As we laud the bravery of these Bukit Kepong heroes today, it's time to reflect if, as a nation, we had played our part in ensuring the welfare of these policemen and if their families had been well taken care of, even if they were once serving under colonial rule.

It was reported in the New Straits Times of April 15, 2005, "Last Bukit Kepong hero dies", that Sergeant Yusoff Rono, 83, died a bitter man. He felt the country had forgotten him and regretted that the government did not give him and his comrades the recognition they deserved.

His son Nazri, then 35, was quoted as saying the government did not value his father's contributions. As far as I know only one policeman was awarded the Colonial Police Medal (CPM) for gallantry by the British government . Our country gained independence seven years later, yet these heroes and the families of those who perished did not receive any significant acknowledgement from the authorities.

In the case of Yusoff, all he had to show for his heroism was a medal, Pingat Jasa Kebaktian, from the Malacca government and that, too, 48 years later. When Yusoff died, there were immediate overtures to assist the family. The then deputy home minister visited the family to discuss the possibility of conferring Yusoff a posthumous Panglima Gagah Berani, the nation's second highest award for gallantry.

The Malacca chief minister had also said the government would publish a book on Yusoff's struggles during the Emergency and consider giving the royalties from the book to his family. Why did the authorities wait for this ailing 83-year-old to die before coming forward with offers of help? In addition, what about all his comrades who had passed on?

As far as I am aware, nothing has come out of these undertakings until today. It is like the Malay saying seperti hangat hangat tahi ayam (hot-hot chicken shit), a lot of interest only at the beginning, which soon fizzles out. I appeal to the authorities to review the Bukit Kepong incident and consider posthumous awards of gallantry for all the deserving policemen and monetary rewards for all their immediate families.

With the awards, these gallant policemen should have their photographs in the gallery of heroes in the police museum in Kuala Lumpur alongside other national police heroes. Read more....