KENAPA MEREKA BERJUMPA CHIN PENG

Other than Raja Aziz Addruse and Tommy Thomas, CPM veteran Chin Peng also met his lawyer from Ipoh, Chan Kok Keong (right; standing) and his two legal assistants Grace Wong (second from left; standing) and Beh Cha Yong (third from left; standing). Another lawyer, Patrick Leong and his two children ( not in picture ) also joined the three-day rendezvous in Bangkok, where many thoughts were freely exchanged.



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Chin Peng as MPAJ and MCP leader
I was reading a news article online about Chin Peng, a former guerilla fighter for the Malayan People Anti Japanese Army and leader of the Malayan Communist Party. As the name suggests, he used to be a leader in fighting the cruel and brutal occupation of the Imperial Japanese army during the World War 2.

He was also the leader of the Malayan Communist Party that stroke feared into the times and life of Malayan back in the pre-Merdeka days. He was even awarded the Order of the British Empire for his effort but later removed of his title.

Chin Peng was awarded for his courage and effort against the Japanese.

According to Times magazine, British Intelligence Officer Lieut. Colonel F. Spencer Chapman, who spent three and a half years dodging the ‘zeros’ in Malayan tropical jungles, called him “Britain’s most trusted guerrilla representative.” After the war, he led the communist party and from there, he was known as a terrorist by the British in Malaya. Soon after the Baling Talk in the midst of the Malayan Emergency of 1948, he left for Thailand and retired.

Just last week, the 83 year old appealed for another chance to return to Malaysia as a citizen. His bid was rejected as he doesn’t possess documentations of his birth in the then Malaya. According to sources, his birth certificate was confiscated during a police raid at his previous house. If you look at it this way, what are the odds of a non-malayan would fight in a war in Malayan at the age of 17.

Sometimes, I thought, he is one the heroes of our nation. He fought bravely against the Japanese alongside the British soldiers. Yeah, he did kill some people here and there to achieve his personal believe. Basically, he just didn’t agree with British refusing to even listen to the Malayan’s bid for Independence. Hey, even nowadays Malaysian politician “kill” people in order to achieve their own personal goal.

I just felt, if Chin Peng would to be killed in action during the war like one of our brave fighter, Lieut. Adnan, he would been a national hero and has his OBE carved on his tombstone. It’s just that he was known as a “communist war lord” by the British and until now, us Malaysian. I am not asking for Malaysians to accept his legacy and his believe, I just want us to reconsider the person he was, during the WW2 and then the Malayan Emergency, and maybe, he might be a unknown freedom fighter after all.

by young malaysian: Tan Han jun