HOW IRONICAL: IN THE MEMORIES OF MANY NON-MALAYS, THE MALAYS DIDN’T FIGHT TO SAVE MALAYA FROM JAPANESE OCCUPATION OR THE COMMUNISTS – YET NO ONE SPEWED HATE & IGNORANCE LIKE ISMAIL MINA

Sad to say there are many who will go to great lengths of distorting history just for the sake of painting the non-Malays as unpatriotic.  They will peddle their phoney perceptions that the non Malays did not play a significant role in the formative years of the pre and post Merdeka  history.  And for this reason, they postulate that the non-Malays should not be given any fairness pledged in the Malaysian Constitution. This belief is unfortunately still prevalent in the mind-set of the UMNO’s Hard Right-wingers.

A great part  of my growing up was influenced by a man who was a former soldier in the British Army.  His exploits still rings dear in my heart until today.

I remember quite well the many exploits  he had recounted.  One that stood out particularly well  was  on one routine patrol  his unit was ambushed by the communists.   His British officer had his arm shot clean off.   For a moment, all hell broke loose, and he without any fear for his life, surges forward to engage the Communists with his gun blazing.  After a fierce battle, the Communists withdraw.  For this brave stint,  he was nicknamed by the British Officers, ‘Cina Gila’ (mad Chinese).  This nickname stuck to him affectionately throughout his career as a soldier.

On many occasions he talked about the Indian,  Sikh, Kenyan, Fijian, Chinese, Burmese, Gurkha, New Zealander and Australians soldiers but nothing about the Malays.

My little curious mind begun to wonder why the Malays were not fighting the Communists.  Why were they not patriotic as he and his cohorts?

I was having this very state of mind that Pembela Ummah (Ummah) chairman Ismail Mina Ahmad  is having today when he said the Malays were doing all the fighting for the last few hundred years, but in the reversed order.  Perhaps Ismail Mina Ahmad feels comfortable and proud for having such beliefs, but not me.

I immediately wane of this uncomfortable belief when I decided to build up some courage to ask him this daunting question.   “Uncle, why the Malays were not fighting the Communist? “  Why?

His answer was that the Malays were as brave as they were.  He omitted the Malays because there were no Malays in his units as they were attached to other units.

This was a huge relief for a 11 year old boy who had to bear the pain of believing my neighbour Malay saudara/s  were not doing the share of fighting the communists.

Today tears will swell in my eyes when I think of him.  He had taught me discipline, generosity, kindness and most of all, being truthful to others.

He often remind me that the coin has two sides and whichever side one takes, one should not denigrate the other side which one is not taking because it has the same value as your side.

I had lost contact with him for over 40 years. So wherever you are, thank you very much, Sergeant Joseph Gee for being part of my formative years.

My sincere thanks to the Malaysian Armed Forces Chinese Veterans Association (MACVA) president Major Tan Pau Son and National Patriots’ Association president, brig-gen (rtd) Mohamed Arshad Raji, for being on the side of truth.

WRITER: Choo Sing Chye

– MAILBAG