exclusive

Chin Peng, the legendary leader of the outlawed Communist Party of Malaya (CPM), is writing his memoirs on his experiences in the 50-year-long struggle against British colonialism and Malaysias post-independence government.

The 76-year-old former secretary general of the party told malaysiakini that his memoirs would map out the history of the partys struggles, starting from its inception until it agreed to disband its armed units after signing a peace treaty with Malaysia and Thailand in 1989.

Having lived in exile in the Thai-Malaysian border for decades, the soft-spoken former communist leader is now settled in Bangkok.

During an interview with malaysiakini in the southern Thai town of Haadyai recently, Chin Peng nevertheless declined to comment on a string of issues which he described as too sensitive, ranging from Malaysias current political situation and international politics, such as Chinas calculated entry into the World Trade Organisation.

However, he said his book will recount his soul-searching thoughts on the victories and mistakes committed by the pro-Beijing CPM, provide analyses on why the communist bloc collapsed in 1990, and how the event has affected communist parties globally.

Chin Peng said his writings, which will also relate his wonderfulexperiences with Chinas eminent leader Mao Zedong, will be ready for publication at the end of this year.

It doesnt matter what people say about Mao. As far as we are concerned, he treated the CPM as an equal, said Chin Peng.

Internet revolution

The veteran politician, who some considered a fabled hero for his courage and perseverance in the communist struggle, has been keeping in touch with current Malaysian affairs from his home in Bangkok by visiting the malaysiakini website.

He said that the Internet revolution is not completely alien to him.

I used to be in charge of wireless and radio in the jungle so I am a bit familiar with computers, said Chin Peng in almost flawless Bahasa Melayu.

The former communist strongman and his comrades are now seeking Thai citizenship after a fruitless 12-year wait to return home.

The peace treaty between the CPM and the Malaysian government in 1989 stipulated that the former communists can resettle in the country after obtaining security clearances from the authorities.

Since the inking of the treaty, a few hundred low-ranking party members have returned home. However, Chin Peng claimed that key party leaders including himself were stone-walled when they approached the authorities about their resettlement.

Since then about 1,000 former members of the partys armed unit, Malayan Peoples Army, have taken up the offer of land by Thai authorities and set up homes in villages in 12 separate locations in southern Thailand.

Two children

Chin Peng, whose real name is Ong Boon Hua, has two children  a daughter who lives in Penang and a son who is a lawyer in Kuala Lumpur. His wife is presently living in China.

He said he keeps in touch with them from time to time.

My children are liberals. They are not interested in politics. My son says there is some good in communism and some good in capitalism, so I do not want to impose my beliefs on him, he said.

Chin Peng was born in Sitiawan, Perak, where his father ran a small bicycle repair shop. He went to Anglo-Chinese and Nan Hwa schools where he learnt English and Mandarin respectively.

At the tender age of 18, he joined the CPM and was given the task of cutting stencils for the propaganda department. He eventually rose to the rank of secretary-general and led the party in the often bloody armed revolution to oust the British from Malaya.

A civil war was declared in 1948 which lasted for 12 years, a period known as the Emergency. The communists first operated in the thick tropical jungles in the peninsular, but later moved to bases in southern Thailand.

Elusive leader

In 1955, Chin Peng met with Alliance leaders of pre-independent Malaya in Baling, Kedah, to broker a deal but the talks broke down.

After 1960, Chin Peng  an elusive leader  was reported to have been variously sighted on the Thai-Malaysian border and in Vietnam, Macau and Beijing.

A fugitive for most of his life, the price for the capture of the infamous CPM leader had ranged from RM20,000 to RM250,000.

Asked if the CPM had failed in its struggles, Chin Peng said, If you talk about grabbing power from the state, yes, we have failed, but if not for us, there would not be Merdeka (independence).

Without us, there would not be development policies which favour the needy. I believe there wouldnt even be the Employees Provident Fund for workers.

This is the final of a three-part series of an exclusive interview with former leaders of Communist Party of Malaya.

Tomorrow, more on what Chin Peng and his comrades have been up to since their exile, exclusively for malaysiakini subscribers.

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