Mahmud Sulaiman
Encyclopedia
Major-General Mahmud Sulaiman was a Malaysian general officer. He has been credited for the Malaysian military
's success in purging the remnants of the Malayan Communist Party
guerrillas in the 1970s, at the height of the Communist Insurgency War
. Mahmud's leadership style reportedly focused on constant evaluation of his subordinates; evaluation reports were commonly disregarded by other Malaysian military leaders. His military career took off when Mahmud was personally selected by then British
High Commissioner to Malaya Gerald Templer
to study in Sandhurst
in the 1950s.
Mahmud's strategy in prosecuting the Insurgency War was to reduce the number of insurgents through peaceful means by, in the words of one commentator, giving them "every chance to surrender and escape from being killed". Mahmud reportedly "saw immense propaganda value in former terrorists who were now alive, repentant, and leading full productive lives", he analogised the war to exterminating rats. Poisoning and killing them would not work as long as they reproduced; instead by attacking the root causes such as the habitat, the rats could be extinguished. His strategy was approved of by civilian superiors such as the later Prime Minister
Mahathir Mohamad.
After Prime Minister Hussein Onn
bypassed Mahmud for promotion to Chief of the Armed Services, Mahmud resigned his commission and retired from the military.
Military of Malaysia
The Malaysian Armed Forces , the military of Malaysia, consists of three branches; the Royal Malaysian Navy , the Malaysian Army and the Royal Malaysian Air Force...
's success in purging the remnants of the Malayan Communist Party
Malayan Communist Party
The Malayan Communist Party , officially known as the Communist Party of Malaya , was founded in 1930 and laid down its arms in 1989. It is most famous for its role in the Malayan Emergency.-Formation:...
guerrillas in the 1970s, at the height of the Communist Insurgency War
Communist Insurgency War
The Communist Insurgency War, or Second Malaysian Emergency was an insurgency and guerrilla war, conducted by the Malayan Communist Party against Malaysian armed forces from 1968 to 1989.-Origins:...
. Mahmud's leadership style reportedly focused on constant evaluation of his subordinates; evaluation reports were commonly disregarded by other Malaysian military leaders. His military career took off when Mahmud was personally selected by then British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
High Commissioner to Malaya Gerald Templer
Gerald Templer
Field Marshal Sir Gerald Walter Robert Templer KG, GCB, GCMG, KBE was a British military commander. He is best known for his defeat of the guerrilla rebels in Malaya between 1952 and 1954...
to study in Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
in the 1950s.
Mahmud's strategy in prosecuting the Insurgency War was to reduce the number of insurgents through peaceful means by, in the words of one commentator, giving them "every chance to surrender and escape from being killed". Mahmud reportedly "saw immense propaganda value in former terrorists who were now alive, repentant, and leading full productive lives", he analogised the war to exterminating rats. Poisoning and killing them would not work as long as they reproduced; instead by attacking the root causes such as the habitat, the rats could be extinguished. His strategy was approved of by civilian superiors such as the later Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Malaysia
The Prime Minister of Malaysia is the indirectly elected head of government of Malaysia. He is officially appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the head of state, who in HM's judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House of Representatives , the...
Mahathir Mohamad.
After Prime Minister Hussein Onn
Hussein Onn
Tun Hussein bin Dato' Onn who is of 3/4 Malay and 1/4 Circassian ancestry was the third Prime Minister of Malaysia, ruling from 1976 to 1981. He was granted the soubriquet Bapa Perpaduan...
bypassed Mahmud for promotion to Chief of the Armed Services, Mahmud resigned his commission and retired from the military.