A great grandson of Tok Janggut, one of the Malay warriors who fought the colonist in 1914 in Kelantan, wants the government to honour the man for his deeds to the nation in conjunction with the country's 52nd Merdeka celebration.

Sulaiman Ismail, 85, said his great grandfather should be accorded a similar honour like those made for his colleagues in Pahang, Perak and Negeri Sembilan where memorials had been erected in their honour.

"This is important for the present and future generations so that they would not lose their identities," he told reporters at his house in Kampung Batu Hitam today.

Tok Janggut or whose real name was Haji Mohd Hassan Munas fought the British in Pasir Puteh and was killed in a fight at Kampung Saring. His body was buried by the British in Pasir Pekan, Kota Baharu.

Prior to that, Tok Janggut was appointed a prime minister by the ruler of Jeram district.

Sulaiman claimed that he still had the keris which was used by his great-grandfather in the fight and that the weapon would be kept as a family heritage and passed from generation to generation.

Emulate Tok Janggut

He suggested the government to exhume Tok Janggut's remains from the grave in Pasir Pekan and to relocate them to a grave in Kampung Saring, which was his village and also the place where he was killed.

Meanwhile, Zulkifli Ali, who was born on Merdeka Day in 1966 at Kampung Bukit Abal, here, said the Malays should emulate Tok Janggut who was willing to die for his religion and race.

He said the Malays should realise that if they did not unite, they would lose their power and would suffer in their own country.

- Bernama