With Kings, Princes and commoners By James Ritchie

Two minutes before midnight on August 30, 1957, thousands were gathered in the dark at Kuala Lumpur’s Selangor Club for as the British anthem rung out for last time.

As the clock tower stuck at the stroke of midnight, the lights came on as the new Malayan flag and anthem Negara Ku, rung out to chants of “Merdeka” led by Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman. Two years later on July 31, 1960, the British engineered the end of the 12-year Malayan emergency but it did not stop the hardcore communist militants.

James Ritchie

In the 1950s my father who had been praised for his role curbing the urban terrorism linked to the secret societies in Penang was highly commended by Sir Gerald Templer.

In his memoir “The Adventures of Johnny Ritchie” he said: “Our policy of encouraging the terrorists to surrender was increasingly successful as by this time the morale of the communists had been well and truly shattered. “Eventually, the government ‘s policy of encouraging to the terrorists to surrender, the states were declared a white areas which meant …as completely free of militant communists”

My father who was Malacca police chief and also involved in first General election during personally helped during the campaign period between the Alliance and position. He wrote candidly: “At one time the crowd was so huge I climbed on a table to monitor the situation. Soon I was completely hemmed in on the table which, swaying from side to side.

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