Communist insurgency long over, says retired general

Arshad Raji began his army career in the 1970s during the insurgency of the Communist Party of Malaya.

PETALING JAYA: A retired army brigadier-general who began his career fighting the communist insurgeny in the 1970s says people should stop making an issue of former communist leader Chin Peng’s ashes being brought home to Malaysia.

Arshad Raji, head of the National Patriots Association of ex-servicemen, says the war against the communist insurgency is long over and the people should move on from the fact that Chin Peng’s ashes were brought home and scattered at sea and on a hillside in Perak.

Chin Peng, real name Ong Boon Hua, was secretary-general of the Communist Party of Malaya which fought a four-decade-long insurgency that ended in 1989 with the signing of a peace treaty.

He died in exile at the age of 89 in a Bangkok hospital on Sept 16, 2013. His supporters secretly brought his ashes back to his home town of Chemor, Perak. A political uproar arose after news of Chin Peng’s “return” was reported.

Commenting on the controversy, Arshad said: “What are his ashes going to do? He is long gone, we need to move on.”

Arshad said the issue of Chin Peng’s ashes should not be used for racial propaganda. The Communist Party of Malaysia also included Malay members. “Some of the leaders were Malays also, so we should not be making this into a racial issue.”

He agreed with the comments of former Inspector-General of Police Rahim Noor who said that the Hatyai peace accord between Malaysia and the CPM allowed all members of the party to return home, on condition that they do not revive their struggle here.

Police have begun an investigation into the return of Chin Peng’s ashes under a Penal Code provision for intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace. - FMT