Communist Party of Malaya
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Communist Party of Malaya
马来亚共产党 Parti Komunis Malaya மலாயா கம்யூனிஸ்ட் கட்சி |
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| Abbreviation | MCP, CPM |
| Founded | 30 April 1930 |
| Dissolved | 2 December 1989 |
| Preceded by | South Seas Communist Party |
| Newspaper | Min Sheng Pau |
| Membership (1939) | 40,000 |
| Ideology |
Communism Marxism–Leninism Maoism |
| Political position | Left-wing |
| Colours | Red |
| Slogan | Kaum buruh semua negeri, bersatulah! (Workers of the world, unite!) |
The Malayan Communist Party (MCP), officially known as the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM), was founded in 1930 and laid down its arms in 1989. It is most known for its role in the Malayan Emergency.
In April 1930 the South Seas Communist Party was dissolved and was replaced by the Communist Party of Malaya. While its primary responsibility was Malaya and Singapore, the party was also active in Thailand and the Dutch East Indies, which did not then have their own Communist parties.
The party operated as an illegal organisation under British colonial rule. In June 1931, many party leaders were arrested after a Comintern courier was intercepted by the police, sending the party into disarray. Information extracted from the courier indicated at this point there were 1,500 members and 10,000 sympathisers.
Despite this setback, the MCP gained influenced in the trade union movement and organised several strikes, most notably at the Batu Arang coal mine in 1935. They also set up workers' committees at some workplaces. These committees, and the strikes, were promptly crushed by troops and police. Many ethnic Chinese strikers were deported to China, where they were often executed by the Chinese Nationalist government as Communists.
After Japan invaded China in 1937, there was a rapprochement between the Malayan Guomindang and Communists, paralleling that in China. Under the wing of the Guomindang, the MCP was able to operate more easily. Anti-Japanese sentiment among Malayan Chinese gave the party with a great opportunity to recruit members and raise funds under the banner of defence of China.
At this time, the party was infiltrated by an apparent British agent, Lai Teck, who became Secretary-General in April 1939. Despite this severe security breach, the Party continued to operate effectively. By mid-1939 it claimed about 40,000 members, about half in Singapore.
The MCP was headed by a Central Executive Committee of twelve to fifteen members. About six of these were appointed to the Political Bureau (Politburo) which ran the party when the C.E.C was not in session. Each State had State Central Executive Committee and was in turn subdivided into several Districts. The smallest unit of organisation was the Party cell, which typically consisted of the members from one workplace or village. Large Party Congresses were held on an occasional basis.
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Wikipedia