Japanese Occupation- Dato' Param.pdf - Malaysian Paediatric ...

curry, relishing it, and shouting “Karai neh Joto neh”, spicy but great, I will always remember our
exciting trip across the Malacca Straits on a sampan with Ibrahim, our sampan man, I will always
remember sailing my boats in the drain next to the dilapidated golf club and having the time of my life,
then I will also remember with horror, seeing the heads of the two Chinese, whose only crime was
stealing food for their starving children. But the Japanese Occupation taught us how to cope with
hardships, and value the good things of life. I also realise now, the pivotal person that saw us through
this very challenging period, was my mother-her ability to innovate, her calm presence in time of crisis,
and her inner strength from which we all drew confidence. She was a very ‘Special Person.’ Maybe I can
call her “A woman for all seasons”
The ‘raison d’être’ for this article, is to enlighten our children and grand-children, on the ‘trials
and tribulations’ their parents and grand-parents had to cope with, as they faced some of the ravages of
war, and the occupation by a foreign country. This war, also showed us the dents that appeared on the
mighty British Empire, and helped Malayans believe they would succeed in seeking Independence. But
we also know how, after the thank you, and hand shakes, and the handing out of Medals to the
members of the CPM, the British were not going to hand the country to the CPM-they were here to
stay. The CPM then decided to go back to the jungle, to fight the same battle against the British, they
started, when they first surfaced in late 1930’s. And then we were engulfed with a new horror-THE
EMERGENCY.
Bertrand Russel once said “ War does not determine who is right, only who is left”
Dwight Eisenhower, after the hard fought World War 2, and seeing the carnage war can dish out said
“Every gun that is made, every war ship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense, a theft
from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed’.
He also said “ I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality,
its futility, its stupidity”
Acknowledgements:
1.Wikipedia:Malayan Campaign
2.Wikipedia:Japanese invasion of Malaya
3.Wikipedia:Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse
4.Wikipedia:Rani Lakshmibai
5.Wikipedia: Subhas Chandra Bose
6.Wikipedia: ‘Banana Money’ 1942-1945
Dato Dr.N.Paramaesvaran
nparamaes@msn.com