Back the Communists — and go to gaol

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33678, 30 October 1974, Page 3

Back the Communists — and go to gaol

Malaysian students now studying in Christchurch will be thrown into prison if they openly support the Communist Party when they go home.

They received the warning yesterday from Malaysia’s Minister of Primary Industries, Datuk Musa Hitam, who spent about two hours with them discussing social, economic and political developments at home. Datuk- Musa offered no apology for his Government’s treatment of Communists, likening them to enemies of democracy who sponged on democracy to advance their cause. He said the Government was determined not to let Communists fulfil their avowed intention of over-

throwing authority by violent and unconstitutional means. The Malaysian Government’s method of dealing with Communists was either to destroy them or neutralise them. In many countries, opponents of the Government “just disappear.” In Malaysia, arrest and detention occurred only where people actively supported the Communists.

Datuk Musa said there was no denying that when any country talked about the national interest for justifying its actions, abuses would emerge; but with the Communists his Government was dealing with people determined to destroy the system. Except for openly backing the Communists, opponents

of the Government could go about the country saying what they liked “with absolute freedom.” Datuk Musa said that what could be “got away with” in New Zealand politically, would not necessarily be condoned in Malaysia. He made his points squatting on the floor in a circle with the students, who then asked him questions. A policeman stood outside. Datuk Musa said he had some regard for the effectiveness of communism in China, but he noted that those who opposed the thoughts of Mao did not get the opportunity to discuss them with Mao or with any other powerful person in China. He admitted that Malaysia, in common with much of the world, was a country where the rich tended to get richer and the poor poorer. But the Government was passing out of the hands of the aristocracy, and ability was being recognised. Qualified people drawn from the villages could occupy positions of authority alongside anyone. He cited himself as an example — the son of a meter-reader from a family of 10 children.