A policeman must know everything — and not tell. He must know where all the sin is and not partake.
– Paul Harvey, American radio broadcaster
My love for Malaysia’s police is far beyond words and that is why I empathise with our self-sacrificing “forgotten heroes”.
I can speak for them with pride as I was once the secretary of the Persatuan Veteran Keselamatan, Cawangan Sarawak for five years from 1993 to 1997.
My father Datuk Seri John Ritchie was the patron, the president my classmate ASP Wilfred Gomez Malong PGB and a 10-member committee.
We visited several locations in the Iban heartland to recruit members and even sent our committee members to the Veterans Night in Kuala Lumpur.
John George Ritchie was a role model for the Malaysian police force for 32 years.
During the 1948-1960 Malayan Insurgency, he was attached to the Penang Special Branch.
Well-versed in Mandarin, Hokkein, Cantonese and Thai, the Malayan British army chief Sir Gerald Templer named him as one of Malaya’s top three cop — the others being IGP Sir Claud Fenner and Tun Salleh Ismael who succeeded Fenner.
Diplomat Malcolm G Kraal wrote in “The Penang Island Story” (2007): “Johnny was a much-admired personality and terrific sportsman and decorated high-ranking policeman and praised for excellent work during the Emergency by (Sir) Gerald Templer (British army Chief of Malay).”
In 1967, Ritchie help restructure the Sarawak Constabulary into the Royal Malaysian Police, Sarawak Contingent.
We stayed at the “Commandant’s Residence” fort at Fort Margherita which was also “home” to visiting young police inspectors.
My father built a mini seven-hole par-3 golf course around the hilly Fort Margherita complex.
I was familiar to three of the five inspectors who served as ADCs (aide de camp) to the commissioner at Jalan Badruddin.
His first ADC was Inspector Peter Lim who married Cynthia before they migrated to UK. The two others were Perak-born Inspectors Chong Kee Lin and “rookie” cop Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar from Sadong Jaya.
Thirty-five years later in 2011, Wan Junaidi and Special Branch’s ACP Thoo Kim Nyian became my co-writers of “Crimson Tide Over Borneo – Untold Police Stories”.
We wrote the 488-page classic story from the formation Brooke’s Ranger in the 1860s, to the inauguration of the start of the Sarawak Constabulary on January 1, 1932, until the cessation of the Sarawak Clandestine Communist Movement (CCO) in 1990.
Wan Junaidi in his memoir “A policeman” (2014), which was edited by Tribune’s Adeline Liong, wrote: “When I assumed the duty as the personal assistant to the commissioner (ADC), the colonial culture that had influenced the gap between those of higher ranks still existed in the Sarawak Police Force.
“(But) I learned a lot from Commissioner John Ritchie … as a figurehead and authority, as a leader and as a man. Above all, I learned to like and to respect the man not only as the Commissioner of Police, but also as an individual.”
Over a period of six-month apprenticeship, Ritchie and Wan Junaidi got to like and respect each other.
Describing an incident, Wan Junaidi said his daily responsibility was to deliver the Sarawak Tribune by hand to Ritchie.
“The first few mornings after I became his personal assistant, Commissioner John Ritchie would ask me whether there was anything interesting in the newspapers. Instead of telling him that I had not read the newspapers I passed to him.”
One day Ritchie quipped: “Junaidi, you must learn to know what is around you. The newspapers are the nearest sources of information available to you, so you must read them.”
After that, reading became a habit.
Ritchie had a sense of humour and once took Wan Junaidi “wife hunting”.
After visiting the Betong police station, he said: “Junaidi, we are going to visit my friend and I am going to introduce you to him. He has a lovely daughter.”
“When we arrived at the friend’s house, I noticed that the whole family was at home except for the daughter.
After they left the friend’s house, Ritchie said: “Our luck is not good today, ya Junaidi. We will try again next time.”
On another occasion after a visit to Sematan police station, Ritchie, who was accompanied by Supt Dublin Siju, went to the beach where the commissioner took off the top portion of his uniform.
When Ritchie noticed Wan Junaidi sweating profusely under the hot sun, he smiled and said: “Junaidi, take off your shirt. You don’t wear a uniform on the beach.”
A serious-looking Junaidi did as instructed. Dublin then whispered in the young man’s ear: “Wan, CP has ordered, we better take off our shirts.”
“So, both of us took off our shirts but kept our trousers and singlets on,” Wan Junaidi reminisced jokingly.
Another high-ranking policeman whom I respect was Malaysia’s first police graduate Tun Mohammad Hanif Omar, who was the youngest IGP.
I was the first to given an exclusive interview with Tun Hanif the day after covering the assassination of IGP Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Hashim on June 7, 1974.
My story was on the front page of the Sunday Mail.
A year later on April 6, 1975, I called Tun Hanif at his home in Kuala Lumpur at about 2.30am to inform him of a botched communist ambush where Supt Johnny Mustapha, commandant of the 15th Battalion Sarawak PFF in Sibu was shot dead at Stabau.
Tun Hanif was shocked by the news because the police had yet to inform him of the tragic killing of Malaysia’s most senior officer.
Johnny was a soccer star, talented singer and composer, and one of the rare few awarded a posthumous Datukship, 40 years later.
On his last leg of duty as ADC, Wan Junaidi was seconded to the Police Field Force to learn how to fight the communists.
The Commissioner said, “I am going to send you to Bukit Siol for Police Field Force training, what do you think?”
Wan Junaidi replied: “The decision is yours, Sir. And when shall I go?”
The “marching orders” came sooner than expected.
Tan Sri Wan Junaidi, who is now Senate President, was not the first and last policemen I knew personally.
Four of my upper six classmates joined the police because my father recruited them; they were the late “elite” Border Scout Probing Unit (SBPU) chief ASP Wilfred Gomez Malong, Marine Police Chief the late Supt Hakim Ibrahim, Border Scout Inspector-cum-lawyer the late Angking Embah and PFF Inspector Edward Chai, founder of “Forever Living Products”, who is now a Taiwanese millionaire.
My list of police friends goes on to the Ha Brothers Nathan and Leo who became auto biographers in recent years — the late Nathan whose book “The Best Not Honoured” (2013) which I helped edit.
Former Kedah schoolmate from Sultan Abdul Hamid College was the last commissioner to occupy the commandant’s residence behind Fort Margherita before it was bulldozed to the ground.
In our last adventure 20 years ago, I took Datuk Yusof on an illegal motorcycle ride across the Kalimantan border at Serikin, a trip we still talk about.
Next was “undercover” cop Special Branch DSP Peter Lim Chiang Seng, a double assassination survivor who was shot in the face, but lived to tell his tale.
I helped him write his gripping story in the book entitled “Silent Defenders” which will be launched soon.
I cannot leave out my other police friends such Commissioner Tan Sri Hamsan Sirat, Special Branch offcier Datuk Amar Alli Kawi, SAC Datuk Vincent Chapmen, the late Supt Thomas Lim and SAC Datuk Vincent Khoo who is currently at the Tabuan Desa care centre.
Other friends are former ambassador to Brunei and Sarawak’s first Deputy IGP Tan Sri Jamil Johari and acting Speaker of the DUN Datuk Idris Buang, a former Inspector and senator who was my boss at the Sarawak Tribune.
Also, not forgetting the late Special Branch head Datuk Lawrence Lim who was responsible for bringing closure to the Insurgency in 1990.
Kedah’s SAC Datuk Hamid Bulat who was Malaysian press liaison officer (PLO) to Pontianak during the tragic Dayak-Maru clashes of the 90s and Sarawak PFF Commander DCP Datuk Aba Robiel Huk, and St Thomas’ schoolmate Kuching City North Mayor Datuk Abang Wahap Abang Julai are next.
Last but not least is former Malaysian Rugby Union president the late Datuk Amirul Embi and PFF Sgt Wilson Naga and Cpl Richard Labung who played rugby against me in Kuching.
Not forgetting Border Scout Sgt Radin Meragan and cousin George Medallist ASP Menggong Pangit whom I spent much time with in the wilds of Batang Ai.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
