Dear Locke,
Chin Peng said that Ops Cold Store wipe out their underground commie in Singapore does not provide direct evidence thaqt LCS was a communist.
The proper perspective should be, Ops Cold Store wipe out LKY's most threatening opponents totally, be it communists or otherwise! Cold Store wiped out more than communists.. almost all leftist activists that did not chose to stand on LKY's side.
Thus, I do not think that constitute as "evidence" as to whether LCS was a communist or not. In fact, I would say that if there are such outright evidence, LCS would be charged as such.
To be exact, PAP, LKY and all PAP members, underground communists, leftists, unionists..etc all of them made use of the fact that the communists has great political capital in fighting against the Japanese during WWII to garner support for achieving their respective agendas. LKY did it, so did LCS.
So are you saying anyone who stand in line knowingly with communists' "obvious" covert ops in PAP are communist in nature? If that is the case, LKY and everyone in PAP would be considered as communists per se, just that they suddenly discard the connections and influence immediately right after they got what they wanted.. POWER!
Put is simply, LKY & his faction ride on Leftists led by LCS while Leftists ride on communist party. It really makes no difference, really because I do not think LKY's faction was that dumb in not knowing who they were dealing with in PAP! I mean, it is already a known FACT that some of the LKY faction old guards KNOWINGLY helped communists to escape colonial government arrests!
I would say BOTH LKY faction and LCS Barisan faction made use of the communists, never mind if they were communists or not, but they practically slept with them. But so far, there isn't any hint of distinctive differences in political ideology between the LKY & LCS factions other than the issue of merger. Both have knowingly helped and ride on communist influences. Both believed in Leftist movement. But no signs nor slightest evidence that anyone of them believe in communism.
As for whether LCS was a communist member or not, it is really immaterial; I mean, nobody will ever know for sure! Even if he was, was it ideologically aligned or just for political convenience? Nobody will ever know.
Anyway, history is always written by victors with a tainted glass.
Goh Meng Seng
Dear GMS
There two replies from Chin Peng when it came to communist in Singapore and they were both illustrative of the issue. Both quotes are paraphrased and were taken from " Conversations with Chin Peng," and " My side of History." and taken together I do believe that LCS was a communist and understood who he was supporting and why for ideological reasons event though he might not or might have been a member
Conversations with Chin Peng
Direct question was LCS a communist, CPs reply was not LCS was or LCS was not a communist but rather..." LCS said he was not a communist." Illustrative and illuminating
My Side of History.
We influenced the communist in Singapore.........Lee Siew Chow and the Puthecary and other prominient figures were not Communist MEMBERS....... Cold Store wiped out our Communist underground.
Contextually LCS and all the other by 1961 knew what the MCP stood for, and knew that it stood for the armed struggle. They also knew that by 1961 independence had been given to Malaysia and that Independence and or self government was already on the table with the colonial government. They knew to that Independence had been granted by that stage to many colonies and that many ex colonies were on the road to independence. The writing was on the wall, Singapore would get its independence from Britain, the only question was who would be in control of Singapore, would it be interests friendly with the British or Interests not friendly with the brits. Any cooperation with the communist or support was a belief that communism or some variant of communism would be the best way to rule and govern Singapore.
If it was purely anti colonial, at that point in history they would have given up, the fact that they carried on a political struggle meant to me at least , they believed and fought and struggled because of a belief in communist ideology whether they were communist or communist members
Locke