In the early years, British officials danced around what to call the Communist insurgents, partly because of economic considerations. Insurance companies covered Malayan estates and mines for “riot and civil commotion” but not for “rebellion” or “insurrection.” The Rubber Growers’ Association, powerful London lobbyists, implored the Colonial Office to stop using terms like rebellion and insurrection lest the Malayan planters be uninsured, forcing them to turn to Attlee’s financially strapped government to cover losses.[129]
