Red Intrigue In Malaya Began During War

Chronicle (Levin), 5 November 1948, Page 5

Red Intrigue In Malaya Began During War

LONDON, Oct, 4. - ; Long matured plans to nwlefrming- tHc Malayan trade union movement. and substitute organiKations solely aimed at creatrng a ('ommunisj ^ Bepubfic, have been discoveMd -B'y -4a7 tw#fnan British Government investigating com-' mission. Tlie members ai'e Mr, S. S, Avvbery, a Commoner' for Bristol, and Mr. F. W. Dalley, former assist.ant general secretary ,qf; . the Railway Clerks ' Associaticfii.-jThey were sent to Malayrf in February and Mareh by the Secretary for CQlonies, Mr. UrOech Jones. The report states that nearly all the Malayan guerrillas, during the Japanese occupation, were young men who joinerf the resistance movement with a genuine desire to fight the .Japanese "but once Ln the jungle, they found themselves in a veritable Communist forcing hopse Each control was a Communist cell with a military and political eonnnander on approved liues. -For tliree-odd years the ignorant and inexperienced young men were given a compiete Communist education with the frankly stated object of preparing for a Communist Republic in Malaya, By the time- the British Military Administration took over in September, 1945, the Communist Party had set up 'cells' for every type of trade and worker — from' miners and rubber workers to cabaret girls." None of the newly established Malayan trade unions was in the smallest degree representative or democratic and there was conclusive evidence that they were just the mouthpieces of the Malayan Communist Party.. ' ' Their organisation was well tried and powerful and tliey had niouey and con.tacts with other countries which provided tliem with plenty of effieient propaganda. ' ' The report deelares that the Singapore Federation of Trade Unions and Pan-Malayan Federation of Trade Unions (both of which have since been declared illegal) were communistic organisations which maintained eontact with Communist organisations in Malaya, Australia, China, India and elsewhere. The report continued: "These organisations work to Communist directives and welcome Communist speakers to their platforms. Intimidation still continues on a scale surprising to those unfamiliar with Asiatics or with the history of Cliiriese societies. We consider Ihe Government justified in using their lawful powers, including deportatibn to prevent this nefarious pra'etice. We do not see how else the public can be protected against these criminal activities."

The report says - that industrial grievances wero very real. There were remedies for most of them 'but usually these were not employ'ed uritil employees struckP Bome unions stxceessfully resisted inumidation and atternpted dominion by the Singapore Federation x)f Trade Unions and PanMalffiyan Federation but the majority of unions were immature and there wksr a* " strong tendeiicy, aimosfc an obsession, to look ivpon the strike weapon as the only one in the trade union armoury. The mission recommended that the Government should try its hardest to bring down the cost of lj^ing aird ! institute housing schemes. Other • fecommendations included tlie e^tahHshment o-f a pahel of industrial arbitra- J , tOrs, tlie speeding up of the' consideratiOn of ciaiins by workers in public emplo-Vment, and reforms of the system of payment and hiring of dqek workers , ahd' searhen, " ' " 1 ■.