“… If anybody served the Communist interest as an individual at that time, Lee Kuan Yew served their interests the most.”
Lee Kuan Yew’s group was very important in this whole thing. Of all the open leaders, I think Harry used to be the most important [to the Communists]. And how did Harry come to the Johore Bahru prison and meet Liew Yit Fan [a key member of the Malayan Communist Party] quite regularly. And he would________ over all us us.” Harry would say ‘Guys, what kind of leftists are you? That’s Liew Yit Fan.’ And he [Harry] arbitered who is a good Communist and who is not in the sense, ‘Are you a good Communist?’ His quality mark was very important…”
“If there was hidden organisation [within the Shop and Factory Workers Union], one would not know. I was not in the hidden organisation. I thought I was one of them [who really makes decision for the whole union].”
“I myself, not suspecting, did not see the Communist hand in the organisation [SFSWU]. They could well have been. Many of the members could have been [Communist] party members. If they were [Communist] party members, they kept it very low. You couldn’t pick the Communists from any other Chinese left wing, unless all Chinese left wing were Communists.”
“Chin Siong’s greatest influence was [from] Devan Nair among the English-educated. Devan Nair and he would discuss certain things and deploy certain strategies because Devan Nair used to work in his office at the Factory and Shop Workers Union. So when I I first went there it was Devan Nair [who was the _______ and Chin Siong would detail what they had decided to us. If we had any differences, we discussed them. There was no problem over discussion with Chin Siong. I didnt even know whether he liked me or disliked me. He would take my views or opinions seriously. But I was not an influencer that Devan was. And I was not a a friend that Woodhull was to Chin Siong.”
