At a time when the country is grappling with a question on its independence history - was the country ever colonised to begin with - academic Kua Kia Soong attempts to make sense of the "patriots" and "pretenders" of the country's struggle for freedom. independence.

kua kia soong new book launching patriot and pretender 240911 1 So, who are the patriots and pretenders? According to Kua, (left) the common folk were the patriots for they lay down their lives against the colonial masters while the pretenders tried to take credit for the country's independence without shedding any blood.

"The patriot are those who defended their country with their lives and their freedom. They sacrificed themselves in at least two important wars, against the Japanese fascists in the second world war and against British colonialism.

"The pretenders are the one who did not lay down their lives but claimed that the country's independence was gained by them... Independence was gained by the anti-colonial war movement made up of the workers, peasantry and the progressive middle class, people who were in AMCJA-Putera..."

These were the groups that had demanded independence, long before Umno, said Kua during the launch of his latest book, "Patriot and Pretenders: The Malayan Independence Struggle" in Kuala Lumpur last night."

kua kia soong new book launching patriot and pretender 240911 psm nasir Also present were Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) chairperson Dr Mohd Nasir Hashim, PKR vice-president N Surendran and Centre for Independent Journalism executive officer Masjaliza

Hamzah.

The 159-page book takes a class perspective on the country history and also looks at the unsung heroes of the country's struggle for independence.

Text books display communalistic intent

The book takes a particular interest in the 1948 emergency period, with Kua pointing out some misconceptions about that history perpetuated by school textbooks.

Kua said while the communist insurgents were often portrayed as the aggressors, but they had only declared an armed struggle six months after the British declared the emergency in Malaya.

"After the emergency in June 1948 the colonial government went from one repressive action to another and it took the CPM right up to December to declare the armed struggle. That is a fact."

kua kia soong new book launching patriot and pretender 240911 3 Aside from pretenders, Kua who presented a briefing on his book said the country's history is also often manipulated for communalistic purposes particularly in regard to the emergency.

"More than 100,000 Malayans were killed by the Japanese, but we can forgive the Japanese, emperor Hirohito is welcome in this country but Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) leader Chin Peng cannot come to this country to visit his parents' graves... there is a communal intent in the government's handling of the emergency," he said.

He added that this is again reflected in the recent Bukit Kepong controversy where PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu had praised Mohammed Indera who led the attack on the Bukit Kepong police station in 1950 as a freedom fighter.

"In recent years, practically during every general election, the Bukit Kepong film by Jins Shamsudin will be aired on television... I don't see any Mat Indera who was supposed have been leading the insurgents (in the film)...all I see is Chinese," he said.

Historical selectivity's damage

Amid the fierce debate on who were the true fighters of independence, Kua took the National Professors' Council to task for suggesting that the country had never been colonised.

"We see the problem of history in this country, it is not just a problem of Umno domination of our history and ideologues who are asked to write them... now we even have these professors who are responsible for some of the most idiotic interpretation of history," he said.

kua kia soong new book launching patriot and pretender 240911 2 He challenged the professors to publish their points in internationally recognised journals, saying that they would turn into jokes.

Kua also highlighted the selectivity in history, pointing out that the government had in the past commissioned a scholar to write on the country's emergency, only to reject it later.

"Anthony Short was a Universiti Malaya lecturer and was commissioned by the Malaysian government to write the history of the emergency, when he finished it was rejected... Why was a government commission report on history rejected?"