Remembering one woman’s courage

• Review by OOI SI MUN

I WONDER how many people of my generation (I’m 39), or the next, know of Sybil Kathigasu? I certainly don’t recall learning about her in school or from my peers. Older relatives, in their re-telling of wartime suffering, did not mention her name.

Had I not picked up a reprint of her memoirs entitled No Dram of Mercy, I’d probably remain ignorant of Kathigasu, recipient of the George Medal, “the highest British civilian award for bravery”.

Kathigasu was unabashedly pro-British (a sample: “I reminded the guard of what Malaya owed to Britain, and of the amount of talent, labour, money and material which had gone to make Malaya the happiest and most advanced country in the East.”), but this Eurasian lady also had pride as a Malayan and did the utmost to assist her fellow nationals, particularly in the town of Papan, Perak.

Against the backdrop of the Japanese invasion and occupation of Malaya, Kathigasu, whose husband was a doctor, provided medical aid to the civilian population of all races, and to members of the Malayan People’s Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA).

Her tenacious character is first revealed in her refusal to join the British withdrawal to Singapore. Then there’s her persistence in tuning in to radios (instead of turning them in) for news from the free world. Her perilous aid to MPAJA guerrillas finally led to her betrayal and incarceration by the dreaded Kempetei (Japanese secret police).

In No Dram, the author does not wallow in self-pity, choosing not to dwell on personal suffering but telling of beatings and torture in an almost matter-of-fact way:

“The places on which the blows were concentrated were those containing no vital nerve or organ so that no permanent injury resulted to the victim ? these parts of my body were soon solid bruises.”

That which apparently mattered more to her was the well being of her loved ones, including her five-year old child, Dawn, who was strung up a tree and threatened with immolation by Kathigasu’s sadistic interrogator, Sergeant Yoshimura.

Kathigasu’s selflessness can best be summed up in her own words:

“The thought (of death) did not disturb me ? and I had the consolation of knowing that my family would be safe, and that I had successfully resisted all attempts to wring from me information about the guerrillas and their contacts.”

Her sudden demise not long after liberation casts a shadow on her otherwise triumphant story, and, unfortunately, we learn not of the fate of several important characters in her book.

These include Moru, her link with the guerrillas; Chen Yen of the MPAJA; and Dr A.C. Kathigasu, her husband.

With so little in evidence today of Sybil Kathigasu’s grit and sacrifice, No Dram of Mercy serves as reminder (or introduction, for those of my generation, perhaps) of a woman who survived terrible odds with only her unwavering faith in justice and in God, and of a time when Malayans of all races persevered in the face of adversity.

Sunday March 25, 2007