The Plantation - Di Morrissey [159]
‘That’s quite true. There aren’t so many, so we should get things sorted out fairly quickly,’ said Roland. ‘Righto, who’s for a top up before you have to leave? Ho! Another round.’
Now that Bette had spent a little more time exploring the plantation with Philip, she noticed the changes and the subtle shift in the workers’ demeanour and attitude. Ah Min, Caroline’s amah, whispered to Bette that things were not good outside the plantation. She said that there was a lot of suspicion in the kampong about who was or wasn’t helping the communists and there were lots of stories of atrocities and torture. Ah Min assured Bette that most of the staff on the estate were against the communists and very afraid of them.
‘I only feel safe here. I do not want any more war. I have had enough of war. We all suffered badly at the hands of the Japanese. When the Japanese lived here, the workers had to fling themselves face down on the roads whenever a Japanese drove past. I do not want this to happen again.’
‘I see,’ replied Bette. ‘It must be hard for everyone, recovering from the war, and now having to face this communist insurgency.’
That evening, Bette repeated what Ah Min had said to Roland.
‘Yes, it is a difficult situation, as you must realise by now. The government is trying a new tactic to protect the vulnerable from being intimidated, while at the same time preventing the communists from getting food supplies. People are being moved from the sparsely settled rural areas close to the jungle, where they can’t be protected from the communist guerillas, into settlements. New Villages, they call them. The communists say that they are concentration camps and I suppose they look like them with their barbed-wire fences, big lights and guards. But they keep people safe. The government also provides services, like health clinics and schools, so that the people want to stay in these villages.’
‘Is it working ?’ asked Bette.
‘It’s a very slow process, but it is having some success.’
‘Here, at Utopia, you wouldn’t know all this was going on,’ said Bette.
‘We’re quite safe, as I’ve told you, and the British and the Malayan auxiliary patrols are everywhere,’ said Margaret. ‘I think we should take that trip up to Fraser’s Hill, Roland. I’d like to see the boarding school there again. We have to think of Caroline’s future. We could meet some of our friends up there, too. Have a bit of laugh, what do you think?’
Bette could see that Roland wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about the idea, but Margaret continued to make plans. Eventually, Roland agreed that if they could organ-ise an escort, they could go.
‘I’ve heard that there’s a Malayan auxiliary police unit up there and a company of Gurkhas. We’ll probably be invited to a dining-in night and that will mean a white monkey jacket,’ he said as a way of agreeing to the trip.
‘Oh, wonderful, we can dress up,’ said Margaret.
But just before they were due to leave for Fraser’s Hill, a machine in the latex factory broke down and Roland told Margaret that he would have to organise a spare part for it. This would mean that the trip would have to be postponed. Margaret was furious and flatly refused to abandon her plans as several other families had agreed to join them for a long weekend of social activities which would be a welcome respite from the suffocating strictures of the Emergency.
‘All right, Margaret. You take Bette and the children with Hamid and drive up. The escort has already been arranged but I’ll notify the garrison at the Gap that you’re coming. I’ll join you as soon as I can.’
Margaret smiled at Bette. ‘There. We’ll be looked after and I’ll get to show you the Hill. Of course, we’re sorry you won’t be with us, Roland, but do the best you can to get up there.’
Philip sat in the front of the new Oldsmobile with Hamid, while Bette sat in the middle of the back seat