Alias Chin Peng: My Side Of History

by Chin Peng

Chin Peng joined the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) in January, 1940, as a 15 year-old schoolboy. His commitment to the communist cause, the pre-war anti-colonial struggle against Britain and, eventually, guerrilla warfare against the Japanese invaders saw him propelled rapidly to senior positions within the CPM party structure. By the age of 18 he had become the key link between the communists' Malayan Peoples Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) and Britain's clandestine Force 136, then endeavouring to set up intelligence-gathering operations behind enemy lines. While still a teenager he was promoted to head the communist movement's activities in his home state of Perak. Immediately following the Japanese surrender, Chin Peng was appointed to the Central Committee and, ultimately, his party's policy-making Politburo. He was barely 21, At 23, he was formally named the CPM's Secretary General, its highest-ranking figure. By June, 1948, the Malayan Emergency erupted and Chin Peng, four months shy of his 24th year, became the British Empire's most wanted man.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction

527 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2003

Reviews

[nicothyun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, writing this review immediately after I finished the book so please excuse incoherent thoughts or stuff; just wanted to get out what I thought.
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This is a monster. There are a lot of tidbits of information to digest. He reveals the "other side" of the Malayan Emergency. Though the veracity of his claims and assertions are questionable, there were some examples and cases that I remembered - pulling from my faulty bank of memory and the other readings I have read on Malayan Emergency - that could be arguably "true" or more valid.

Some parts were dry - mostly because they did not pander to my interests but some parts spoke out to me - Batang Kali massacre, Lee Meng (re)trials, British's elaborate propaganda at work and tales of betrayal probably because these cases center on human nature, human rights and judicial ethics. There is a lot to digest and to verify even if scholars of the field probably have done some of the footwork. But it is interesting and eye opening. As a caveat, I don't agree with his communist philosophy, but I really liked how at the end he stuck to his philosophy even as he is labelled as the loser of history. Given his early accolades and achievements, he could have become successful (instead of being a stateless alien in Thailand) if he had chosen another path. Counterfactual history aside, he still believed passionately in his ideas & vision and insisted that he would not have chosen another path given another choice. I think this insistence and vehemence in his belief illuminates heroic qualities in him, even if said man is and was criminalized as a monster in history.

This is probably why I like reading autobiographies and diaries, it opens window into the souls of people & into the minds of "villains" - the other side. It makes you empathize.

[John Timbers · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are always 2 sides to a story; there is probably truth in both.

[Aida Amirul · Rating 4 out of 5]

what an incredible revolutionary who led an incredible life. this should be required reading to supplement what we were taught as history in public schools. no doubt malaya could not have achieved independence if it wasnt for CPM’s (communist party malaya’s) struggle.

4.5 rating rounded down bc i thought it could be edited and formated better but stories and content was 10/10!! this was really chin peng’s tell-all containing lot’s of misinformation debunked, justifications of why CPM took arms and did what they did, and really great analysis and takes of anti-colonialism.

things that surprised me:

- claims about the CPM being backed by russia and china is not true. but CPM did receive medical aid from china and also hosted their communist radio show in china post-darurat

- despite being community funded and marxists in principle, chin peng as the leader of CPM leaned on capitalist friends to invest in the party like it was a public stock to keep operations sustainable

- CPM never murdered any civilians. they were targeting mostly colonial exploiters (class rulers) and people who were crossing picket lines and attempting to weeken workers struggles (class traitors). they also executed traitors of the party. like spies etc. the biggest mistake that even chin peng agreed was during the ‘purge’ aka it was rumored that a large percentage of CPM guerillas in the late 50s were spies so they all started turning on each other to save their own lives but they were executed anyway. it was later uncovered that there werent that many spies as initially speculated

- speaking of spies, the Lai Tek saga is JUICY. he was CPM’s leader working secretly for the japanese AND british?? omfg. pretty disappointing the way he was just killed by rank-and-files without a chance to explain himself to leadership.

- despite history books saying general templer was responsible for weakening the armed struggle during the emergency, chin peng revealed it was actually the Brigg’s Plan and resettlement to new villages that cut off civilians food supplies to jungle guerillas. this caused a bunch of people to surrender bc they were hungry and couldnt fight anymore.

- Lee Meng story?? JUICY!!!!! shes a bad ass. google her!

- it’s easy to feel disappointed at the outcome of the fitst Baling peace talks, but now im really glad that cpm held the line and did not ‘surrender’ to the brits like they were demanding in ultimatum.

- originally, lee kuan yiew was actually against the seperation of malaya and singapore bc he felt that would make life harder for the chinese ethnic communists who lived in singapore

- there were way more malay communists than you think. esp in thai borders, kelantan & perlis and also abdullah cd’s regiment in johor.

- im surprised how the brits suppressed the sensationalized scandal about the beheading photos into oblivion. communist press ran a story with leaked pictures of british officers holding severed heads of cpm people. this was a war crime and should have been tried as a war crime. but somehow they got away with it and cpm received the reputation as “evil”. google “Daily Worker Beheading Scandal” to learn more

- lastly, i was disappointed to hear about how chin peng was never welcomed back to malaysia and lived in exile in southern thailand despite how much he fought for the freedom of the country. his last chapter broke my heart

[Alia R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times when reading this book, it feels like a part of history that has long been discarded is unraveled as the book exposes a different perspective of the events told in school or even altogether censured when deemed ignominious to “crown and country”. However, it should also be acknowledged that this piece of autobiography comes off as extemporaneous when explanations of bad or controversial decision-making are made. The end result comes off as expedient excuses meant to at the very least be empathizing and perhaps at the very most, vindicating. To that effect, I find myself guarded because it is no secret that the normative accounts have been deftly crafted by the winners in history, but to impugn an account requires source materials that have a less vested interest.

Some of the parts which I found very insightful from the book are the expansion on Lai Te’s involvement as a triple agent, Chin Peng’s rise to power to the post of secretary-general, the overall landscape of support from party supporters and sympathizers towards the PKM, the cover-ups and blunders by the government (mainly the British before independence), the vastness of the communist network at its apogee, and the peace talks conducted both in Baling and Thailand. Part of the reason why I enjoyed this book is also because I could contrast the accounts of this book with “The war of the Running Dogs”, where the latter was basically a love letter to the British Empire. In a way, two extremes make one neutral conjecture.

[Ditesh Gathani · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book reads very much as a tragic story of a young boy swept up in the global events of the time, committing to (and winning) the fight against the Japanese and British colonisers, and stubbornly marching forward to implement a communist party in Malaysia through the use of violence.

For those who have only read about the evils of the communist party in Malaysia, this book provides a well written and well researched perspective which runs counter, at times, to the mainstream narrative. For this reason alone, it is worth reading.

Where the book falls apart is in its half hearted justification or rationalisation for the use of violence by the Communist Party of Malaya during its "struggle", and the poorly state, if missing, case for communism. The book accuses (probably rightly) the British and Malayan police of spreading manipulative one sided narratives, and yet, the book itself is a case study in a blinkered one dimensional view of the world.

For example, Chin Peng speaks to building a better world through the construction of a communist agenda, but he never quite gets to describing anywhere in the 516 pages as to how he intended for the communist agenda to improve the state of Malayan affairs. Pointedly, he does not speak about the many failures of communism globally, or the many successes of democracy and capitalism.

If anything, Chin Peng's book makes it clear that the communist struggle has fallen flat because it lacked any enduring intellectual or moral heft.

[Calzean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't have the knowledge to discuss the facts of the Malaya Emergency or the CPM. So to read the leader of the CPM discuss (apparently) openly and often quite dryly his side of the story was fascinating. The early part of his life during Japan's invasion during WWII, then leading up to the Emergency was most interesting and easy to understand the frustration of the Malayas seeking independence. Then Peng tells of how the effectiveness of the jungle fighters were eroded by the separation from the villagers, lack of food, medicine and capability and the gradual retreat into bordering Thailand. Next came a period of geo-political games before an amnesty in 1989 - 40 years after the Emergency started.
To read the alternate history of the defeated is not always possible so this autobiography is a keeper.

[Mark Thuell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up in Malaysia in the late 50s I have memories of sentries on our front gate, barb wire around the house, armoured cars and going to the Army School. Reading this book has given me a more balanced idea of what was really going on.
Chin Peng comes across as a humble patriot but with a ruthless ideological acceptance of the sanctity of the communist party ( Chinese style). In my opinion he should have taken his blinkers off and realised he needed multiracial support and a more pragmatic approach.
Well edited and an interesting read from my perspective.

[mantareads · Rating 4 out of 5]

"You can tell me I was wrong. You can tell me I failed. But I can also tell you how it was and how I tried."

An unapologetic, powerful, necessary memoir. The storytelling is self-aware, surprisingly compelling, and the prose crisply edited. A bit disturbed by how killings are so nonchalantly glossed over though.

[Alstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book will not make you an expert on Malaysian history. But not reading this book may well prevent you from being one. This is the view from the other side. A must read for all who want to know the thinking of the man who wanted to get rid of the British and establish a communist Malaya.

[KT · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent and detailed read discussing the author's own life in Malaya as a leading member of the Communist Party of Malaya, as well as the Party itself, under the context of the British Empire. The light shone on British propaganda and betrayal, whose effects are still felt together, were particularly insightful and gripping, as well as the considerations of the possible futures that were left unmade as a result

[Selina Siak Chin Yoke · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Every generation shapes its dreams. If you yearn to make a difference you become obligated to the clamour of your time. My generation dreamed of doing away with British colonialism in Malaya. I am proud of this fact."

The above is how Chin Peng's book begins. He goes on in this manner – a man who believes that the end justifies the means. He talks glibly about "executing" comrades who had betrayed the cause, something I find troubling. Despite this, and even though I couldn't agree with much of what he says, I found this book highly informative, insightful even. It helped me understand Britain's shameful actions in post-war Malaya and why it took us ten years longer than India to gain independence (being the Empire's single largest dollar revenue earner in 1947, Malaya was a lot harder to give up).

I would not recommend this book, however, unless you're doing research. Or if you're like me – an author doing research and a Malaysian who grew up hearing about Chin Peng and the exploits of his band. It was important for me to hear the story from the horse's mouth. Was it worth reading? Yes. Note that there are a few grammatical mistakes in the text, especially in the use of the word "appraised" (when it should be "apprised". Here I believe the fault lies with his editors).

[Zahid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Side story of Malaya most wanted communist guerrilla.

[Cathreen Shiucheng · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lot's of things inside this book is not in the school history textbook..the validity of both chin peng's book and school history textbook is uncertain! Perhaps, it's time to reassess the national history.

[Khairul Hezry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The history of the struggles of the Communist Party of Malaya in post-WWII Malaysia as told by CPM's leader, Chin Peng. Invaluable book for anyone interested in the history of Malaysia.

[Liuji]

have a look

[Yoshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

A memoir and self-justification.