Page 24 - BOOK inside pages as at Aug 8

forewaodhildhood Days
c

to 1960, the MCP had led the insurgency in Malaya. Bentong
was a hotspot for communist activism in those days when I
was still a child.
The communists were masters at evasion. They were
ordinary folks living in the villages during the day, but at
night they would disappear into the jungles. They consisted
of people of different races and from all walks of life. Some
were young girls who were willing to pick up weapons in the
jungles to fight. When ambushed or chased by the troops, they
could suddenly disappear.
For a long time, the Malayan troops were kept wondering
how the communists were able to disappear within seconds.
The secret was an extensive network of underground tunnels
built for escape, some leading as far as the Thai borders and
beyond. It was therefore very difficult for the troops to track
them down.
This was the state of the nation when I was growing up. I
started my education when I was eight years old, in a small
primary school which no longer exists today. From my first
day at school, I liked learning. But my family situation and the
environment at home were not conducive for reading or doing
homework, and I was unable to concentrate on my studies.
With eleven of us, there were constant quarrels, chatter,
and also lots of laughter as we siblings teased one another.
We did not have the discipline to sit down to focus on school
work. Our parents were too busy making a living to monitor
our performance in examinations and they left us to fend for
ourselves. Most of my brothers and sisters did not do well in
their studies.
During those six years of primary education in Bentong,
my school uniform and shoes were hand-me-downs from my
older siblings. I was forced to be independent. Nobody took
care of me as my parents and older brothers and sisters were
busy at work.
At the age of nine, I had learned to prepare simple meals
for my own breakfast and tea. By the time I was in Standard
4, I was cooking instant noodles. I washed and ironed my own
school uniform, using a charcoal iron. At night, the lights

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BOOK inside pages.indd 24 08/08/2018 05:43 PM