Monday November 23, 2009
Disagreement on Chin Peng’s apology
PETALING JAYA: The Government should accept Chin Peng’s apology and allow him to return to Malaysia, said national DAP chairman Karpal Singh.
However, former International Movement for a Just World (JUST) president Dr Chandra Muzaffar disagreed, and brushed off the apology as insencere.
PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub, meanwhile, suggested a referendum to let the public decide if the apology was acceptable.
“The 20th anniversary of the peace accord between the Malaysian government and the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) on Dec 2, 1989, and now, an official apology by Chin Peng, should prompt the Government to allow him to return to Malaysia,” Karpal said in a statement yesterday.
Karpal was responding to Chin Peng’s apology for the deaths of innocents published in The Star yesterday.
He claimed the former secretary-general of the CPM had always been a citizen of Malaysia although there were suggestions that Chin Peng did not apply for citizenship after the country achieved independence.
Karpal also said Chin Peng was already 85 years old and had expressed his desire to return to Malaysia. Chin Peng has made arrangements for him to be buried near his father’s grave in his hometown of Sitiawan.
“This should strike a chord in the hearts of those in power.”
He said Chin Peng’s plan to take his case to the International Court of Justice after having lost out in Malaysian courts would give Malaysia unnecessary negative publicity and should be avoided at all cost.
Dr Chandra considered Chin Peng’s apology insincere because of his stand in defending the killing of innocents by his group.
“If we examine his statement, he does not admit he did something wrong.
“He said there would be civilian casualties in war, and said that communists, too, were killed by security forces.
“This shows that his apology is insincere,” he told mStar Online.
“Saying that civilians get killed in war shows he is trying to legitimise what has happened,” added Dr Chandra.
“We also have to consider the feelings of the relatives of those in the security force,” he added.
Salahuddin said a referendum would decide the issue.
Previous report:
Chin Peng apologises for death of innocents
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