陈剑“左派”身份的考究

Chen Jian, aka CC Chin, who earned a bit of fame after publishing several volumes of poems and his research works on MCP’s history, has stirred controversies on Internet after publishing a reviewing essay about May 13th Movement on LianHeZaoBao.

May 13th Movement is the counter-conscription protest invoked by students of several Singapore Chinese middle schools in 1954. The focal point of debate: was the May 13th Movement conducted/controlled/planned by MCP and carried out by ABL(Anti-British League) as insisted by Chen Jian?

Although published on the government-controlled LianHeZaobao, the "leftist" rhetoric shown in Chen Jian’s article was not unlike articles published in Chern Sian Pao(Chinese organ of the Barisan Sosialis), the author also seemed wanting readers to believe he stood the same ground with MCP and the same "leftist" sentiments and viewpoints. It is entirely unexpected that such article would invoke such fiery rebuttal from the left.

So I was very puzzled by this debate: was this a harmless argument within the "left wing" ("the storm in teacup" as English saying?) or a real fighting between enemies? I would not have had such confusion if I could understand thoroughly the development and process of 5.13 incident as well as the arguments of both sides about its cause and effect. Due to my ignorance and inadequate political knowledge, the only way to resolve such puzzle is to start from the careful study of their identities, and try to understand and confirm the "leftist" identity of both sides.

Although Chen Jian in the past had never published article at Nandazhan (A Forum for Nantah alumni), but he has been active in various areas, has published books therefore quite visible on the press, therefore would be quite easy for doing background study. I therefore started my study on him and examine others later. I have spent some time, through the help of some friends and schoolmates, and succeeded in producing this inquiry note for your perusal.

Chen Jian’s real name is Chin Chong Cham (Chen Songzhan) aka CC Chin, born 1940 in Singapore (some said he was born in Pulau Tekong), grew up in Johor Bahru, and studied at Foon Yew School (father was business director at school). He transferred to Chung Cheng High School in Singapore in 1959 to continue his study. Entered Nantah in 1962, graduated from the geography department in 1966.

Perhaps due to the political constraints and other considerations, some of my "old leftist"(Lao Zuo) friends are always shy (even nowadays) in revealing their own political identities. Chen Jian stands out in this regards from others by proudly declaring (years ago) that he himself was indeed "from the Left" and supporting "the left-wing movement", supporting MCP. He also declared himself was involved with a book about national liberation movement published by Nantah students. [see Note 1]

I don’t understand the mentality of these "old leftist" friends. Now that MCP has been dissolved and the left-wing movement is no longer a threat to the royal majestic government, what danger is there to reveal own past leftist identity? Besides, the identity of "pioneer generation" is being respected nowadays, perhaps one can enhance own status as "pioneer generation" by revealing own past leftist identity. No wonder sometime you see people on the street jump out in front you to boast their past leftist identity and activities. Perhaps because of this observation, I am weary about those loud self-claimed "leftists", I know I should do some diligent investigation before believing them.

I therefore asked around. I interrogated those friends and schoolmates from 1960s in Chong Cheng High School and Nantah, nobody could confirm that CC Chin had taken part in any "anti-government" or "pro-government" activity. Nobody knew how his "leftist" status was really defined.

According to a Nantah history alumnus who served in the media in Singapore that national liberation movement book that CC Chin mentioned is the book entitled "Brief history Malaya National liberation movement" published by the Nantah Historical/geographical Research Society in 1962. This book was supposed to be published at the end of March to celebrate the "Varsity Week", but was delayed until July of the same year. He questioned any significant connection between CC Chin and this book due to the following two reasons:

Firstly: This book was a very important project among the activities of the Nantah Historical/geographical Research Society, they started the preparation since 1960 or 1961. CC Chin entered Nantah in March of 1962 (at that time the academic start date of Nantah falls on March 15 every year), being a Nantah fresh man without any leftist connection and credentials carried from Chong Cheng High School, it was hard to believe that the Society people would allow him to involve in any significant editing and production tasks of this important publication.

Secondly, the 1964 government-issued White Paper "Communism in the Nanyang University", deliberately mentioned this book "Brief history Malaya National liberation movement" as an evidence to paint the picture that Nantah was really controlled by MCP.[Note 2]. One of the principal writers Lim Hing Gok (Lin Ting E) was swooped up in Feb 2, 1963 Cold Store. It has been a common knowledge that the doctrine of Special Branch/ISD was "never to miss a target rather than to wrongly detain 100" – a policy obviously learned from Kuomintang. If CC Chin really had significant involvement with this closely watched (by ISD) publication, but yet he was not on the ISD Black List, wouldn’t this show incompetency of ISD? (The fact that he entered the Public Service not long after graduation from Nantah proved that he had not been in the ISD Black List, or he had surrendered to ISD and had the name removed from the list). It is another common knowledge that Singapore government always take the ISD Black List very seriously. For example, CC Chin has a cousin Chen Bo Sheng (was in same class of CC Chin at Nantah), he told the story openly how he encountered hardship with employment and even passport issue. Chen Bo Sheng was not even active at Nantah, the reason he was on the Black List was perhaps because he was unwittingly acquainted with some "pro-communist elements".[Note 3]

I later went to Johor Bahru to meet several persons who were knowledgeable in CC Chin’s background (one is a professor) and I then somehow managed to understand his complicated background from their stories.

CC Chin’s late father Chen Xixia (Chin Sit Har) was allegedly involved in MCP’s "Min Yuen" operations in early years, but in 1951, he was appointed by British as one of the "new village" management board members in the Kempas resettlement area (Johore).[Note 4] The "new village" Plan was a military plan devised by British General Sir Harold aimed to defeat the Malayan communists. To this end, a massive program of forced resettlement of Malayan peasantry was undertaken, under which about 500,000 people (roughly ten percent of Malaya’s population) were eventually removed from the land and interned in guarded camps called "New Villages".[Note 5]

Afterward, Chen Xixia was said to become buddy of a Hainanese ISD agent cum police interpreter Mr. Kuan, nicknamed Bai Mao(White Hair), Kuan became ISD Director of JB after Independence. Because of this background, it was not surprising that the leftist students at Foon Yew School kept at distance from CC Chin, therefore it was also not surprising that CC Chin would act alone and to build his own territory at Foon Yew.

Nobody knows why did CC Chin leave Foon Yew in JB in 1959 and transfer to Chong Cheng High School in Singapore. after hearing the historical background of CC Chin and his father, the leftist students at Chong Cheng also kept a distance from him, no wonder he was absent from all leftist activities at Chong Cheng. In spite of such, CC Chin got to acquaint his first wife (she allegedly worked for the left-leaning Association of Rural Residents after high school graduation ) at Chong Cheng. It was not surprising that CC Chin was not involved with the 1961 "Sec 4 Examination boycott". (This was confirmed from a Boycott Movement Committee member at Chong Cheng).

CC Chin entered Nantah in 1962, perhaps the same reasons prevented him from participating the leftist activities at Nantah. Nobody could confirm if he indeed took part in the publication of "Brief history of Malaya National liberation movement" as claimed by himself.

Allegedly CC Chin went to teach the subject of Geography at the Dunman Integrated Secondary School (NOT the Dunman High School) not long after his graduation from Nantah, but in his response to the poem of Huang Yan (Yellow Rock) published on Nandazhan, he wrote: "after 8 month’s un-employment after Nantah graduation, thanks to the General Elections, I was employed by Singapore Government as a researcher in Transportation and urban planning and then teacher (but I was finally dismissed for political reasons)."[Note 6]

His ambiguous response invoked several questions:

1. Position of "Transportation and urban planning researcher" should not be part of the election department, why did he "thank to the General Elections" for such employment opportunity?

2. He stated that he was "dismissed for political reasons", although he did not elaborate what kind of "political reasons" had costed him dismissal by the government, from the contextual meaning of his statement, one would get the impression that he tried to suggest that he was dismissed due to his past "leftist activities" (to emphasize his "the leftist identity" again?). The question is: He held various positions within the Public Service for several years, if you understand the political climate during that period (1960,70s) in Singapore, you would wonder: what kind of "political reasons" were serious enough to have caused a mere dismissal of him but not a detention under the ISA, like many other leftists in Singapore had encountered?

Subsequently, CC Chin recounted his career followed his alleged dismissal from the public service, how he started from being a tutor, textbook editor, film distribution manager, oil & gas chemical production manager, building hardware sale manager, became oil & gas chemical company director, multinational company Asia Pacific region VP, finally became researcher at ANU, NUS and East China Normal University. He engaged in the Chinese officials training teaching duty for more than 10 years recently.[Note 6] However, he neglected to mention the following items to show what he had accomplished within the PAP administration:

The most puzzling thing in CC Chin’s background is his intimate relationship with a Chua Yoke Lim (Cai Yulin), a regular pro-PAP writer on LianHeZaoBao.

In 2013, Chua Yoke Lim published a book entitled "Singapore blows the reform wind: Post-LKY era versus LKY era" to celebrate LKY’s 90th birthday [Note 11]. Someone suggested CC Chin was the "Editor-behind-the-door" of this book [Note 12]. Beside writing introduction for this book, he also arranged the book launch and a forum with the book launch [Note 13]. CC Chin also declared at the forum that: "Today’s Singapore bids farewell to the authoritative politics era, public opinion and democracy are being treated with a more open manner, the scene that the prime minister apologizing to the nation during last general election, government holding the "national dialog" allowing more space for speech this year, these are all the signs of post-LKY era".[Note 11]

History Professor Huang Jianli of NUS wrote this when commenting on the new book:

From here it should not be difficult for readers to detect what kind of intimate relationship between CC Chin and the author Mr. Chua.

Who really is this Mr. Chua Yoke Lim? Please read an interesting passage from the Chinese forum (www.malaysia-chinese.net):

According to the materials from this inquiry note, although there is no evidence to demonstrate that this talented and capable CC Chin had done anything amount to "pro-communist" (using vocabulary of LKY and PAP government) or "pro-government" during his student days (from Foon Yew to Chong Cheng to Nantah), but judging from his activities and living conditions after leaving schools, he looks more like a gainer than a victim within the system of PAP administration. In particularly, it is hard to associate his connection with an MCP traitor who had served ISD for 17 years with his self-professed "leftist" identity and image. The crucial question here is: Should CC Chin continue to be recognized as "man from the left", which he so proudly self-proclaimed?