I do not pretend to be an expert on Malaysian history, but from what I understand is that Chin Ping is one of the most feared historical figures by the Malaysian government. The government would not even allow his remains to be buried in Malaysia.
One of the issues that I read was since the government's power was given and enforced by the British, they don't want to be seen as collaborators and the communists as freedom fighters. There are well documented acts of genocide by the British, so this could (and has in the past) severely upset the stability of the country.
Chin Peng 陳平 was the leader of the Malayan Communist Party founded in 1930. His story is actually quite tragic, contrary to what you might hear about him by the Malaysian Government.
In WWII, the Japanese blitzed through British Malaya, culminating with the fall of Singapore. The British garrisons were quickly overcome. Most of the white British fled, leaving their British-Indian soldiers fate to the Japanese. In this power vacuum, the Japanese recruited local Malay collaborators to run their local government. Mahathir Mohammad, the still living 96 year old ex-PM of Malaysia fondly remembered his old schooling days during Japanese occupation. He was somewhat fond of his boyhood memory, singing the Japanese national anthem in the then Japanese-occupied Malayan schools. For him, and the Malay supremacists, this was a good time, because their Brit masters were gone, and they can now look up to an Asian colonial master.
But the Japanese occupiers were not kind on the ethnic Chinese and Peranakans in Malaysia and Singapore. There were many atrocities. The most infamous one was the Sook Ching massacre. Hence the largest anti-Japanese resistance movement in Malaya was comprised heavily of ethnic-Chinese guerillas. The Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) it was called. It was led by the MCP. Among its primary leaders was Chin Peng, so the MPAJA was a de-facto MCP Army. The British collaborated with and supported the MPAJA to conduct guerilla warfare on the occupying Japanese forces throughout WWII.
When the Japanese surrendered, the MPAJA (MCP) filled in the governmental vacuum left by the sudden Japanese withdrawal. The British came back shortly after and quickly put themselves back in charge. There was now tensions between the old WWII allies, the British and the MCP. 3 years later, the British outlawed the MCP and then started a war against them. The Malay collaborators who were working with the Japanese before, are now recruited by the British to fight against the MCP in the Malayan Insurgency. These guys are now part of the 'anti-Communist' crusade. Atrocities were committed by both sides. But it was always a one-sided portrayal in the Malaysian history books. The British and their Malayan collaborators ultimately won the conflict in the end. The MCP was disbanded, its members jailed and executed, and Chin Peng fled Malaya.
Later the British gave Malaysia its independence. This government was staffed by many of the Malay-collaborators who worked with both the Japanese and the second British occupation of Malaya. These people hated the Malaysian Chinese with a passion. Its a hybrid of the Red Scare and Sinophobia. They would happily forgive the British and the Japanese. But they would never forgive the Chinese who lived through that era. Chin Peng was one of them. Many senior ethnic Chinese who are now in their 80s-90s still could not become a full Malaysian citizen. While Indian Muslims, Filipino Muslims, and Arab Muslims today, can get fast-tracked citizenship. Communists are taught in schools as the bigger bad guys than the British and the Japanese. This kind of Sinophobia mania led to many race riots and then also, the separation of Singapore from Malaysia.
Chin Peng was exiled from Malaysia for life. He had laid down his arms, retired from politics, and even issued a public apology. But still the Malaysian government wouldn't forgive him. In 2009, the then Deputy PM, and future PM in 2020-2021, Muhyiddin Yassin called him a traitor. He lived his last days in Thailand and died in 2013. Even his remains were not allowed to be buried in Malaysia. Nevertheless, in 2019, his cremated remains was secretly returned to his hometown in Sitiawan and scattered there.
I grew up learning of Chin Peng as Malaysia's Public Enemy no.1 The biggest bad guy in Malaysian history. It was only after hearing from the old folks, and reading about actual history, that I have learnt of his actual tragic fate. The Malay-dominated governments in Malaysia would not protect the Chinese from the Japanese. But would readily exile a true resistance figure against the Japanese and British occupation. They would also put the 'Communist' label on an entire race for decades. Today, there are zero Malaysian Chinese who are communists, but the Sinophobia is still here.
