‘Chin Peng must be remembered as a terrorist’

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ACP (Rtd) Jeremy Ting

Col (Rtd) Fabian Wong

KUCHING: Former police special branch officer ACP (Rtd) Jeremy Ting said it is a historical fact that Chin Peng was actually a terrorist whose death should be considered a closure to the nation’s dark era.

Ting pointed out that Chin Peng and his Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) and the North Kalimantan Communist Party (NKCP) in Sarawak were fighting to turn Malaysia into a communist state – which was an ideology alien to the world at that time.

“I am surprised that so many people, in fact majority of them Chinese, have been clamouring for Chin Peng’s remains to be brought back to Malaysia for burial. I cannot see the logic here. They have been arguing that Chin Peng was a freedom fighter and had contributed to Malaysia’s independence.

“I wonder if any of them or their forefathers had suffered any misery during the height of the communist insurgency. I believe they didn’t go through the traumatic experience like those whose parents were murdered and their families uprooted during the 40 years of terror initiated by the communists.

“I believe very few people actually understand the feeling of a parent when a young child is coaxed by communist elements and leaves the family without giving any notice. Some were as young as 14 years old, as I had personally witnessed.
“So, please don’t revere Chin Peng as a hero. He was never one,” Ting told The Borneo Post here yesterday.

However, Ting, who retired from the police force three years ago, acknowledged that Chin Peng did fight for the independence of Malaysia, fighting hand in hand with the British against the Japanese occupation with the Malayan People’s Anti-Japanese Army (Mpaja).

“But the moment Japan surrendered; Mpaja turned their guns against the British for one reason and one reason only – to turn Malaya into a communist state. Communist ideology was brought from China to Malaya since 1921 when communist uprising took place in USSR and extended its influence to China with Mao Tze Tung as the main campaigner.

“Communism was then spread across the whole of South East Asia through emigrations of mainland Chinese,” explained Ting. On the argument by some people that the government was not forgiving and narrow minded, he said: “Well, to a certain degree, but at the same time, should they not take into consideration the feelings of those whose family members were influenced by the communist ideology and sacrificed their lives vainly for a futile cause?

“Or the feelings of those whose family members were murdered by the communist terrorists, especially the lives of the security forces personnel.”

“Do you know what will happen if his remains are allowed to be buried in Malaysia? His so-called contributions will be honoured over time, and he will be worshipped as a hero – much to the anger of those affected by the communists over the forty plus years,” he added.

Meanwhile, former army officer Col (Rtd) Fabian Wong concurred with Ting that Chin Peng did help to fight the Japanese, but with his own agenda and was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

“But he was never awarded a gallantry or bravery award. Failing to get what he wanted as per his agenda, he turned against the government of the day.

“He could be a good fellow, I don’t know. But to take up arms against the government and causing untold miseries and many deaths to the people, especially the Chinese, the government of the day rightfully denied his ashes or body to be brought back to Malaysia at the wishes of the majority of the people,” he said.