The Fall of Singapore & Malaya - A Lesson For Us All

Yesterday was February the 15th. On the same date back in 1942, the British surrendered to the Japanese invaders in Singapore; marking the beginning of Japanese rule in the whole of Malaya and Singapore for 3 years. 3 terrible and horrifying years.

The infamous surrender of Singapore 

It was victory for the Japs; whom the British masters used to call 'Dwarfs'. It was a humiliating defeat of the British; whom the locals thought were invincible angels from heaven that will protect them all the time. The masters fled in the end; leaving the locals to face the agony of the Japanese soldiers alone. 

Some locals thought that the Japanese were the heroes. The Japanese freed them from British; the colonial invader. They've hoped that the Japanese will grant them independence, but they were wrong. The Japs were not a hint better than the British. They've come to steal iron, tin and coal from Malaya just to fuel their war against the Allieds. They did not care on how the people of Malaya will survive. They were more than happy just to annihilate them. 

The Parit Sulong memorial - testimony of the invader's brutality

That is why we've heard so much stories of the hardships of those days. Our grandfathers and grandmas passed those horrifying stories to our parents and they would pass that story to us...tapioca became the staple diet and those who possess radio sets were hunted down and tortured. Incidents of being slapped because of not bowing properly to a Japanese soldier were too common. 

Thanks to those stories, we are aware that putting our country in a war and disorder is not an option. We don't want to live in agony. We want to live in peace and harmony. We are very aware that we need no more interference from other nations. We decide the country's fate and destiny. Not them. 

Unfortunately, we became forgetful. Outside interference came no longer in the form of rifle-wielding soldiers landing on our shores. They've sent their men in to weaken our systems. To lay seeds of hatred and doubt among us. They've used the country's own people; by promising them money, position and support to cause havoc, yet many of us are still unaware of that; blinded by false hopes and ambitions. The invaders came silently now and 'attack' when nobody in the country has trust over each other. By the time we realize, it will be too late. 

We have enough experience with invaders. Melaka fell to the Portuguese and Dutch in the span of hundreds of years. Then the British came to rule us. The Japs took over for 3 years and then back to the British. We were finally freed in 1957 and after more than 50 years of beautiful independence, some of us gladly invited Americans, Australians and the British to tell us what to do...as if the hundreds of years terrifying experience with invaders taught us nothing!

We do not need another Afghanistan in here; where the Americans came in the disguise of Superman to partner with a local Batman, do nothing and then leave the locals to fight each other. We do not want another Iraq either here in Malaysia where the Americans came with the promise of freedom from Saddam. Yes, they've freed Iraq from Saddam but is there a day in Iraq now that passed through without somebody dead from being shot or bombed? 

We do not need imposters here in Malaysia who disguised themselves as heroes but in reality are puppets of the Australians and Americans. We do not want a headline in the news that reads ' The Fall of Kuala Lumpur' and these imposters are the reason behind it. We have our own way to handle our prosperous multi-racial community and we do not lessons from those who in reality have also failed. 

There must never be any more date in the future that will remind us of our fall.

Ever.

p/s: And sadly, all that we used to do in February is to remember when is Valentine's Day...