Malaysia: State of Emergency

Onto the polished, horseshoe-shaped table of the U.N. Security Council plopped a miniature arsenal—an automatic rifle and a light mortar, a helmet, a back pack, an opened parachute, a camouflage suit. Thus last week did British-backed Malaysia, after more than a year of harassment by Indonesia, launch a dramatic appeal to the U.N.

The weaponry, Malaysia’s Interior Minister Ismail bin Dato Abdul Rahman* told the Council, had been captured from the 40-odd, Indonesia-based paratroopers dropped into mainland Malaya two weeks ago. Last month more than 100 raiders hit Malaya by sea, opening a second front in Sukarno’s undeclared war, which had been principally confined to northern Borneo. Declared Rahman to the assembled delegates: “I ask that you condemn such international brigandage.”

Blithe Spirit. In reply, Indonesia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sudjarwo Tjondronegoro cockily admitted that “our volunteers, together with the militant youth of Sarawak and Sabah [North Borneo], some of whom have been trained in our territory, have entered so-called ‘Malaysian’ territory. They have been fighting there for some time. This is no secret.” He couldn’t understand why Malaysia was getting so excited. “The fighting now in Malaya is on a very small scale compared with the magnitude of the fighting in Sarawak and Sabah. Why, then, all the fuss? Is it because the present ‘Malaysian’ government feels unable to overcome its own internal troubles?”

Faced with a likely Soviet veto, Malaysia knew it had little chance of getting a formal U.N. condemnation, but hoped that the Council session would at least mobilize world opinion against Indonesia. The rest of the world was not exactly rushing to the rescue, but, confronted with continuing violence, the Malaysian government decreed a Federation-wide state of emergency, and two battalions of Malaya-based New Zealand and British Gurkha troops joined the hunt for the Indonesian guerrillas still on the loose in Malaya. To underline its determination, British airlifted an antiaircraft regiment, detached from its NATO Army of the Rhine, to Singapore, diverted a naval squadron to Malaysia from the Mediterranean. From London came word that Britain had decided to retaliate if Indonesia strikes the Malay Peninsula again.

Matter of Rats. In Indonesia, the man behind it all was temporarily busy on other matters. Kicking off a national campaign against crop-devouring rats, Sukarno accepted the title of “Honorary Chairman of the Action to Combat Mice Committee” to add to his long list of formal titles. He is also known as Great Leader of the Revolution, Mouthpiece of the Indonesian People, Main Bearer of the Message of the People’s Suffering, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Supreme Commander of the Economic Operational Command, Supreme People’s Industry Builder, Son of the Dawn, Supreme Pioneer, Father of the Peasants, Supreme Builder, Supreme Protector, Grand Skipper, and Chief Boy Scout.

* No kin to Premier Tunku Abdul Rahman.