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Treating the case of Chin Peng with compassion
and statesmanship, and permitting him to return to Malaysia would have
been an important building block for our race relations.
COMMENT
Almost
two years after my meeting with Chin Peng in Bangkok on Oct 2, I learnt
– as did other Malaysians – of his death on Sept 16, 2013.
His passing on is not unexpected as he had been ill for some years.
What is unexpected is the government’s refusal to allow his ashes to be
returned to Malaysia, his home country for which he fought for liberty
and freedom, initially against the Japanese and then against the
British.
Chin Peng was a freedom fighter in every sense of the word. His
record of defiance and opposition to Japanese and British colonial rule
in Malaya is unprecedented. It is comparable or even exceeds that of
anti-colonial leaders such as Ho Chi Minh, Mohammad Hatta, and
Jawaharwal Nehru who were his contemporaries in Asia’s struggle to free
itself from the yoke of western powers and Japan in the mid twentieth
century.
Other leaders that come to mind during that crucial period of
nationalist ferment after the Second World War are Nkrumah, Nasser and
Lumumba.
In all those countries whether in Asia, Africa or Latin America where
the anti-colonial and nationalist freedom fighters fought, they have
been accorded due recognition and honour.
But not in Malaysia where Umno-putraism has sought to stamp its
racial and religious politics on every aspect of life in the country
–dead and living; past, present and the future.
Why Chin Peng’s ashes are not allowed back
It is sickening to read the lame excuses that Umno leaders, in
particular Home Minister, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, have given to prevent the
homecoming of Chin Peng’s ashes.
These excuses range from the allegation that Chin Peng never applied
for citizenship to concern that a memorial may be erected for him and
fear that he would be treated as a “hero”.
Well, I have news for Umno. Chin Peng is a patriot and hero in the
eyes of many who are knowledgeable of that historical past of Japanese
and British colonial rule in Malaya and the contributions of the
Communist Party of Malaya (MCP) in fighting to free our country.
Chin Peng had three failings. One is that he and the MCP though
engaged in an armed struggle against the British should have ceased it
as soon as the country gained its independence.
This fact of MCP responsibility for killings and bloodshed, including
of innocent civilians, is undeniable and needs to be fully recorded.
He had two other failings – if we can call it that – which had prevented him from getting due recognition in his homeland.
The first is that he fought for the wrong ideology. Now if he had
collaborated with the Japanese and negotiated peacefully with the
British and sucked up to them the way many other leaders did, perhaps he
may not have been so vilified.
Our history books on the Japanese occupation of Malaya need to record
the names of Umno and other leaders who actively supported and
collaborated with the Japanese in their murderous and blood stained
rule.
Let Malaysians then draw their own conclusions as to who are the true
nationalists and patriots; who are the opportunists and collaborators;
and which were the families and loved ones that died during Japanese and
British colonial rule and who do not want the return of Chin Peng’s
ashes.
His other failing appears to be that he is a Chinese. Others have
pointed out that if Chin Peng was a Malay, his place in Malaysian
history and his ashes would be treated differently. I am sure there is
more than a grain of truth in this.
Chin Peng’s wish for Malaysia
My
reason in writing this is not simply to remind of some uncomfortable
truths and facts of our history but to point the government towards a
correct and fair closure of this particular episode of our history.
During my meeting with Chin Peng, I asked if he was keen to return to
Malaysia and what was his advice for the Malaysian Chinese.
His immediate reply was that he yearned to return to his homeland and
to die in his birth place. He also emphasised that Malaysia is a rich
country and that the Chinese must work together and cooperate with the
Malays to make Malaysia a better country.
He had hoped that under the 1Malaysia policy the government would
allow him to return to the country to show that there is no bitterness
towards the Communist Party of Malaya since both sides were fighting
against a common colonial power enemy.
It would also show that the government was serious about the truthful
portrayal of the history of Malaya which is one in which all races have
contributed.
This would also help in getting rid of the misunderstandings and
distortions that have plagued our views of the past and lay the
groundwork for racial unity and solidarity.
Treating the case of Chin Peng with compassion and statesmanship, and
permitting him to return to Malaysia – his home country – besides
putting the historical record straight- would have been an important
building block for our race relations.
The way Umno is going about it is totally wrong.
Governing the country is like managing a very large business
corporation. The definition of good management is to get all your
stakeholders – this includes staff – to do their share of work.
Staff can only do it if they are motivated. The government should
have taken advantage of this situation to win the Chinese over to work
harder for the country.
Sadly, this has now become more difficult to achieve because Umno’s blinkered and narrow-minded ideology.
Koon Yew Yin is an investor and philantropist. He is the founder IJM Group, Gamuda and Mudajaya.
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