As in years past, politicians are calling on Malaysians to fly the flag and attend mass gatherings to celebrate the anniversary of the nation's independence, as if they are the only ones who know the true meaning of Merdeka.

Savvy business people are cashing in by organising festivities in the name of Merdeka for those who can afford to pay for expensive food, drink and performances.

For most Malaysians, the public holiday is a time for a quiet break from the ruthless process of capital accumulation, for longer hours of sleep, and to catch up with family or even settle down for a good read.

One book worth reading is 'Merdeka! British Rule & the Struggle for Independence in Malaya, 1945-1957', by Dr Khong Kim Hoong (Kuala Lumpur, SIRD, 2003).

It offers a more sophisticated account of how independence was gained from the British, compared to the official account which acclaims the peaceful transfer of power through the political, diplomatic and negotiating skills of Umno, MCA and MIC leaders.

British discredited

First published in 1984, the book was originally a doctoral dissertation submitted in 1975 by the author to the Political Science Department of the University of Pittsburgh in the US. Khong, now the academic director of a private college, was a lecturer at the University of Malaya from 1975 to 1992.

The 333-page book is perhaps the most compact, handy and readable narrative on Merdeka and the long and complicated process leading up to the proclamation of independence on Aug 31, 1957.

It starts with an outline of the background of British colonial rule over Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore from 1786 to 1941 as well as the Japanese invasion and occupation from 1941 to 1945.

This choice of the point of departure is important for two reasons.

Firstly, it reaffirms that independence and its process did not occur in a vacuum but within a global context that covers World War II, the Pacific War, and the first wave of decolonisation that led to the independence of the Philippines (1946), India (1947) and Burma (1948), and the armed struggle for national liberation in Indonesia (1945-1949), Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos (1945-1975).

Secondly, it reaffirms that the beginning of the multi-ethnic consciousness and process of the struggle for independence in Malaya preceded the formations of Umno (1946), MIC (1946) and MCA (1949).

The author then relates other events in the process. The first of these was the return, on Sept 3, 1945, of a British colonial administration that had been politically, militarily and morally discredited by the fall of Singapore on Feb 15, 1942.

People in Malaya had lost faith and confidence in Pax Britannica and the setting up of the British Military Administration (BMA) was soon dubbed the 'Black Market Administration'.

Also, in the immediate aftermath of the war, people in Malaya were suffering the effects of psychological and physical violence, food shortages, unemployment or under-employment, inflation and breakdown of law, order and social trust.

It was against this topsy-turvy background that the contest of political ideas and for power and influence for eventual Merdeka took place. The contest, from 1945 to 1957, took many forms which the book details in easy-to-follow manner.

Since the book was first conceived in the early 1970s, it missed out on subsequentl- released information that is more refined and detailed, such as that contained in 'Alias Chin Peng: My Side of History' (Singapore, Media Masters, 2003) or 'Dialogues with Chin Peng: New Light on the Malayan Communist Party' (Singapore, Singapore University Press, 2004).

This included confirmation of the scandalous conduct of Lai Te (1900-1947), the former secretary-general of the Communist Party of Malaya, and his insidious activities that critically influenced the direction of the party and its multi-ethnic united front during the crucial period between 1944 and 1947. The first photograph of Lai Te only surfaced in the early 1980s.

However, Khong's book will remain evergreen. It should be a must-read for Malaysians, young and old, who may be bored with propaganda.

JAMES WONG WING ON is chief analyst of Strategic Analysis Malaysia. He is a former DAP member of Parliament for Kampar (1990-1995) and a former columnist for the Sin Chew Jit Poh Chinese daily (now Sin Chew Daily ). He read political science and economics at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.