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History
Divide and rule in action
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| The British
create trouble THE COMMUNIST PARTY of Malaya was formed to oppose colonialism and to fight for independence and freedom of Malaya. For that reason it was the irreconcilable enemy of the British colonialists. But during the Second World War the Communist Party adopted a policy of alliance with the colonialists to fight the Japanese fascist invasion. The Communist Party organised the people of all races to form an anti-Japanese alliance. It formed the Malayan Peoples Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) known as the Three-Stars because its emblem was three stars representing the unity of the peoples of Malaya mainly the Malays. Chinese and Indians. The MPAJA launched attacks on the Japanese army and established bases throughout the country. I was active in the southern Sungai Perak area where we established strong bases. The Chinese and Indians and especially the Malays cooperated and worked together under the leadership of the Communist Party. After the Japanese surrender, the MPAJA and important leaders of the Communist Party were established in towns to control peaceful conditions. In the countryside the task was given to the party and to the people's popular forces. The British colonialists though compelled to praise the great contribution of the MPAJA and the Party to the ani-Japanese War wee not happy with the prestige that they enjoyed. They were afraid that the unity of the people would make it difficult for them to reestablish themselves. They practised the policy of dividing the races, using racial sentiments and religion. They were expert at stirring up trouble between different communities, their experience in India was applied here. In a short while the unity that built up during the war against the Japanese diminished. In the Sungai Perak area close friendship became hostility. Malays now wanted a "holy" war. This led to bloodshed. |
| However
those affected by the British instigation were the pillars of religion.
The nationalists and the religious progressives saw through the British
plot. Dr Burhanudinn and Ahmad Boestamam firmly opposed the British
tactics. We worked hard to stop the disputes between the people. Leading religious teachers from Gunong Semanggul, Perak, vigorously opposed the colonialists. They were not deceived by the British and co-operated will all groups including the Communist Party. The Japanese also employed such tactics towards the end. They manipulated the bloodshed at Sungai Manik where the MPAJA was compelled to oppose the attack instigated by them. After that incident the Communist Party calmed the situation and incidents like that never happened again. The incident was repeated at Sungai Siput. As in the case of other kampongs, Kampong Salak and Sungai Siput were good anti Japanese bases where the people aupported the Communist Party and actively anti Japanese. Khatijah Ali, whose father was a Chinese who became Mulim, was an MCP activist who wrote for the MCP Jawi paper. Soon after the Japanese surrender the parang panjang group appeared and killed Khatijah. Her son and two brothers survived the attack . When he heard the news , Arshad Ashaari of the working group of the MNP went to Kampong Salak to save her family and to bring them to Ipoh. One of her younge brother, Yahaya came to live with me in Kuala Lumpur. Khaijah had just begun work with the MNP as central committee member for Women's Afffairs. The Indian Muslim Platoon While my friends and I were busy doing work in Ipoh the British quietly despatched a Muslim platoon from India to Telok Intan along the Sungai Perak to Malay kampongs inciting hatred of the Chinese and the Communist Paty among them. This caused a change among these peeople who had been supporters of the anti Japanese war. Many parang panjang groups sprang up, anti Chinese and anti Communist. They killed Chinese and communists. Many Chinese led Telok Anson leaving their properties behind. Ub Kambour my friend Seman was killed by the parang panjang while having a bath. At Layang a member of the Communist Paty was hunted by them but luckily escaped to the forest where he was a lone guerrilla supported by his family. At Bota a Communist was caught but released with certain conditions. Though Batu Gajah had no parang panjang group because the assistant penghulu was Sulaiman Bulun the Chinese nevertheless left in fear of their lives. The Durian Incident One day, two Malay durian sellers rushed into the MCP office at Ipoh. I attended to them while Rashid Mydin who was in the next room prepared to meet any attacks. The two men complained that they had come from Parit with a lory load of durian to sell at the market not far from the MCP office but had not sold a single fruit. This morning too they had failed to find buyers. The Parit people were angry |
| and wanted to kill the Chinese. They
had come to ask the MCP to intervene. They told me that they were only businessmen and nothing to do with the killings in Parit. I explained why the Chinese were boycotting durian and promised to help, emphasising to them the need for unity for the achievement of independence. I spoke to Eng Ming Ching who immediately phoned the MNP. Two their leaders, Ahmad Boestamam and Musa Ahmad, came at once to our office. We decided that Eng Ming Ching for the MCP and Boestamam and Musa Ahmad for the MNP should go at once to Parit. After eating some durian presented by the two durian sellers, they and the two men went to Parit. The three representatives had meetings with the police and representatives from the kampongs and with Chinese businessmen. They stressed the need for unity against British colonial rule. Boestamam was firm and feared no one, the police included. The representatives of the Malays, the Chinese and the police signed an agreement that such incidents should not happen again. The Malay representatives pledged to spread the news among the kampongs. Thus the MCP and the MNP diffused the situation and business between the Malays and Chinese was revived. The durian sellers were very pleased. Chinese anger at Telok Anson The attacks by the parang panjang forced the Chinese to flee south Sungai Perak leaving their things behind. They sought refuge in Telok Anson. They were mostly doing business or had shops of their own. These shops wee taken over by Malays some of whom did well afterwards. The rich Chinese felt sorry for those who had runaway from Telok Anson and they formed units for attacking the Malays. These units practised everyday on the use of weapons such as swords and spears with food and clothes supplied The situation was explosive. The MCP of Telok Anson tried to calm the situation but the Chinese not only refused to listen but began to dislike the MCP. They only wanted to counter attack. On receiving reports from Telok Anson, Ipoh asked me to go and solve the problem. I had several meetings with the Chinese and the towkays who were angry and armed. I asked them to be calm and told them that it was all the work of the British colonialists. If there was a fight it would only benefit the British. But they wouldn't listen. I said to them, very well I shall not speak as a communist but as a Malay and I asked that they did nothing for two or three days. By then, I assured them, I would achieve success. They agreed ti wait two days. I got the help of my relatives who were government officials as well as people of influence such as Yaacob who was a leading religionist, Nik Aziz who was the district officer of Telok Anson and Datuk Zainal Abidin who was an influential businessman. |
| Two days
later we went to meet the Chinese groups again. I did not speak much.
But Nik Aziz did, as DO, condemning the clashes, saying that all would
suffer. Clashes would never end. Yaacob spoke from a religious
viewpoint and said that Islam opposed what had happened. Whether they
were Malays or Chinese the fighters should be condemned. Islam he said
taught unity and mutual assistance. Datuk Zainal Abidin said the economy
would be ruined and its effects would be felt by all irrespective of whether
they were Chinese or Malays. At first the Chinese were hostile but they became more relaxed as we talked . Finally they agreed not to counter attack but on condition that they would not sell anything to the Malays and would not buy anything from them. I said that that was all right but hostility must cease. It would only benefit the British who would not like to see the unity we had when we fought the Japanese. After these talks the Chinese hostility diminished and it became business as usual between the communities. I thanked my relatives for the help they had given. I went back to Ipoh to report. On the way I stopped at Tong Kiang's house at Kampar. I had not seen him for some time and told him what happened. I then met with a young Chinese former member of the propaganda team who had returned to his home in Kampar. We had coffee in a coffee shop where I also told him of the recent events. I noticed a stranger watching me; he was the same man I had noticed when I talked to Tong Kiang. I told my young friend who immediately took me to the bus station. The same man also boarded the bus. On the way I changed buses and thus avoided him. At Ipoh we concluded that the British colonialists had stolen a march on us and had stirred up trouble to suit their ends. While we were discussing the problem someone came from Pusing to report. A Force 136 group had entered Bekor and were inciting Malays to attack the Chinese who fled to Pusing for safety. They asked the MCP and the MPAJA for weapons but our organisations advised them to seek peace by talks. They would not listen and were angry with the MCP. They collected spears and swords. Ipoh asked me to go at once to Pusing. I was unable to go as my father suddenly came to the ofice and I had to postpone going for two days. At Masjid Ipoh I took my father to Ipoh for a visit. We put up at a hotel for the night. The next day he wanted to say his prayers at a mosque so we went to one and prayed there. When we were about to leave we saw strangers in two cars parked in the compound. They got hold of me and said, "You have to become a Malay again." My father was shocked. The group forced me to have a bath and then to say my prayers. I was sure these people were British intelligence agents who had been spying on my movements. They warned me not to be a communist. Among their warnings were "Communists destroy religion." They then took my father and I in their cars to Parit. I was furious with these British agents who had wanted me to become a Malay again. Was I not a Malay? Since the Malacca government, Malays had embraced the Muslim religion and built a Malay civilisation and glory on the foundations of Islam. |
| I was born a Malay and therefore
a Muslim. From young I had learnt the elements of the religion and customs
of the Malays. What did these fellows mean to stop me following the communist movement? During the war against the Japanese invaders I saw men in different situations. Those who inspired me were those who steadfastly and bravely gave their lives for their country. I saw that those who did this were communists and patriotic and democratic Malays. Yet there were some extremely religious people who loyally carried out the orders of the Japanese fascists. Was not defence of the nation, religion and country part of the faith? While these thoughts passed through my mind we arrived at Parit, where they dropped us with a warning that I should stay home and not to get mixed up with the communists. Someone arranged for a perahu for my father and I to get to Lambor. When we got to Bota we saw crowds marked with red carrying parangs. I thought they must be parang panjang groups ready for holy war. When we arrived at Lambor the family arranged for Arif a relative to be my guard and advised that I was to take him with me wherever I went. Every day father and I went to the mosque which was close by. At that time all adults wore red and carried parangs ready for the holy war, meanwhile learning the secrets of invulnerability. As head of kampong my father was a well respected man with many visitors to the house. These people spoke of plans for a holy war against the Chinese and asked me to join them. I declined on the excuse that I had not yet learnt the protecting charms A few days later they launched the attack but the Chinese hit back and the battle was fierce and there were many casualties. The dead in Lambor were buried as martyrs. I sent Arif out for news. I also met young people who had worked with me in the Young Malay Movement (KMM) and in the people's armed forces. They were sad that as they said times had changed. I urged them to study and if possible to go overseas. I told them that I too was thinking of going to England to continue my studies. Those who took my advice included Tamin (Mohamed), Abdul Latif (Datuk Haji) and Lily Sharifah. Two of the young who met me said, "You'd be lucky to be abroad for if you stay you are sure to be cut to pieces by the parang panjang." I said nothing in reply. The Chinese shops meanwhile had disappeared and Malay shops had appeared. What the Chinese left behind was taken piece by piece by theft. I thought it was a lucky thing Tong Kiang had gone away earlier. Soon after the attacks the parang panjang groups dispersed and the Indian Muslim platoon instigating the attacks left the area. A month later nothing was heard of the parang panjang. My father in the meanwhile without my knowledge decided to marry me to the daughter of a retired penghulu. I only learnt about this |
| when my father
said, "Get married then go to England when you can then become a high
ranking officer. Clifford School will not get you a high rank"
I was in a dilemma. When my mother decided on my marriage, I had to obey. Now it was my father's turn and I had to find ways of avoiding the marriage. Both parents then decided on the date and prepared for the feast: the bull and cloths were bought. I told my father I would buy better clothes for the wedding because these were better times than when the first wedding was held. These could be bought at Parit and I would go with Arif to do my shopping. My father reluctantly agreed but asked that I should not delay my return. We looked at some shops but I said I was not satisfied with what they offered. I said we should go to Ipoh where the choice was wider and Arif agreed. When we got to Ipoh I went at once to the office of the Communist Party and found Rashid and Eng Ming Ching there. I introduced Arif to Eng Ming Ching; Rashid added: "She is the MCP representative in Ipoh." Arif had a look at Eng Ming Ching and exclaimed, "Amboi! She's pretty!" I then introduced Rashid to Arif. I then told them about the one month I went "missing." Rashid said he had searched for me as far as Taiping. There was no news about me and he had gone back worrying about me. After a rest I asked Arif to return to Lambor saying that I had to leave at once for Taiping on business. Arif protested . Everything had been prepared and we had to return. After an argument Arif reluctantly left for Lambor. The Party then warned that the situation at Pusing had turned serious. The Chinese who had taken refuge in Pusing had armed themselves and were advancing towards Bekor. There a Malay called Harun met the Chinese at a bridge. He stretched out both his arms and asked the Chinese not to attack. He told them that he was ready to die if they refused to listen to him. They slashed him to death This Harun was a cadre of the MCP doing mass work in Bekor and its surroundings and he was highly regarded by both the Chinese and the Malays. The Chinese then went on to burn down a mosque, houses and property. I was saddened by this news and by the fact that I was unable to go to Pusing to deal with the prblem as I had done in Telok Anson. After this tragedy Dr Burhanuddin Al-Helmy and several leaders of the PKMM went to speak to the people. What was strange to Dr Burhanudin was that there was no parang panjang organisation in Bekor. In fact what people said was a parang panjang group was nothing but some Force 136 men leading others to kill Chinese. We thought that this showed that the British colonialists had planned the massacres. Shortly after, I was appointed to take over from Mokhtaruddin, who had disappeared, to do mass work among the Malays and to co-operate in work with the PKMM and leaders of the nationalists. For this work I had to remove to Kuala Lumpur More about Bekor Bekor is in the district of Kuala Kangsar. This district was the basis of an important freedom movement. Before World War II KMM's influence has spread rapidly in the area. Dr Burhanuddin Al-Helmy built his base there. Mohd Judin was one of the responsible |
| leaders of the KMM
here. While I was at Clifford School I joined the KMM through Pak Inu
who worked under Mohd Junin. Besides KMM, centres of learning like the
Clifford School and religious schools actively promoted the spirit of
freedom among students and the people. When the second world war broke out Kuomintang bandits dominated the Sungai Perak. However, in Kuala Kangsar the MPAJA drove out the bandits and established anti-Japan bases there. As I have described in earlier chapters on Lambor and other areas, from Parit to Kuala Kangsar along the Sungai Perak a strong anti-Japan war front had been formed with the CPM leading it. Malays and Chinese took part in it. There emerged Malay and Chinese cadres. Some were members of the CPM, some were from English schools, some from Arabic schools. Some became members of the PKMM. Those that I remember are : Zulkifli - of Chinese descent who went to English school. He was good at Malay Chinese and English and became a member of the CPM a mass work cadre in Bekor. He was very close to the Malays as he was with the Chinese. He married a Muslim girl and became a Muslim. He was the cadre that led the company into Ipoh and calmed the people who had heard rumours about the parang panjang. He went off to Sumatra later and I did not have news about him. Harun (an alias) - a Malay who spoke Chinese well. He was well respected by both the Malays and the Chinese. When the Chinese got to Pusing on their way to attack the Malays in Bekor, he tried to settle the matter peacefully. But he was killed and failed to bring about unity for the people and the country. Zulkifli, a student at an English school. He was a CPM member, a cadre who did mass work in Bekor. He was captured by Force 136 people during the parang panjang incident and jailed. Up to the time of the Emergency in 1948 I had no news about him. Zulkifli Auni - an Arab school student from Sumatra. He joined the CPM before the war and was a cadre in charge of mass work. Taharuddin (Baharuddin Tahir) - from Sumatra, lived in Kati. A KMM member before the war, he joined the anti-Japan movement, became a member of the CPM and a cadre for mass work.# end From the memoirs of Abdullah CD Ed Note Abdullah CD's comments on the work of Force 136 should not surprise. In 2001, it was revealed that oneof the members of the Real IRA unit, whose bombing attack on Omagh on Augst 15 1998 killed 29 civilians, had been a double agent. Several others also went public on their work with the IRA Articles by the Centre for Research on Globalisation claim that two British soldiers in civilian clothes, arested in Basra September 1997, and releaased by a Briritish assault on the prison where they were being held, were engaged in planting bombs in the city Iraqi officials insist that going back to the Spring of 2004 many of terror bombings against civilian targets in Iraq have been perpetrated by US and British forces. During the 1980s it was revealed that Luis Posada Carriles, the CIA agent respondible for the 1976 bombing of a Cuban civilian airliner was working for vice-president George H W Bush. That many of Force 136 were British officers who headed local special branch offices lends credibility to Abdullah CD's narrative. Go to the top |
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| _____________________ The Penang File Issue 49 |