A little knowledge is a dangerous thing

I was shocked when I read the piece “Communism is not evil, but CPM’s methods were” by Azeem Abu Bakar. The article was not only confusing and factually incorrect, it also lacked an understanding of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) from a historical perspective.

The recent function in Kajang was held not to celebrate CPM’s struggle but to mark the anniversary of the peace treaty between it and the Malaysian government.

Azeem claims that Malaysians don’t have proper understanding of communism because their education was sanctioned by the Special Branch. What he means by this is not clear – it is as though the police determine the educational content of curriculum in schools.

For Azeem, the difference between communism and CPM was that of ideology and practice, but no communist then or now would want to divorce the two in terms of achieving his or her objectives.

Azeem revealed his naivety or ignorance by saying the origins of CPM or Chin Peng’s struggle could be traced to the Cold War between the US and USSR from 1948 to 1990.

In truth, CPM originated in the early 1930s as a result of communist agents from China who infiltrated the Malay Peninsula.

It might not be wrong to say that the US championed the capitalist system, the origins of which can be traced to Adam Smith, especially in his work on the classical political economy.

While the essence of capitalism might not have differed from that of the classical political economy, the US was indeed promoting a world order premised on the notion of a strong interventionist state, a far cry from the laissez faire system of the classical age.

If Azeem really understood the origins of communist thought, he would be surprised that the ultimate objective of the communist system is the establishment of a classless society in the absence of state.

He might not have heard of the notion of the withering away of the state in the classical Marxist version.

The argument that capitalism wants a limited state whereas communism needs a powerful state are notions that are quite antithetical to the theories of both capitalism and communism.

Again, the author is terribly wrong to engage in historical inaccuracies by saying that the Cold War was the period of genesis for the spread of communism.

In fact, communism entered Southeast Asia long before the commencement of the Cold War. The ideology of communism was incorporated within nationalist movements to fight against colonialism and foreign domination.

The author’s lack of knowledge about ideologies and history could be the reason for the sad state of the article.

This is precisely the reason he could not withstand the temptation to mount a scathing right-wing attack on CPM.

His pretentious sophistication was lost when he began a tirade, calling CPM a “murderous” and “terrorist” organisation that “slaughtered” people in the name of independence.

There is no necessity to like or love either the CPM or its leader, Chin Peng.

Chin Peng did not fight for a personal cause; he engaged in civil war with the British for nearly 12 years.

The declaration of emergency in 1948 to wage war against CPM was finally lifted in 1960.

The atrocities committed against civilians by the British in the name of fighting the communists was immense.

It was civil war between the British and the communists headed by CPM.

Innocent lives could have been lost in that deadly war.

I don’t think that Chin Peng went around killing innocent people.

Azeem’s reductionist writing is alarming, to say the least.

P Ramasamy is Penang deputy chief minister II. - FMT