Some letter writers have missed a very important point when they blame or condemn Chin Peng or the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) for resorting to armed iolence to pursue their political objectives.

Before 1955, there was no system of parliamentary democracy in Malaya. First, there was British colonialism, then came the Japanese Occupation and after September 1945, British Military Administration (BMA). Under those situations and conditions, the struggle for independence had to be by force, which was the only available and honourable option.

Chin Peng and CPM were not the only group of people in Asia and Africa who took the cause of armed struggle against Western colonialism and Japanese imperialism. The people, parties (both communist and nationalist) and leaders in Indonesia (Sukarno and Dr Mohamad Hatta) and Vietnam (Ho Chih Minh), China (Mao Zedong) were notable examples.

Going back further, the Americans also gained their independence from British colonialism through an armed struggle called the American War of Independence. The people of Spain fought guerilla wars against French occupiers during the Napoleonic Wars in the 18th century. The Americans, like Chin Peng and CPM, fought Japanese imperialism during the Pacific War.

For their armed struggle against British colonialism and Japanese imperialism, I salute Chin Peng, his comrades and CPM, just as I salute George Washington and Gen MacArthur.