Hidden Heroes: Snapshots of A True Malaysian Patriot's Life (2018)
Author: Lai Chee Seng
Having gone through life hanging on a thread, living precariously one day at a time, having been shot in the thigh and miraculously surviving the communist terrorists' watchlist, S/Sergeant S. Kesavan would be the last person to empathise with the struggles of Chin Peng and his band of 'self-appointed' freedom fighters. In his eyes and the people of his generation, MPAJA and their successors can never be viewed as liberators of the land of Malaya from the Japanese and later the British colonial masters.
No amount of facts and cajoling with the idea that history was written by victors and that the propaganda machine changed the psychology of the nation to look at them as the bad guys are going to going to convince S/S Kesavan of the genuine altruistic intentions of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM).
He was there to experience the brutality of the members of CPM who decided to go underground and take up arms after the peace talks to recognise it as a legitimate political party in 1955 failed.
This book is a tribute by a daughter to her father hailing the bravery and sacrifices of her father and the many unsung heroes around the country who were the people working in the background, unnoticed, so that the rest of the country can continue with their lives and prosper.
A nation becomes successful because of its people, who believe in its course and have pride in defending its ideology against intruders who have ill-intent. Its people, in spite of their ethnicity who are willing to spill blood during sanguine times, should not be questioned of their patriotism. A nation prospers not only due to its capable leaders but also by the little people who in their own way, like a tiny screw in the heavy machinery, do their part conscientiously.
Spruced with interesting vignettes on the history and events surrounding young Malaya/ Malaysia, the writer narrates beautifully the early years of S/S Kesavan as a young boy in the trying years of World War 2 around Sentul, Kuala Lumpur. The strong-willed pint-sized boy from humble beginnings, strive hard to improve his living standards with his wit and charisma as his tool and his determination being his weapon. He led his life with the firm conviction that the Almighty is by his side paving a safe passage during his trying times. And it worked well for him.
Starting from rank and file, he served the Police Field Force tracking down communist activities in the thick jungles of Malaysia during the heights of Emergency. His zest to learn landed him in the RDF (Radio Direction Finding) unit of the Special Branch to remotely detect and locate strongholds of CT. The book traces through his career, his family life, his children and all the sacrifices made by himself and his family. All in the name of the country, the only place they can call home.
As if as a fortunate stroke of serendipity, the country's fight against communism also ended about the time that S/S Kesavan retired from the service. As his senior jocularly said, "Chin Peng decided to call it a day and hang his AK47 when K7 (Kesavan) retired.
The effort to tell family stories is lauded. Quite too often, the younger generation forgets the sacrifices made by the immigrant population to turn this backwater malaria-filled jungle called Malaya to put it on the world map. It is time we, Malaysian, open that treasure chest of our grandmother stories that we hold so close to our hearts to put on paper the true chronicle of the course of the history of our country.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/riflerangeboy/
Author: Lai Chee Seng
Having gone through life hanging on a thread, living precariously one day at a time, having been shot in the thigh and miraculously surviving the communist terrorists' watchlist, S/Sergeant S. Kesavan would be the last person to empathise with the struggles of Chin Peng and his band of 'self-appointed' freedom fighters. In his eyes and the people of his generation, MPAJA and their successors can never be viewed as liberators of the land of Malaya from the Japanese and later the British colonial masters.No amount of facts and cajoling with the idea that history was written by victors and that the propaganda machine changed the psychology of the nation to look at them as the bad guys are going to going to convince S/S Kesavan of the genuine altruistic intentions of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM).
He was there to experience the brutality of the members of CPM who decided to go underground and take up arms after the peace talks to recognise it as a legitimate political party in 1955 failed.
This book is a tribute by a daughter to her father hailing the bravery and sacrifices of her father and the many unsung heroes around the country who were the people working in the background, unnoticed, so that the rest of the country can continue with their lives and prosper.
A nation becomes successful because of its people, who believe in its course and have pride in defending its ideology against intruders who have ill-intent. Its people, in spite of their ethnicity who are willing to spill blood during sanguine times, should not be questioned of their patriotism. A nation prospers not only due to its capable leaders but also by the little people who in their own way, like a tiny screw in the heavy machinery, do their part conscientiously.
Spruced with interesting vignettes on the history and events surrounding young Malaya/ Malaysia, the writer narrates beautifully the early years of S/S Kesavan as a young boy in the trying years of World War 2 around Sentul, Kuala Lumpur. The strong-willed pint-sized boy from humble beginnings, strive hard to improve his living standards with his wit and charisma as his tool and his determination being his weapon. He led his life with the firm conviction that the Almighty is by his side paving a safe passage during his trying times. And it worked well for him.
Starting from rank and file, he served the Police Field Force tracking down communist activities in the thick jungles of Malaysia during the heights of Emergency. His zest to learn landed him in the RDF (Radio Direction Finding) unit of the Special Branch to remotely detect and locate strongholds of CT. The book traces through his career, his family life, his children and all the sacrifices made by himself and his family. All in the name of the country, the only place they can call home.
As if as a fortunate stroke of serendipity, the country's fight against communism also ended about the time that S/S Kesavan retired from the service. As his senior jocularly said, "Chin Peng decided to call it a day and hang his AK47 when K7 (Kesavan) retired.
The effort to tell family stories is lauded. Quite too often, the younger generation forgets the sacrifices made by the immigrant population to turn this backwater malaria-filled jungle called Malaya to put it on the world map. It is time we, Malaysian, open that treasure chest of our grandmother stories that we hold so close to our hearts to put on paper the true chronicle of the course of the history of our country.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Comments
Post a Comment