Witness: Mat Indera confessed to being a communist member

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GEORGE TOWN: A senior lecturer at the History Department, Open University, United Kingdom, Dr Karl Hack, told the Penang High Court here yesterday that Mohamad (Ahmad) Indera or Mat Indera had confessed that he was a communist.

He said this was based on a statement made by Mat Indera when he was arrested by the police in October 1952 after the attack on the Bukit Kepong police station in Johor on Feb 23, 1950.

Hack, who edited the book ‘Dialogue With Chin Peng’ which was published in 2004, said this when testifying in the trial of a suit filed by PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu against Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd.

Questioned by lawyer Mohamed Hanipa Maidin, representing Mohamad, Hack said the police were able to arrest Mat Indera with the help of his friend, known as Mat Tukyo.

Mat Indera was arrested on Oct 14, 1952 at Kampung Seri Medan, Batu Pahat, Johor, he added.

In the suit filed at the Penang High Court, Mohamad, also known as Mat Sabu, named Utusan Melayu and its group editor-in-chief Datuk Aziz Ishak, as the defendants.

He claimed that they had maliciously published an article on Aug 27, 2011 and two more articles the following day, containing defamatory elements.

The three articles, he said, were related to the issue on the communist attack on the Bukit Kepong police station in Johor.

Mat Sabu claimed the publication of the articles had indirectly showed that he was a communist supporter, had deviated from Islamic teachings and faith for supporting the communists in according such recognition to Mat Indera.

Earlier, Mohamad, also known as Mat Sabu, who continued his testimony on the second day of the trial yesterday, said he was not certain of the objectives of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM).

He said this when questioned by counsel Datuk Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin, one of the lawyers representing Utusan.

The other is Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun.

During today’s proceedings, two files, containing documents on Mat Indera’s statement which was recorded by the police, were tendered as exhibits.

Justice Datuk Seri Zakarian Sam postponed hearing to Jan 2 and 3 next year. — Bernama