THE EMERGENCY

Soon after the Federation of Malaya was formed, a Communist rebellion broke out in June 1948. The Malayan Communist Party tried to overthrow the government and set up a Communist Republic of Malaya.


THE COMMUNISTS SOON AFTER THE WAR

Soon after the Second World War the Communists had planned to take over control and establish a Communist republic in Malaya. But they were not successful. The MPAJA which was mainly controlled by the MCP, was disbanned. However, the Communist leadership and organization had not ended. Weapons were hidden in the jungle to be used later in an armed revolt. Many of the Communist members went back to the jungle.
The Malayan Communist Party became active in Malaya. Communist members quickly took control of trade unions and youth organizations. The General Labor Union set up in Singapore in 1945 came under Communist control. These Communist members organized many strikes in 1946 and 1947. In this way they hoped to cause disorder in the country. Workers as well as the government began to realize that the Communists were using the unions against their interests.


COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES CHECKED

Then in 1948 the government passed new laws to ban all left-wing political parties. It also stopped Communists from becoming officials in the trade unions. In this way the government prevented the Communists from causing disorder in the country’s industries and economy.
The Malayan Communist Party was thus weakened. It was further weakened by troubles within the Party. It was discovered that the Secretary-General, Lai Teck, had betrayed many Party members to the Japanese. He had also secretly used the funds of the Party for himself. As a result Chin Peng was elected Secretary-General of the Malayan Communist Party. Chin Peng was a good leader and under him the MCP was reorganized and strengthened.


THE COMMUNIST MEETING AT CALCUTTA

In February 1948 Communist leaders from Asia attended a meeting at Calcutta. This meeting was organized by the International Communists. At the meeting the Asian Communists were encouraged to spread communism and plan revolts against their governments. Soon afterwards Communist rebellions broke out in Burma, India and Indonesia. The meeting at Calcutta also led the Malayan Communists to start an armed rebellion in 1948.


THE EMERGENCY – LAWLESSNESS & VIOLENCE

Lawlessness and violence increased in Malaya. At first the Government did not believe that this was caused by the Communists. This was because there had been many cases of violence in Malaya since the war.
The Communists forced the people in the village to contribute money and supplies. They murdered many anti-Communist Chinese and members of the Kuomintang Party. In this way the Communists hoped to force the Chinese to support them.
They attacked and murdered Europeans planters and tin miners. They wanted to disrupt the tin and rubber industries. At the same time they wanted to drive the British out of Malaya. The Communists also attacked police stations and disrupted communications. Trains were derailed and many innocent people were killed.


A STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARED

The Communists began a period of terror in Malaya. They were led by the Communist leaders of the former MPAJA. The government realized that the Communists had become a serious threat to the country. In June 1948 the Government declared a state of Emergency throughout the country.
This declaration gave the Government more powers. The police could arrest or detain anyone suspected of taking part in Communist banned the MCP, the ex-MPAJA. Comrades Association and all other organizations influenced by the Communists.



TERRORIST ATTACKS

From 1948 to 1951 the Government did little to attack the Communists. The Government concentrated all its effort in defending the country. The Government was not prepared for the hit-and-run attacks of the Communist guerillas or terrorists.
The Communist terrorists used the jungle as their hideout and as a place where they could attack the government troops and retreat. These terrorist attacks took place all over the country. For the next few years they were quite successful. They even brought certain areas under their control. For there they planned to extend their control over the whole country.
The terrorists sabotaged rubber estates and tin mines. They murdered managers, foremen and workers to stop production. They terrorized people living in rural areas and villages and forced them to give food, money, medicine and other supplies. There was much hardship and loss of life and property. The Government security forces had a difficult job protecting the people and property, and fighting the terrorists.


SIR HENRY GURNEY KILLED

Then in 1951 the terrorists ambushed and killed the High Commissioner, Sir Henry Gurney, who was on his way to Fraser’s Hill. This was a great success for the Communists. It lowered public morale and discouraged the people.





THE DEFEAT OF THE COMMUNISTS


THE BRIGSS PLAN

The Government had taken steps to protect the people. The police and military forces were increased. However, these were not enough. In 1950 General Harold Briggs was appointed Director of Operations. This was the beginning of the defeat of the Communists.


THE COMMUNISTS AND THE MIN YUEN

The Communists terrorists usually got supplies, men, information and money from the Chinese living in the rural rules. Among them were the villagers and squatters. These squatters were farmers who owned land unlawfully. Not all of these people wanted to support the Communists. The Communists murdered informers and threatened them so they had to cooperate. Moreover, the Government could not protect them if they refused to cooperate.
The Communists also got food, money and information through the Min Yuen. The Min Yuen was a movement organized by the Communist guerillas during the Japanese Occupation. It provided food, money, arms information and other supplies to the guerillas. During the Emergency, the Communists began to make use of the Min Yuen again. Not all the members of the Min Yuen were communists. Fear of their lives and property forced them to help the terrorists.


THE BRIGGS PLAN INTRODUCED

With the knowledge, General Briggs introduced the resettlement of squatters in “New Villages”. This became known as the Briggs Plan. General Briggs resettled about half a million Chinese villagers and squatters in New Villages. These villages were surrounded by wire fences and guarded by police. Water, electricity, schools, medical services and other social services were given to the villagers. Altogether there were about 550 of these villagers built during the Emergency.
The Briggs Plan succeeded in protecting those who had been forced to help the terrorists. The Communists also began to find difficulties in getting help and supplies from the Min Yuen. Now that the people were protected, many of them helped the Government. They gave valuable information about the movements and hiding places of the Communists. The security forces were now able to arrest many of the Communists and attack their hiding places.


THE WAR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES

General Briggs also introduced the War Executive committees. They were formed in the federal and state governments and in the districts. These committees consisted of civil, police and military members.

(a) They supervised the different security groups in the country.
(b) They also worked together to plan the emergency work which included food control, police, information and military operations.

General Briggs greatly helped to prevent food, men, money, medicine and other supplies from reaching the Communist terrorists. Many were forced to surrender. But many also went deeper into the jungle. As the Communists lost support, they began to plan and increase their terrorist activities.


GENERAL SIR GERALD TEMPLER

The death of Sir Henry Gurney made the Government more determined to smash the Communists and end the Emergency. General Sir Gerald Templer was mainly responsible for suppressing the Communists in Malaya.


HIGH COMMISSIONER AND DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

General Templer was appointed High Commissioner of Malaya and Director of Operation in 1952. He therefore had both military and civil powers. A Deputy High Commissioner, Mr. Donald MacGillivray, was appointed to help General Templer in the administration. General Templer was thus free to concentrate on the Emergency.
General Templer was an able leader. Under his leadership the Communists suffered many defeats. In this way he started to restore the morale of the people. He had more troops send from Britain and other Commonwealth countries such as Australia, East Africa, Fiji and New Zealand to fight the communists.
General Templer helped to form a federal regiment which later became the Federation Army. Compulsory service in the army was introduced. The Malayan police were increased in strength. They were all specially trained to fight against the terrorists.


AID FROM VILLAGES CHECKED

The people were encouraged to take part in the fight against the terrorists. Unity and cooperation among the different races were encouraged. Home guard units were set up in the villages. Volunteers joined them to help the defense of their villages, mines and estates. In this way the Government was able to stop Communists from going into the villagers. It was also able to prevent anyone from giving help to the Communists.


DEVELOPMENT IN THE VILLAGES

These villages were given many benefits – protection, social and welfare services. More roads were also built in the rural areas. Village Councils were set up and elections were held for them. The villagers began to have a greater share in the running of their villages. The Government was thus able to win the people to its side. Protection, a social and welfare services were also given to aborigines. For the first time the Government began to take interest in the aborigines.


BLACK AND WHITE AREAS

General Templer punished those villagers which help the terrorists. Fines were imposed on them. Those areas which Communists were known to be hiding or receiving help were declared black areas. These areas were then put under strict curfew and food control.
He encouraged the resettlement plan and introduced the idea of white areas. These areas were the terrorists had been defeated. Restriction on food and other emergency rules were not so strict in these white areas. In this way, General Templer hoped to encourage the people to give more information about the terrorists. This would then enable General Templer to defeat the Communists in the other areas. More areas would then be declared white. General Templer declared the first white areas in Malacca in September 1952.


FURTHER DEFEAT OF THE COMMUNISTS

General Templer improved the planning and fighting against the Communists. More men were trained for guerilla fighting. Leaflets promising freedom to Communist guerillas who surrendered were issued. A large number of them surrendered.
Police and soldiers began to seek out and destroy the terrorists and their hiding places in the jungle. The Communists were finally driven deeper into the jungle. Their guerilla attacks became fewer. They realized that their rebellion was a failure. They had been defeated.



REASONS FOR THE FAILURE OF THE COMMUNISTS

The Communists were mostly Chinese but they received very little support from the Chinese community. The Communists had killed many Chinese and this made the Chinese community fear and hate them. The terrorist attacks on the Chinese as well as on the other races made the people angry. The Communists thus failed to get support from the other communities. Instead they caused the different communities to join together to fight against them. The Emergency had thus brought about unity among the different races.
The Communists received very little help from other Communists outside Malaya. Malaya did not have a strong Communist country for a neighbor, so the Malayan Communists had to depend on themselves.
Moreover, they failed to disrupt the country’s economy. The owners and workers of mines, estates and other industries protected their lives and property. The Government also gave them much protection. So the production of tin and rubber continued throughout the Emergency.


THE EMERGENCY BY 1954

Conditions improved and by 1954 the Communists were no longer a serious threat. General Templer was thus able to give up his post to his Deputy, Sir Donald MacGillivray.
Many of the terrorists surrendered as their food supplies were cut off and their jungle hideouts became unsafe. However, others led by Chin Peng still refused to give up the fight.


THE END OF EMERGENCY

Although the country was in a state of Emergency, political progress was not stopped. The Federal Government was partly elected by 1955. Tenku Abdul Rahman had become the Chief Minister of Malaya.


THE BALING TALKS

A meeting was held between the MCP and the Government to settle the Communist rebellion in December 1955. The Tengku, Dato Tan Cheng Lock, and Mr. David Marshall, the Chief Minister of Singapore, met Chin Peng, the Communist leader, at Baling in north Kedah.
The Government was prepared to pardon all Communists who surrendered within a limited period. Those who were willing to give up Communism would be allowed to return to normal life. Those who remained Communists would be detained. And those who wished to go to China would be allowed to do so.
However, Chin Peng refused to agree the terms. He wanted the MCP to be legalized and allowed to carry on political activities freely. He was willing to cooperate with the Government to gain independence. But he would continue to fight to make Malaya a Communist republic. The meeting thus failed and the Emergency continued.


END OF EMERGENCY DECLARED

Before 1957 the Communists claimed that they were fighting for Malaya’s independence. In 1957, Malaya became independent. The Communists therefore had no excuse to continue their rebellion. In spite of the independence the Emergency dragged on for another three years. The Government’s efforts to suppress Communism continued. By 1960 the Communist terrorists could no longer continue their strength in Malaya. They retreated to South Thailand.
On 31st July 1960 the Government declared the end of Emergency. It had lasted 12 years. Malaya became one of the few countries to successfully defeat the Communists and prevent them from taking over the country. Chin Peng and the Communists were not really defeated. Chin Peng and his men continued their activities along the Thai-Malaysian border. Malaya (now West Malaysia) and Thailand have signed a pact agreeing to a joint operation against the MCP along the Thai-Malaysian border.