It is sad and ironic that Chin Peng and his friends who spent the best part of their lives fighting the British colonialists to achieve independence are not allowed to return to their own homeland.

The Malaysian government should show some magnanimity and compassion towards them as many of them are now in the twilight years of their lives.

The peace accord signed on Dec 2, 1989 between our government and the Malayan Communist Party should have led to a full reconciliation and absorption of MCP members into the mainstream of Malaysian society. They pose no threat to the security of this country or to anybody else.

We should have learnt from the experience of our neighbours, Indonesia and Thailand. The communists have been successfully accommodated in these countries and are playing useful roles in national development. The Indonesian Supreme Court has even recognised their right to form political parties and participate in elections.

Our ideological differences should not blind us to the important contributions made by SA Ganapathy, Musa Ahmad, Chin Peng, Rashid Maidin, Chen Tien, Shamsiah Fakeh and other members of the left, including the MCP, to our struggle for independence.

Our former deputy prime minister, the late Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, acknowledged this indisputable fact. And during the peace negotiations, our former inspector-general of police, Rahim Noor, also recognised it.

What is needed now is to give effect to this recognition by allowing Chin Peng and others who were involved in the armed struggle to return home if they so choose. They should not be forced to seek redress from the courts. After all, some have already returned and are playing useful roles in our society.

We must free ourselves from the poison of the British colonial propaganda in demonising these freedom fighters. Let's view the history of our anti-colonial struggle objectively and rationally.