The Emergency

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31030, 9 April 1966, Page 5

The Emergency

(Specially written for “The Press” bu KENNETH ANTHONY] -THIS stamp sums up the A suffering and triumph of a nation after a long struggle against a Communist insurrection. It shows the new national monument of Malaysia—sited on a hill overlooking the Lake Gardens at Kuala Lumpur in Malaya. This monument has been described by the Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, as “a symbol of the eternal gratitude of the people of Malaya for the devotion and patriotism of all those brave men and women who suffered and died in the 12 long years of the Emergency.” On July 31, 1961, the first anniversary of the official ending of the Emergency, a fund was started to raise the cost of a suitable monument. The total cost was about one million Malayan dollars

(about £150,000). Apart from a contribution of one fifth from the Government the whole sum was collected by public subscription.

The monument was planned to pay tribute to the gallantry of the fighting men of various races who took part in the campaign and is an example

of international co-operation. The designer was an American, Felix de Weldon. The 40ft sculpture depictinb men of the armed forces in action with the Malaysian flag fluttering overhead, was cast in bronze by Italian craftsmen: and the base, 45ft square and almost lift high, is of emerald pearl granite from Norway. The equilateral triangle chosen by Malaysia as the format for this issue—there are two values, 10c and 20c—-is an unusual one for stamp production. It was tried out earlier, in 1962, for Malaya’s “National Language Month” commemorative. In this new example, the format is well suited to the shape of the monument which it depicts. It is, however, an unhappy coincidence that before these stamps appeared in tribute to those who overcame one emergency, Malaysia should have been faced with another from a different quarter—this time fpm Indonesia.