PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Razak's speech at an Umno event where he said the party fought and defeated the communist during the insurgency is historically inaccurate, says the National Patriots Association (Patriot).

In a statement issued on Wednesday (July 3), its president Brig-Jen (Rtd) Datuk Mohamed Arshad Raji (pic) chided the former prime minister for his misleading speech at the Gombak Umno annual general meeting.

"There is no historical record for Umno and the party members acting as a group who fought and defeated the communist insurgents during the two emergencies.

"Members of the security forces that had served throughout the period of the communist insurgency can easily vouch that they had never seen a single Umno member carrying a 30kg pack filled with ration and ammunitions on their back and a rifle in hand, foraging the jungles of Pahang, Perak, Kedah and Sarawak, risking stepping on booby traps, to seek out the communist insurgents.

"Neither have any of its members fallen fighting the communist insurgents," he said.

The Malayan Emergency happened from 1948 to 1960, the second Emergency in Peninsular Malaysia from 1969 to 1989, and and third Emergency in Sarawak from 1962 to 1990.

Mohamed Arshad said Najib's statement downplayed the pivotal role and sacrifice of the security forces, including the Royal Malaysia Police and the Malaysian Armed Forces, in defeating the communist threat.

He also struck down claims by ultra-Malay groups that Malays played a role in the war against the communist insurgents, while the Chinese and other ethnic groups played no part, hence their loyalty were questionable.

"This is absolutely not true," he said.

"For the record, in the war against the communist insurgents, all ethnic groups in our country participated – Malays, Chinese, Indians, Sikhs, Orang Asli, Iban, Dayak, Kadazan, and the Serani (Eurasian)."

In his speech at the AGM on June 30, Najib said the party could resist the "cruel" Pakatan Harapan government just as it fought and defeated the communists.

News portal Malaysiakini reported Najib as saying that party forebears once fought British colonialists before fighting in unity with other partners, which led to its victory against the communists.

"Today, shouldn't we be ready and fight? Fight and don't be afraid. Look at history. Don't let me (fight the battle) all by myself. Fight. We must fight the cruelty of the government," he reportedly said.

In response, Mohamed Arshad urged Najib to correct his "unscrupulous statement".

"We are puzzled at how Najib has wilfully manipulated facts and history relating to the defeat of the communist insurgency in his quest to regain lost popularity among the Malays," he said.