THE MCP AND THE INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT
Dr. Ranjit Singh Malhi (The Sun 14 September) raises some important points about the Malayan Communist Party and left-wing nationalism.
It is true that the MCP’s armed challenge expedited the British plan to grant Independence to our country, though Malaya was in the fifties one of Britain’s most lucrative colonies. It was also one of the reasons why the Malay elite liberalised the terms of citizenship for the recently domiciled immigrant population.
But whatever the MCP’s impact, it should not obscure our understanding of the ethnic character of the movement. The MCP was the only preponderantly non-indigenous communist party in Southeast Asia. It was China oriented both in letter and spirit. The party even mirrored the splits and schisms in the Chinese Communist Party and in Chinese politics as a whole.
This is why when the MCP directed Malayan People’s Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) attempted to gain control of a number of towns in Malaya through force at the end of the Japanese Occupation of the country in 1945, it was perceived by the Malays as a Chinese bid to usurp power. It was a perception that became even stronger during the period of the armed communist insurgency from 1948 to 1960. It has had a profound effect upon ethnic relations in Malaysia.
It was this — an ethnic character that was at variance with the cultural ethos of the land— and not its ideology per se or its use of violence which made the MCP unique. After all, radical left parties that chose to resort to arms were part of the freedom struggle of a number of countries in Asia and Africa. Whatever our feelings about their ideology or their political methods, we should not deny them their rightful place in history.
By the same token, the contributions of the Left in our own quest for Independence, as Ranjit rightly argues, should be given due emphasis in our history textbooks. The Left had preceded UMNO and the Alliance not only in its call for Merdeka but also in pioneering an inter-ethnic coalition immediately after the Second World War. In similar vein, Islamic writers and preachers who began articulating their thoughts about colonialism, freedom and justice in different parts of the Malay Peninsula even before the Left should also be readily acknowledged. Equally important, an inclusive approach to our history will also recognise the role of freedom fighters in Sabah and Sarawak.
Chandra Muzaffar
Kuala Lumpur.
15 September 2011.