FOR six years of his life, retired Special Branch officer Supt Paul Kiong slept with an eye open in the jungle while carrying out what his superiors described as a “suicidal” mission in the heydays of the communist insurgency in the 1970s.
Kiong was deep undercover, posing as a communist sympathiser who rose through the ranks in a platoon to earn the “trust” of his enemies.
He was entrusted to provide food and supplies to units fighting the government forces.
“I was the Grab (food delivery) rider then for the communists,” said a bemused Kiong.
His negotiation and pacifying skills were said to be illustrious until he could even convince communist members for six years to defect to the police, while also protecting his identity as a police officer trained in subversive tactics in the jungles of Perak.
Kiong was instrumental in the surrender and defection of many communist platoons who were then involved in guerrilla warfare in the rural areas.
It was the second wave of the insurgency – the first led by the late Malayan Communist Party founder Chin Peng had dissipated with the help of colonial forces such as the British, New Zealanders and Aussies with Chin Peng fleeing to China in the 1960s.
The second wave in the 1970s, in which Kiong was involved, was mostly fought by the independent Malaysian forces; it showcased the counter-insurgency exploits of the famed Special Branch operatives, who were said to be the best in the world then.
The second wave was also spurred by the nearby communist war in Vietnam against the Americans.
It, however, ended with the peace pact signed by Chin Peng in Haadyai (Thailand) in 1989 but the communists had won the conflict in Vietnam.
80-year-old Kiong, who studied briefly at St Xavier’s Institution in Penang, is a living legend, a hero in all senses of the word.
Meanwhile, across the South China Sea in Sarawak, Cpl Etim Anak Bijam was part of a group of field force policemen escorting a convoy of lorries in Subu, which were ferrying construction material, including explosives to clear the jungle for development.
At Jalan Oya in 1975, the convoy was ambushed by dozens of communist insurgents who were eyeing the explosives.
Despite being wounded and outnumbered, Etim fought back, holding his ground until backup detachments from the police and soldiers arrived to protect the convoy, delivering a big setback against his adversaries.
Today, 86-year-old Etim is grateful that he survived the shootout.
The two veterans are recipients of the country’s highest gallantry award.
They were recently awarded the Darjah Kebesaran Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa (SP) by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
The SP takes precedence over all other awards and medals in the country, even those that carry the title of Tun and Tan Sri.
It would be nice if they are saluted each time they walk into a public event but it seems that the country has forgotten them due to the passage of time.
For Kiong, who also spoke on behalf of Etim, who is frail, it is generally acceptable for the world to forget the past, especially in this age of information where everything is just a touch away.
But the sacrifices and deeds of the past should not be discarded, as such virtues are as important now as it was in the 1970s, Kiong said.
“If we forget the principles and fight for democracy, we are bound to repeat the mistakes of the past and we will forever be stuck in a circle of mediocrity.”
First Adm (rtd) Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, who organised the event to recognise the past heroes, said he wanted to remind the people that peace was earned through blood, sweat and tears like many other nations that faced an armed insurgency.
Balagopal, who served with the Royal Malaysian Navy, wants the government to safeguard the welfare of the veterans, especially those who have lost limbs and have minimal support at home.
He called for a revision of veterans’ service pensions based on current salary scales, highlighting that Kiong and Etim only receive RM2,000 monthly.
Kiong suggested initiatives such as fast lanes at government hospitals, considering that only five SP out of the original 11 recipients are still alive today.
“For the SP award, we receive an allowance of RM2,000 a month and that was last revised in 2009. If you want to compare that with other countries like the United Kingdom, they review the allowance every five years for those who were awarded the Victoria Cross. We are not asking for RM10,000 or RM20,000 but just to review the allowance to cope with our current costs of living. That is all that we’re asking for.”
“We are grateful to the government but I believe we can do more especially with the prosperity and the peace that we brought to the country,” Kiong said.
Kiong said SP recipients, especially those who were elderly like Etim, should be appreciated and not forgotten.
Balagopal also said that generally, the pensions of military and police retirees should be reviewed as they were insufficient.
About 70% of security force pensioners were in the B40 group.
He also chastised politicians, who have conveniently forgotten history by exploiting the conflict to gather mileage, saying that the new (Chinese) villages in the rural localities helped the government defeat communists.
“Malaysia is the only country in the world to effectively defeat communism. Yet, we are engaged in our road to self-destruction with the politics of hatred and using our strength of race and religious tolerance against ourselves.”
The former Port Dickson MP said that the leaders of the country should focus on what counts – “bread and butter” issues in a nation struggling in a web of deceit due to power struggles, which has led to rising living costs, a declining ringgit and polarisation. – April 3, 2024.
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