Chin Peng: My Side of History

Chin Peng: My Side of History is the autobiography of Malaysian communist leader Chin Peng, the former leader of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) who led the Malayan resistance against Japan during World War II, the resistance against the British occupation of Malaya during the Malayan Emergency, and later led communist forces during the Communist insurgency in Malaysia (1968–1989). Chin Peng joined the CPM in January, 1940, as a 15-year-old schoolboy. His commitment to the communist cause, the pre-war anti-colonial struggle against Britain and, eventually, guerrilla warfare against the Japanese invaders saw him propelled rapidly to senior positions within the CPM party structure.

By the age of 18 he had become the key link between the communists’ Malayan Peoples Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) and Britain’s clandestine Force 136, then endeavouring to set up intelligence-gathering operations behind enemy lines. While still a teenager he was promoted to head the communist movement’s activities in his home state of Perak. Immediately following the Japanese surrender, Chin Peng was appointed to the Central Committee and, ultimately, his party’s policy-making Politburo. He was barely 21. At 23, he was formally named the CPM’s Secretary General, its highest-ranking figure. By June, 1948, the Malayan Emergency erupted and Chin Peng, four months shy of his 24th year, became the British Empire’s most wanted man.

Readers may ask, is this book the complete picture, then? It is not, for the obvious reason that it is not the history of the Communist Party of Malaya. Nor does the author claim that it represents anywhere near a comprehensive account of the Emergency. It is, simply, the recorded journey of a man who opted to travel along a different road to pursue a dream he had for his country. Other fears and terrors are now sweeping the world. The Emergency monsters were shaped by the East-West struggle communism versus capitalism. The world has, of course, changed vastly from the one the author opted to challenge.

Technological progress transports the art of mass killing to frightening dimensions. But the author holds that the smartest of today’s ‘smart’ weapons will still find it impossible to eliminate the human desire for justice and dignity. The author fought in two wars and for many years the jungle was his home. This book is neither a boast nor an apology. It is an invitation to understand how beliefs are formed and how conflicts can start and run unabated. Equally, it is an insight into how peace can be achieved.