Author: CHUNG Yoon Ngan
Date: 01-03-12 19:09
My Family in the British Colonial Malaya - 1858 to 1960 (5)
080. The declaration of the Emergency - 1948
I will go to the forest for justice,
For justice and righteousness,
And become a green-clad man.
The rulers pursue me with soldiers,
With riders, chariots and spears.
I will go to the forest for justice,
The people will flock to me.
I right their wrongs from the green shade,
And kill the rulers with arrows.
The horsemen stumble with fear.
I will go to the forest for justice.
The wind for my garment I wear.
Together with my many companions,
The wind for my garment and the rain my drink,
We build a new heaven and earth.
From the book "...AND THE RAIN MY DRINK"
By Han Suyin (韓素音) a world renowned author.
.........................................................
During the period of 1946 to 1948 there were a lot of troubles between the
ex-MPAJA (ex-Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army) and the British Colonial
Authorities. The country was recovering from the war. There were strikes
everywhere by the workers for decent pays. However, the British used heavy
handed to break up the strikes. The British sent troops to go against the
workers. In many instances, the British troops opened fire and killed many
workers. The ex-MPAJA took retaliatory action and had the strike breakers,
the managers of two rubber estates, killed in Sungei Siput on June 16, 1948.
The British declared war on the ex-MPAJA. But they did not use the word
"War" but "Emergency". As the author John Gullick, an authority on Malaya
and one-time member of the Malayan Civil Service, points out," It was a
war - though out of regard for the London insurance market, on which the
Malayan economy relied for cover, no one ever used the word". Noel Barber,
the author of the book "The War of the Running Dogs" says," This misnomer
continued for twelve years, for the simple reason that insurance rates covered
losses of stocks and equipment through riot and civil commotion in an emergency,
but not in a civil war".
The ex-MPAJAs went back to the jungle and took up arms to wage a guerrilla
war against the British Colonial Authorities. During the Japanese occupation
the British desperately asked for help from the MPAJA[1A] whom they praised
as the heroes. After the war the British awarded some many distinguished
medals to members of the MPAJA. Their leader Chin Peng (陳平) was awarded
two medals, the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and Burma Star by the
Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asia, Admiral Mountbatten. Now the
British were back to become the Colonial Master of Malaya they turned against
the MPAJA whom they considered Communist Terrorists. Chin Peng became Public
Enemy No.1 and his head was worth a quarter of a million dollars.
Some of the Emergency Regulations
The British Colonial Authorities in Malaya introduced Emergency Regulations
to give the British more power over the life liberty of the Malayan People.
Some of the regulations were as follow:
(1) Suspicion for being a Hill People (Communist) could be detailed for
up to two years without trial;
(2) Traffic and the passage of food along public roads could be controlled;
(3) Houses could be searched by the police without warrants;
(4) Curfews could be imposed;
(5) Heavy penalties could be imposed for assisting the Hill People;
(6) Any person found in possession of arms and ammunition and convicted
would be sentenced to death by hanging.
(From the book "Jungle War in Malaya" By Harry Miller 1972 ISBN 0 213 99454
2)
There was one regulation that the Communists hated so much that they launched
an out all campaign trying to disrupt it and preventing the government to
implement it. It was the system of compulsory national registration and
the introduction of identity cards. According to the regulation every man
and woman, and every child over twelve years old, must possess an identity
card bearing his name, photograph and thumbprint. The British Colonial Authorities
were cocksure that the Communists would never register themselves. Thus,
at the end of registration, any person without an identity card could be
presumed to be a Hill People. This was a way to distinguish between an ordinary
citizen and a Hill People.
The Communists launched anti-registration campaign. I quote from Harry Miller'
s book:
"They (the Hill People) described registration as a government plan to conscript
men for the British Army, to levy oppressive taxes, to facilitate forced
labour, and to requisition food supplies.
"Photographers who travelled to villages, reaping a sudden and rich harvest
taking head-and-shoulder portraits for identity cards, were threatened with
death, and so were people who showed readiness to meet the government's
wishes. Some photographers were slashed to death, people with identity cards
shot dead, and registration teams were attacked. But the brutal campaign
did not stop the photographers or the people turning up at registration
centers."
In my home town called Pusing, there was a young man called Mak Hon Liang
(麥漢良) [2B], who owned a photography shop at Batu Gajah Road. His shop
was called See Fa Photo Studio (時化影相店) which was right opposite the
Pusing Police Station. A member from the Min Yuen (民運 an organization
that supported the Hill People) told Mr. Mak to stop taking head-and-shoulder
portraits for identity cards. Mr. Mak reported to the police that the Hill
People wanted him to stop taking photos for identity cards. The policemen
assured him that they would keep an eye on his shop.
One day, a Hill People came and threw a hand grenade into his shop and blew
up his photo studio. Luckily no members of Mak's family was inside the studio
when hand grenade exploded and no want was hurt. The shop was not on fire.
Mr. Mak was really frightened. He did not repair his shop immediately but
waited until the national registration was over that was in the spring of
1949.
[2B]
After the Second World War, the MPAJA leadership and its organizations remained
underground. Although the MPAJA was officially disbanded in December 1945
there were still about 3,000 troops living in the jungle throughout Malaya.
The MPAJA were actually divided their troops into two armies: the "Open
Army" and the "Clandestine Army 秘密軍". The 'Clandestine Army' were to
remain underground in expectation that the returned British Colonial Authorities
would turn against them. Some of the arms parachuted by the British were
buried in the jungle in case of any hostile contingency from the British.
The Malayan Communist Party (MCP)wanted to kick the British out so that
they could establish a Communist Government in Malaya that the Malays and
Indians were totally against it. Eventually the Malays sided with the British
to fight the MCP. The war called "The Emergency" that lasted for 12 years
from 1948 to 1960.
[1A] Mak Hon Liang, eventually, repaired his studio but he did not work
as a photographer but leased his studio to a man by the name of Khor Yok
Tong (郭玉堂). Mak Hon Liang went to work in an architecture firm in Kampar.
Several years later Mak Hon Liang became a member of the Malayan Registered
Architect.
Mak Hon Liang is the elder brother of Dato Mak Hon Kam who was a Cabinet
Minister in Dr Mahathir's Administration for 12 years. Mak Hon Kam and I
lived in a two bed-room house together for 4 years when we were students
studying in Australia, in the 1960s. He is a businessman now based in China
although his home is in Malaysia. He is an Australian trained Architect.
We are still in contact with each other by mobile phone occasionally.
Posted to Overseas Chinese Forum at asiawind.com
By CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
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