Habis saja mesyuarat, Tunku dan delegasinya pun beredar ke rumah tuan DO kita, Wan Daud untuk makan tengah hari.
Jam 1355...Kenyataan akhbar dikeluarkan
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Sumber: The Cold War in Asia (1945-1990), National University of Singapore, hlm. 49
THE BALING TALKS.
The Chief Minister spoke in the name of six million Malayans.
Chin Peng spoke for three thousand Terrorists scattered in small gangs.
The Chief Minister proposed a policy of peace and progress for the people of Malaya.
Chin Peng deliberately chose that violence and hatred should go on, The Chief Minister declared that Independence earned by constitutional means is in sight.
Chin Peng admitted this; but demanded that Communists be allowed to use that independence for the plot of International Communism to enslave Malaya.
The Chief Minister could not let 3,000 cutthroats loose to prey on the people of Malaya.
THEREFORE THERE COULD BE NO AGREEMENT AT BALING.
The Chief Minister will not meet Chin Peng again unless the Communists want to make a full and complete surrender.
Now the Communists in the jungle have until February 8th to give themselves.
After that date the Amnesty will have ended and those who have not surrendered will be relentlessly hunted.
Chin Peng has again declared war on you, the people of Malaya.
Are you going to help him?
Let us all deny food to the Terrorists and give information of their movements.
Then all of us together will win this war quickly.
No. 6063
Jam 1400...Chin Peng, Rashid Maidin, Chen Tien dan Sanip bersama John Davis berlepas dari Kroh ke Gunung Paku dengan diiringi oleh 2 PPH. Chin Peng sempat melambai tangan kepada para wartawan. Kali ni John Davis duduk di depan dengan pemandu (The Straits Times, THE WAR GOES ON! Amnesty to end after 'period of grace', 30 Dis 1955, hlm. 1).
Chin Peng menaiki keenderaan untuk ke Gunung Paku. Sumber: IWM
Jam 1405...Tunku dan rombongan berlepas selepas makan tengah hari menuju ke Pusat Akhbar di pekan Baling dan mengadakan sidang akhbar yang ringkas.
Sidang akhbar ringkas. Sumber: IWM
Menurut Said Zahari, wartawan Utusan Melayu yang meliputi peristiwa ini, beliau memujuk Syed Jaafar Albar, menemubual Tunku sebelum sidang akhbar dimulakan. Maklum saje lah... dia nak dapat berita eksklusif. Permohanan ini dibisikkan kepada Tunku. Tunku berpaling kepada dia dan berkata "Said, one question only." Soalan tunggalnya ialah "Apakah Tunku tidak berasa kecewa dengan kegagalan sidang damai ini?"
Dengan senyuman Tunku menjawab "No, I am not. I never wanted it to be a success." Terkejut berok Said. Selepas itu Syed Jaafar Albar memanggilnya dan berpesan "Said, saya fikir jawapan Tunku tadi itu tidak baik disiarkan." (Said Zahara, 2001, Meniti Lautan Gelora, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia & Utusan Publications & Distributions Sdn Bhd, hlm. 298). Bagi menghormati kehendak Syed Jaafar, pak Said tak masuklah kenyataan Tunku dalam laporannya pejabat Utusan di Singapura.
Selain menjawab soalan-soalan yang diajukan mengenai rundingan itu, para wartawan turut mendapatkan pandangan Tunku dan Marshall dari aspek human side of the story. Semasa sidang akhbar, Tunku menyatakan rundingan itu tidak boleh dianggap sebagai gagal kerana beliau menyedari bahawa Chin Peng hanya mempunyai mandat untuk menolak terma amnesty sahaja. Beliau seterusnya meramalkan akan menerima surat dari ketua pengganas itu untuk pertemuan kedua sekembalinya dari London. Masa itu dia dah pasti le dapat mandat dari PKM! (The Straits Times, Tengku: Door open for another meeting 'REDS EAGER TO END THE WAR', 30 Dis 1955, hlm. 2).
Beliau seterusnya menyatakan "I am not disappointed over the result. I did not expect the Communists to yield to us. I knew there had to be some leeway in the bargaining."
Apabila ditanya mengenai kenyataan (kanan), Tunku menjelaskan "That statement and the result will not influence my talks in London next month. The principle of taking over the internal defence of the country has already been accepted by the Colonial Office ad the only problem is how separated internal from external defence. I do not see why today's result should affect my London discussions. I told Chin Peng that one of my main issues in London would be internal security and defence."
Kepada soalan sama ada Chin Peng membangkit isu kehadiran anggota pasukan Inggeris dan sekutunya di Malaya diteruskan atau diundurkan dari Malaya nanti, kedua-dua Ketua Menteri serentak menjawab "No".
Menyentuh isu penyerahan senjata pula, Tunku kesal Chin Peng meletakkan syarat yang beliau tidak setuju. Jadi, "So we go on fighting. I told them that it was obvious that the terms of the amnesty were not acceptable to them and therefore when I return to Kuala Lumpur I would withdraw the amnesty." Beliau beri tempoh sebulan (The Straits Times, op. cit., hlm. 2).
Kepada soalan mengenai prinsip yang diterima oleh Chin Peng sepanjang mesyuarat, Marshall menyatakan "They seemed to accept the fact that we would not recognise their Party. While they had repeatedly spoke about recognition yesterday, this morning they mentioned it but did not press it."
Jawapan Tunku pula kepada soalan sama ada "..to mobilise the people of the country", beliau sempat ketawa lagi dengan menyatakan "I cannot answer that question now."
Apakah pertemuan baling ini kepada Tunku? Oh...begitu signifikan "...in that I now see what is in the Communist mind. Chin Peng is a straight and honest Communist. However, everything the Communists said gave us the implication that they are run by a Power from without."
Marshall pula menyatakan "The talks have cleared the air."
Marshall turut ditanya mengenai physical appearance Chin Peng, dia menyatakan "He had light scratches on his arms as if he had come through jungle. He had mosquito bites. He had obviously been in the jungle the night before he arrived. His face was soft and he looke d to me like a man who had been in an arm chair most of the time.
Naturally he was pasty-faced and naturally he walked slower than Chen Tien on his journey to Klian Intan."
Apakan pandangannya sama ada tindakan Chin Peng untuk menjaga maruah atau to gain political advantage, Marshall menjawab "To save only."
Jam 1425...Rombongan Tunku berlepas dari Pusat Akhbar ke Kroh dengan diiringi oleh pasukan 15/19 Hussars.
Tunku dan rombongan berlepas ke Kroh. Sumber IWM
Jam 1500...Rombongan Tunku berlepas dengan 2 buah pesawat Beaver ke KL. Tunku menaiki pesawat berasingan dengan Marshall. KM Singapura menaiki dengan pesawat bersaman dengan Cheng Lock Tan dan T. H. Tan (The Straits Times, 'We hope they'll be back for new talks', 30 Dis 1955, hlm. 1). Tunku mungkin dengan Mohd Shafie Abdullah, agaknya.
La...Ingat boleh tamatkan saje selepas sidang akhbar di Baling. Tapi tak boleh kerana Tunku buat lagi kenyataan bila tiba di KL sementara Marshall pula buat sidang akhbar setiba di Singapura pada waktu malam dari KL.
Lagi satu, ingat John Davis jadi tunggul saje ke sementara mesyuarat berlansung dalam bilik mesyuarat?
Apa pula pandangan Chin Peng selepas kegagalan rundingan ini?
Cukup le setakat ini. Letih juga teman kena baca sebelum menaip setiap posting. Bersambung, in syaa Allah.
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