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His soldiers collected the questionnaires in sealed boxes, which Templer himself opened. Some of the letters contained only insults. But a few days later 28 people in Tanjong Malim and in a village near by were arrested. After 13 days the curfew was lifted, the rice ration restored, and the people of Tanjong Malim went back to work.
An Element of Morality? In London, Templer's action provoked a storm. "Lamentable," said the Observer. "Odious," said the Manchester Guardian. In the House of Lords, Lord Stansgate was reminded of the notorious Black & Tans, and said acidly: "It is not a bad idea to introduce an element of morality when you are trying to govern a country." Said Lord Listowel: "Collective punishment will turn many people, including the Chinese . . . into Communist sympathizers."
But Templer kept on being tough, regardless. Soon his toughness began to tell. At-Ipoh, three men in tattered uniforms, poor shoes and sugarbowl haircuts ran out of the jungle, crying: "We are bandits surrendering." Fed and allowed to go back, they brought out ten comrades, including a ig-year-old girl who said: "I want to forget all about the nightmare since I foolishly left home."
The British colonials began to surrender too. In Kuala Lumpur, the posh Lake Club had refused admission to the Sultan of Selangor on the grounds of his color. Said Templer, in cold fury: "For the security forces of this country, there is no such thing as a color bar . . . British boys, Rhodesians, sturdy Gurkhas, Africans and Fijiians . . . are all risking their lives side by side with Malays, Chinese and Indians . . . These men see their real enemy—Communism. They also see their real friends, and know that the things they are fighting for transcend any differences there might be of skin or color or custom." The club committee resigned in a body, and their successors endorsed a new policy of interracial friendship.
A few weeks later the Malay Federal Legislative Council passed a bill (which nine Sultan-controlled states had already ratified) laying down conditions of citizenship for the Chinese. To the surprise of the Malays, some 1,200,000 Chinese qualified. It was another triumph for Templer. But the long-range implications are tremendous: in the projected British Dominion of Malaya, which presumably will include predominantly Chinese Singapore, the balance of power will lie with the Chinese population. Thus Britain quietly envisages adding a Chinese country to the Commonwealth, a counterweight in troubled Asia. When they fully understand this, the Malays may be expected to complain. Templer is working on an answer to that one.
Turret Smiles. It is no longer surprising for anyone in Malaya to see Sir Gerald and Lady Templer rolling down the road with their smiling heads sticking up out of an armored car's turret. No soldier, policeman, home guardsman or public servant knew when Templer might appear, demanding accurate answers to sarcastic questions. In his air-conditioned office in King's House, he-plotted daring innovations in guerrilla warfare: planes which fly over the jungle broadcasting recorded messages from captured guerrillas; a plant poison spray to clear the roadsides of ambush areas.