Abdullah CD
Cik Dat bin Anjang Abdullah (born 2 October 1923), commonly known as Abdullah CD, is a Malaysian former politician who served as chairman and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM).
Abdullah CD | |
|---|---|
| Chairman of the Central Committee of the Malayan Communist Party | |
| In office 1988 – 2 December 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Musa Ahmad |
| Politburo Member of the Malayan Communist Party | |
| In office 15 May 1957 – 2 December 1989 | |
| Commander of the 10th Malay Regiment of the Malayan National Liberation Army | |
| In office 21 May 1949 – 2 December 1989 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Cik Dat bin Anjang Abdullah 2 October 1923 Lambor Kiri, Parit, Perak, Federated Malay States, British Malaya |
| Political party | Communist Party of Malaya |
| Other political affiliations | Malay Nationalist Party Revolutionary Malay National Party of Malaya |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 daughter |
| Residence(s) | Sukhirin, Thailand |
| Education | Clifford School, Kuala Kangsar |
| Known for | Key figure in the Malayan Emergency |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Malayan National Liberation Army |
| Years of service | 1949 - 1989 |
| Unit | 10th Malay Regiment |
| Battles/wars | Malayan Emergency
|
Biography
Abdullah was born on 2 October 1923 in Parit, Perak to Malay parents of Minangkabau descent.[1] His involvement in politics was sparked by interests in the Maharajalela Wars against the British.[2] As a young man, he joined the Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM), and became the secretary of the KMM in the Lambor district in Perak during the early stages of the Japanese Occupation.
After World War II, Abdullah CD was involved in the setting up of the Malay Nationalist Party (or in Malay, the Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Muda / PKMM) in October 1945 with other early leftist Malay leaders such as Mokhtaruddin Lasso, Dr. Burhanuddin al-Helmy, Ahmad Boestamam, Ishak Haji Muhammad, amongst others. He was also responsible for organising the Malay labour movement, and was elected as the vice-president of the Pan-Malayan Federation of Trade Unions (PMFTU).
Not long before the declaration of emergency in Malaya in June 1948 by the British colonial government, Abdullah CD, Dr. Burhanuddin Helmi and Ahmad Boestamam conducted a meeting to discuss the conditions and steps to be taken in the struggle for Malayan independence. When the British declared an emergency, Abdullah led many members from the CPM, PKMM, API (Angkatan Pemuda Insaf), AWAS and PETA into an anti-British guerrilla revolution in the jungles of Malaya. In July 1948, he was captured in north Pahang, but he managed to escape.
On 12 May 1949, Abdullah started the 10th Regiment of the CPM in Temerloh, Pahang.
Abdullah was involved in many armed battles against the British, and suffered serious injuries from a hand grenade explosion.
Abdullah CD continued to be leader of the 10th Regiment until peace was achieved in 1989.
On 2 December 1989, he was one of the signatories of the peace agreement between the CPM and the government of Malaysia, finally ending the period of armed struggle.
Abdullah CD was married to Suriani Abdullah (née Eng Ming Ching), also a leader of the CPM and have been married since February 1955. They remained married in Sukhirin, Thailand until Suriani's death in 2013.[3]
On 3 October 2023, Abdullah CD celebrated his 100th birthday, surrounded by well-wishers and former party members in the peace village in Sukhirin.[4]
References
- Ishak Saat, Radikalisme Melayu Perak 1945–1970, USM, 2014
- Suriani Abdullah(1999), Rejimen Ke-10 dan Kemerdekaan, Nan Dao Publisher
- Abdullah CD(2005), Memoir Abdullah CD: Zaman Pergerakan Sehingga 1948, SIRD
- Vengadesan, Martin (1 October 2023). "Happy birthday to forgotten Malay Marxist centenarian". Malaysia Kini. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
