With the ongoing debates, controversies and publicity surrounding the issue of Chin Peng's request to return to Malaysia, I felt compelled that I should jump into the bandwagon to offer my opinion.

Less I be accused of making a hasty conclusion, I must first qualify by saying that I have, prior to writing this letter, obtained a copy of Chin Peng's book and read it thoroughly before forming my opinion.

Although Chin Peng from the very onset of the book has mentioned that it is not meant to be apologetic, nonetheless, I find that the content reflects more of Chin Peng's attempts to "dilute" the terrorist image of CPM and at the same time trying to point the guilty fingers towards other parties such as the BMA, KMT etc.

Chin Peng seems to portray the image that CPM is a victim of betrayal especially by the British during their "partnership" in fighting the Japanese. However, one need to be mindful that during the war period, the so-called "alliance" between CPM and the British are nothing but a "marriage of convenience" or "an agreement between the devils".

Both parties in fact distrusted each others from the beginning and the end result as predicted, fulfilled the notion that there is simply "no honor among thieves". The same scenario can be deduced from the history of China whereby the Communist Party of China actually "cooperated" with KMT to fight a common enemy ie. the Japanese. However, after the war with the Japanese, they were back to each other's throats. That's politics and I do not think Chin Peng should try to alter historical facts now.

I am rather surprised that we have quite a number of individuals who are sympathetic and supportive of Chin Peng's request to return to Malaysia. Those advocating Chin Peng's return tend to justify their stand by saying that if we can allow Japanese and British companies as well as tourists to come pouring into the country forgetting the war atrocities committed by their forefathers, we should on the same token allow Chin Peng to return to Malaysia.

I however, beg to differ on this because while we simply could not precisely equate war atrocities with the present day Japanese/British tourists or companies, nonetheless, in the case of Chin Peng, he is someone whom we can indisputably identified as the individual responsible for direct causation of the various war crimes, misery, sufferings and atrocities. On this score, I fully agree with some quarters who say that Chin Peng's return would cause the resurrection of too much sorrowful memories of the past.

I believe our DPM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his officials have made the right decision in barring Chin Peng from returning to Malaysia and I certainly would not support any attempt to portray Chin Peng as a national liberator or hero.

As Chin Peng wrote in his concluding remarks in his book (I quote): "...you may say that I am wrong and you may say that I have failed. But I can also tell you how it was and how I have tried", I believe those who have undergone the misery and sufferings of the Emergency years, especially those who have experienced the lost of love ones will be able to say this to Chin

Peng: "You may say that we have been misguided and you may say that we have been fooled. But we can also tell you how it was, how we suffered (at that time) and how we cried!".