THE WAR THAT CANNOT BE WON
SIR,—It seems to me that there is a touch of the rancour of expatriate officers in the letter of Mr. George Bilainkin. There is also present, I think, the usual over-confidence of some Englishmen who re- gard former colonial countries as 'primitive' and 'petty little kingdoms,' worthy of a play by the Marx Brothers at their best.' Perhaps he forgot that he was referring to a country populated by people having as much pride and dignity as perhaps he has.
Mr. George Bilainkin said that the realities of the Federation of Malaysia are simple. The Chinese population are divided in their loyalty between Mao Tse-tung and Chiang Kai-shek. They do not like the Tunku's plan of the Federation and therefore they will fight against it and destroy it. What is done and said by Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, Chief Minister of the State of Singapore, is of little significance. It is as simple as that.
Let us be clear about the people of the Federation of Malaysia. They are not made up of the Chinese alone. There are other races of which, I am sure, Mr. George Bilainkin is well aware. These multifarious races are striving, against odds and opposition, to form a nation of their own. Perhaps there are grounds-in saying that the Chinese arc divided in their loyalty. However, this will not stop the other races and those Chinese who give their loyalty to Malaysia from being united and achieving nation- hood. In this respect Mr. Lee Kuan Yew is not of little significance.
It is surprising that there is much speculation about the 'referendum' in 'Sabah' and Sarawak. May I re- mind Mr. George Bilainkin and those who 'laugh' at it that it was done by the United Nations. In these troubled days it is not wise to laugh at the work of the United Nations, for then one's laughter can have no end.
Mr. George Bilainkin concluded by saying that 'Singapore of 1942 is a lesson neither London, nor Washington, should forget for a moment.' He was referring, of course, to the 'tail-turning' of the British in Singapore in that year. It seems to me that he is advocating another one.
Previous page
