Kampo Radjo

Datuk Kampo Radjo or Nafias bin Rasul (1922–1988) was an Indonesian-born political activist who moved to Malaya in the 1940s and became a prominent political leader there.

A former Selangor state executive council member for Agriculture, he quit ruling party Umno alongside federal minister Aziz Ishak and was later a political detainee for over three years.

After his release, he became the leader of the left-wing Parti Sosialis Rakyat Malaysia for eight years until his death

Moving to Java, he became closely acquainted with Indonesian independence agitators Abikusno Tjokrosujoso and Arudji Kartawinata. As a result, he was arrested by the Dutch colonists for being active in Sarekat Islam.

When left-leaning Umno minister Aziz Ishak left the party to form the short-lived National Convention Party in 1963, Kampo Radjo became that party's deputy chairman. Kampo Radjo was elected as Treasurer of the Socialist Front but the coalition was soundly defeated. He himself lost in the Kuala Selangor MP race to Alliance candidate Raja Rome Raja Ma'amor who won by 11,684 votes to 4,435 in a straight fight.

After his release, Kampo Radjo joined PSRM and contested the Malacca Tengah parliamentary seat in the 1969 elections. He lost to the MCA president Tan Siew Sin who garnered 13,790 votes while Kampo Radjo won 6,490 votes and PAS candidate Mohamed Kamal Sudin came in third with 6,161 votes.

According to his PSRM party colleague Dr Syed Husin Ali, Kampo Radjo was a very good orator who was eloquent but not fiery.

Despite being a former exco, he also went everywhere by motorcycle and worked very hard for PSRM in the 1974 elections. In that election, he ran for the Dungun parliamentary constituency, losing heavily by 7,501 votes to PAS incumbent Abdul Wahab Yunus who was contesting on a Barisan Nasional ticket.

When party leaders like Kassim Ahmad and Syed Husin were detained in the mid-1970s, Kampo Radjo became PSRM acting president. He contested the Kajang state seat in 1978, losing badly in a four-way contest won by DAP's Liew Ah Kim.

He eventually served as PSRM president from 1985 until his death on August 11, 1988.

Election results