FROM INSURGENT TO CITIZEN

This is a first-person account of an overseas Chinese who was involved in the armed struggle for the independence of Malaya and Singapore and who evolved through several roles during those tumultuous times — from an anti-Japanese agent in World War II, to a communist guerrilla leader during the Emergency and subsequently to a citizen who worked for the Special Branch to defend the nation during Confrontation.

The book also offers an in-depth first-person account of the history, operational methodology, struggles and ultimate failure of the Malayan Communist Party in the armed struggle and provides an in-depth analysis from a direct participant of those events. It describes the zeitgeist of the time amongst overseas Chinese in Malaya and Singapore — in the prelude to and the aftermath of World War II and the subsequent struggle of independence in a world where they had hitherto been second-class residents. Due to the inherent secrecy of the clandestine Malayan Communist Party, many of the events described in the book were not previously known; events that the protagonist in his old age now wishes to record for posterity.

Contents:

• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• My Childhood Days
• The Anti-Japanese War
• The Anti-British War
• The Fall of the MCP
• Life After MCP
• Appendix
• Index

Readership: Students, researchers and anyone interested in the study of communist movements in Asia during the 20th century. Members of the public who are interested in the history of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia especially their experience leading to WWII and during Japanese occupation. This includes those who are interested in first-hand account of how a member of the Overseas Chinese community became radicalised and took part in the Anti-Japan as as well as the Anti-British war. At the heart of it, the book is about how an altruistic Overseas Chinese student decided to join the war against the Japanese army during WWII and decided to join the subsequent war for independence against the British in Malaya and Singapore.

Key Features:

• Addresses the dearth of historical accounts of this part of history
• Provides an insider's first-person account of the activities and operations of the clandestine Malayan Communist Party
• Presents an alternative view on the communist movements in the Southeast Asian region, enabling readers to form a balanced understanding of all historical events that led to independence and in particular those that involved armed struggle and significant loss of life among the population