Omark44:
There is a Malay saying that perfectly describes what you say. It is "setengah masak" which refers in context to half cooked rice meaning it can't be eaten or swallowed.
To claim Chin Peng was rewarded with "pockets of gold" for fighting the Japanese is ridiculous. The only gold around in those days went straight from the tin mines and rubber plantations of Malaya into the banks of England. Public confirmation of this came from the UK Colonial Secretary who informed the British parliament in 1947 that quote: "it is by far the most important source of dollars in the colonial empire and it would gravely worsen the whole dollar balance of the sterling area if there were serious interference with Malayan exports". unquote.
The so called emergency was all about domination and money and I think you know that without me telling you. Even the name "emergency" is a misnomer as it was actually a war. The British specifically called it "emergency" as this kept their insurance premiums lower.
Call Chin Peng by whatever name you wish but you can't escape the fact that his actions accelerated the development of Malaysia and Singapore into the first class societies they are. Hilang jasa beliung, timbul jasa rimbas.
Hong Xing