Labour Day - May Day ( 1970s )

Today is 1st.of May. It is Labour Day .It's a public holiday , a holiday for workers to rejoice, for on that day their struggle to be recognised as a force to be reckoned finally gained footing .They also won the right for an 8 hour a day work .Otherwise the workers were left to the mercy of the employers. However most of the trade unions those days were infiltrated by the leftists/socialists/communists elements.They took the oppotunity during the workers day celeberation and other days of communist significants , to attack and murder Police officers .

Although the Emergency in this country was lifted in 1960 , the Communist threat were still lurking up to the 1980s .In the 1970s especially , there were a number of murders of Police officers .Police officers were ambushed and shot while coming out of their houses , while having coffee in coffee shops ,while walking to their cars parked in secluded areas ,while opening their house doors to strangers and etc. A few of my colleagues were slained that way .

I remember those days we had to carry firearms wherever we went .We had to change routes on our way to and from our homes to avoid being ambushed .We were told to avoid frequenting public places and not to straight away open our house doors whenever there is a knock from outside . Our wives too were encouraged to go for shooting practice so that they can use the firearms during emergency .Inspite of the frequent attacks/shootings , our spirits were high .Each year during Labour Day and other days of communist significants we had to be on standby and sometimes had to accompany the Special Branch to make raids on suspected communist hideouts .

In the 1970s my two boys were still very young and they did not know anything , while my two daughters were not yet born .Only after the 1980s that the country was really free from the communists threats .I am glad no untoward incident on me and I am glad too that I survived till my retirement. To my colleagues who had to die defending the nations integrity, may you rest in peace .You died honourably .

Although I am now retired , I still remember vividly how life was in the 1970s .We were then in Johor - Muar , Segamat and Johor Bahru. There wasn't much development then .Inspite of that however we lived quite comfortable .It was the prime period of my life as I was still young and energetic .Thirty years ago is as if it was just like yesterday .

We do not go any where except stay at home during this long week end holidays . Our apartment in Port Dickson is being borrowed by my brother in-law Zainal from Johor Bahru .They are here to do the ' merisek ' ( proposal ) for one of his nephews in Nilai .