Anwar on Chin Peng: Let bygones be bygones

In the face of the federal government’s adamance against allowing former communist leader Chin Peng’s remains to be returned to Malaysia, PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim has this to say: “Let bygones be bygones (yang sudah, sudah lah)."

"Do we agree with him (Chin Peng)? We don't. Do we agree with communism? We don't. Do we agree with Chin Peng's actions in the past? No, we don't," he told some 300 people at a ceramah in Kubang Semang, Penang, yesterday.

"Do we agree with the (1989) peace treaty signed with Chin Peng, where both sides agreed to lay down arms? We agree.

“How come they (BN government) do not agree to anything? Why don't (you, the BN government) agree when you signed the peace treaty? 

“This was an agreement endorsed by the cabinet. At that time, I was a minister and the proposal was presented during our meeting.”

Anwar said leaders who now oppose the repatriation of Chin Peng’s remains should return to history and accept the fact that the federal government had signed the Hatyai Peace Agreement in 1989 with Chin Peng, then the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) secretary-general.

At the time, Anwar was a minister in the cabinet of his "good friend" and premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

"Chin Peng led the treaty on the communists’ side, while Mahathir represented us," he reminded.

"In the treaty, Chin Peng agreed to lay down arms, (his army agreed) to return all weapons. They also agreed to return to the country in a good way.”

Anwar noted that Malaysians had opted for democracy and fought against the communist ideology during the insurgency, and that many police personnel had been slain.

Malaysia had agreed to the peace  treaty after then premier Abdul Razak Hussein made friends with the Communist China government, he said.

"Why are we  friends with Communist China which gave aid to CPM, but cannot resolve the problem with the communists here?" Anwar asked.

He said certain quarters had expressed their reservations when he had previously said that Chin Peng (right) should be allowed to visit his home town of Setiawan or his mother's grave.

"TV3 said I supported the communists. I am just explaining so that you will understand - because TV3 or other media will twist my statement to say that I support the Communists,” he added.