AS MALAYANS SEE IT

Southland Times, Issue 24129, 18 May 1940, Page 6

AS MALAYANS SEE IT

Explaining War To Natives HITLER “BECAME VERY BRAVE” A picture of the war and its origin, as seen through Malayan eyes, is g iv< =-n in a leading article, printed in the Malay language, which appeared recently m The Straits Times at Singapore. Before this war started, Hitler and his friends got ready all kinds of things of war, like rifles, guns, aeroplanes and tanks. He said to his Germans, Guns before butter.” If a man asked for butter, the Gestapo detectives killed him. In this way the Germans were frightened to talk, even though their stomachs were empty, but, you see, they •were frightened of ' being killed. In this way the German country became very strong. Then, when one man met another, the two of them did exercises at each other, and said, “Heil Hitler.” The German soldiers’ hearts became very high and p-oud, and they were very happy walking about like geese. But in England it was a different thing. When Tuan Chamberlain finished his work, he was .very happy trying to catch the fish trout and the red fish (salmon) in the river Scotland, or walking in Hyde Park with his wife and umbrella. He was not happy stirring up other countries. He was a quiet man. The English people were not warlike either. They were happy watching football, horse racing, playing darts in the public-house, and paying their in-come-tax. Ribbentrop went back to Germany, and said to Hitler that all the English were like women; their bodies were not strong. When Hitler heard the news he became very brave. He asked for Czechoslovakia. At that moment Tuan Chamberlain was just about to catch a red fish (salmon) very big; but when he heard that Hitler wanted to pick up another country, he ran very hard to an aeroplane and went up in the air, to the house high up, to drink tea with Hitler. Three or four times he flew in that way. But Hitler was a big untruthful man, he was always breaking his agreements. Goebbels was very clever also, talking wind on the radio. If there was one German sick with toothache in Czechoslovakia, he said that there were there 1000 Germans dead. In this way the German hearts became very hot (angry).

FISHING FINISHED Hitler was then quiet for three weeks, but then in the month of August he got up again, asking for Danzig. The men of Poland did not want to give him. Then Goebbels talked louder wind on the radio. Then Tuan Chamberlain could not stand it any more. He threw away his umbrella and bought a walking stick. Also, all his fishing finished. The English and the French came to an agreement to help each other if the Germans went into Poland, but Hitler thought we were making bluff, and talking playful things, and he then went into Poland. In this way the war started. It was easy to take Poland, because the men there had not enough war things. The war on the sea has not developed strongly, because the Germans have not many ships, but the English ships are so many that you cannot count them. At the beginning of the war the Germans had three pocket battleships, and 60 fish ships (submarines). At the moment the Germans have lost one pocket battleship; its name is the Graf Spee. It sank itself in the South Atlantic, because it was frightened of fighting with three British waistcoat-pocket battleships. Of the fish ships, threequarters are finished. Tuan Churchill has captured them. When the war started the children left London, Manchester, and Liverpool, and other big places because they were frightened of bombs. Old men left also, sick with the jitters. The children now live with the farmers and squires of England. At night times now all England is blacked out. If men want to smoke-cigarettes they must do it inside the wardrobe. Also it is very hard to find the public-house. This is not like any other war. The Battle of 'Waterloo was easy; you shot once; if you died you were buried; if you lived you came home; that was the end, quickly. The Americans say this is a cock-eyed war. It is true, also.