money was a dollar.
‘Che Long people do not belong to the Toh Peh Kong Society, but they are friendly with them, and have their houses in Acheen Street and Campong Java. Friendliness defines as: Che Long and I arranged with each other the in case one of my people should injure one of his, I should apologise to him and adjust the matter; in a reverse case, Che Long should do likewise.’ (Khoo Khean Teik)
The entrance fee for the Red Flag Society was fixed at $1.16, of which six cents was paid to the Doorkeeper, ten cents to the Instructor of the secret sign and the remainder to the Society. All members would be given a piece of red cloth as a distinguishing 'badge' to be used during any disturbances. 47 According to witness No. 39 at the enquiry, a Roll Book of members in Penang was kept and it was obligatory for every member to sign his name in it. For Province Wellesley, the society kept a similar Roll of member.
The membership fee is recorded in 1925 at $1.25. The Red Flag membership card was a ticket on yellow or red paper. On one side was written the name of the member and his address or kampong; o the other side a device bearing crossed Red triangular flags and a facsimile of the Eight Diagrams "Pat Kwa八卦" which showed the influence of the Chinese Triad Society. In the Red Flag Society, the grip was as follows. The thumb was placed with a distinct pressure on the knuckle of the forefinger and in withdrawing the hand, the tips of the fingers were drawn lightly along the tips of the fingers on the other man's hands.
One of the test questions of the Red Flag Society was, 'Has your mother old iron?' The exact answer was not recorded. A possible response recorded was, 'She has three cash' possibly an allusion to the three cash usedin the Triad Ritual. If the person asked could not give the correct answer, he was beaten. Another test question was, 'Who is your mother?' the answer begins, 'The Red Flag Society'.
The leading members of Red Flag comprised Che Long @ Hadjee Mahomed Noor, Tuan Mohamed, Vapoo Merican Noordin, Abdul Kader Merican, Che Awang Pet, Said Mohamed Atas, Said Houssain Ideed, Che Aboo, Talib, Che Amboo,Wan Man, Madarsah Merican (according to the PRCR , a 'superintendent' and a leader of the riot party), Che Deen, Pawan Nerepoo and Nadar (a police peon). In this instance, the headmen of fifteen localities, namely Titih Papan, Datu Kramat, Kampong Lama, Ayer Itam, Sungai Pinang, Batu Uban (where Che Oodin was the head), Bayan Lepas, Penang Road, Batu Man, Dhobie Ghaut, Kampong Bharu, Telok Jelutong, Sungai Gelugor, Sungai Nibong, Telok Coomba, assisted the Red Flag.
Notes:
Penang Riots Report. 1867. Commissioners under the Penang Riots Enquiry Act of 1867 stting in the Office of the Public Works Department, George Town, Penang, 205.
W.G. Stirling. 1925. 'The Red and White Flags Soceities' Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, April 3:1, 57-61.
Mahani Musa. 1999. 'Malays and the Red and White Flag Socieities in Penang, 1830s-1920s' Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 72: 2, 151-182.
