Forgiveness and Compassion

Should Chin Peng be allowed to come home?

YES	815 (92%)
NO	30 (3%)
Not Bothered	32 (3%)

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Votes so far: 877

Days left to vote: 3

Against Chin Peng UMNO would be hard pressed to come up with one of their own that could do justice to what this 85 old man has done with his life. He made his commitment to communism at the age of 15 and was admitted into the Malaysian Communist Party (MCP) at the age of 16. Secretary General and leader of MCP by the age of 23! A life long belief that does not seem to have diminished but certainly have mellowed in his twilight years.

For his leadership of the only major and cohesive force resisting Japanese occupation in Malaya he was awarded the Burma Star, the 1939/45 Star and the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

He was involved in two major conflicts with the Malaysian Government:

·      The First Emergency between 1948 to 1960. This was an insurrection and guerrilla war by the CPM against the British and Malayan administration.

·      Communist Insurgency War (1967-1989)

     A low level resurgence of insurgent activity by the armed

     elements of the CPM from sanctuaries in the Malaysian

     -Thai border.

The insurgency was ended after the CPM signed a peace treaty with the governments of Malaysia and Thailand on 2 December 1989.

“As Malaysian citizens we pledge our loyalty to His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the country. We shall disband our armed units and destroy all weapons to show our sincerity in terminating the armed struggle.”

That was Chin Peng’s pledge together with Rashid Maidin and Abdullah CD on behalf of the CPM on that 2^nd of December of 1989 in the town of Had Yai in Southern Thailand. And he did it as a citizen of Malaysia!

And yet he has lost his bid to return to Malaysia when he could not show his identification papers to prove his Malaysian citizenship as demanded by the Court of Appeal.

So in the Peace Treaty of 2^nd December 1989 it was convenient for the Malaysian Government to accept him as a Malaysian citizen pledging his loyalty to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong but now it is also convenient for the government to ask him to produce his identification papers before he can come back to Malaysia? 

I understand that there are conflicting views on this issue. For those that experience first hand the atrocities carried out by the Communists I understand how hard it will be to forgive and forget. But we need to understand that the British also carried out atrocities. In war there are no limits to what one will go through to ensure victory. And yet, time and time again, bitter adversaries will forgive and forget because we the human race will need to go forward if we are to evolve. 

Maybe if our government waits long enough the Chin Peng issue will go away. As it did with Eric Cheah and Perwaja. As it seems that this is the way this government prefers to deal with difficult issues. Never making the hard but proper decision. Always waiting for the ravages of time to do it for them. The Lingam case, MACC and Teoh Beng Hock, Altantuya, PKFZ, Kugan, Tun Salleh Abbas…all these issues could have been resolved much sooner if there was there was goodwill and the righteous will to do what is right – to correct was is wrong – but instead were all lumped into the ‘too hard to resolve’ basket  - and over time the hope is that it will go away.

We still hope that Najib will show some moral leadership. That he will rise over the rhetoric’s and slogan calling that so pervades the politics of mediocrity that UMNO seems to wallow in. That he is able to recognize what is in the heart of our people and for once seize the initiative and show us that a leader show lead – not follow. That a leader should have moral courage and do what others are reluctant to do not because it is easy to do so but because it is hard. But we are hoping against hope…are we not?

This would be a good opportunity for Pakatan Rakyat to show moral courage and take the lead to resolve a situation that has only one emotion common within itself – that of compassion.