Mokhtaruddin Lasso (1915–1951) was a Sumatran-born Malayan independent guerrilla, a former anti-Japanese rebel duringWorld War II who later became one of the founders ofParti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (PKMM – Malay Nationalist Party).
Mokhtaruddin was born inPadang,West Sumatera, in 1915. His given name was Mukhtar Sutan Indra Lasso. He had his early education inMULO, Padang. After Silungkang uprising, he left West Sumatra and went toBatavia joined withIndonesian National Party. In 1937, he moved toSingapore and Malaya. There he made a contact withTan Malaka. Influenced by Tan Malaka's concept, he established Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya and envisaged a socialist platform for the party. He was anatheist, the earliest known in Malay history, and once debated about the existence of a god with his colleague and futurePAS president,Burhanuddin al-Helmy.[1]
During the declaration day of PKMM policies, 30 November 1945, he revealed 8 resolutions which were considered influenced by theCommunist Party of Malaya by the British colonists. Furthermore, PKMM's anti-UMNO and anti-British movement and activities were worried by the British. Due to this, the British refused Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya's registration under the Malayan's establishment law. Later, Mokhtaruddin, along with few other anti-British leaders were imprisoned and presumably executed.
