21st anniversary of Haatyai Accord

The historic Haatyai Accord on 2 Dec 1989 and in focus were Chin Peng (left), Abdullah CD and Rashid Maidin.








The Haatyai Accord, signed between the Malaysian Government and the outlawed Malayan Communist Party (CPM) on 2 Dec 1989, brought an end to over two decades of armed conflict and paved the way to peace, prosperity and progress for the country.
The signing ceremony took place at Hotel Lee Gardens 21 years ago and all cameras were focused on CPM leader Chin Peng and his two Malay deputies, Rashid Maidin and Abdullah CD, all dressed in suites.

The CPM insisted that they have laid down their arms and not surrendered which means although hostilities had ceased but the communist ideology still exist.

Veterans generally feel sad to see that although peace had brought progress and prosperity, there is nothing to commemorate the historic event.
Our security forces in particular and the civilian public in general rightly should take credit for struggling hard to make life unbearable to the CPM to the point that they found it was no more worth while to continue with their armed struggle.

A sizable number of our security forces lost their lives and limbs, their wives widowed and their children orphaned.

“It isn't so hard actually to commemorate this event annually, least we forget,” said a veteran who declined to be named.

The country successfully repelled communist armed uprising, called the Emergency or Darurat in two phases – 1948 to 1960 and 1968 to 1989.
New Straits Times, Kuala Lumpur

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