Malayan Communist Party

Communist Party of Malaya
Malay nameParti Komunis Malaya
ڤرتي کومونيس ملايا
Chinese name馬來亞共產黨
马来亚共产党
Má-lâi-a Kiōng-sán-tóng
Maa5 Loi4 Aa3 Gung6 Caan2 Dong2
Mǎláiyǎ Gòngchǎndǎng
Tamil nameமலாயா பொதுவுடைமை கட்சி
Malāyā Potuvuṭaimai Kaṭci
AbbreviationMCP, CPM, PKM
Founders
  • Lei Kuang-juan
  • Wu Ching
  • Wei Ching-chow
  • Lin Ching-chung
  • Chen Shao-chang
FoundedApril 1930 (1930-04)
Dissolved2 December 1989 (1989-12-02)
Preceded bySouth Seas Communist Party
NewspaperMin Sheng Pau
Paramilitary wing
Membership (1939)40,000
Ideology
Political positionFar-left
Colours  Red
Slogan"Kaum buruh semua negeri, bersatulah!"
("Workers of the world, unite!")
Party flag

The Malayan Communist Party (MCP), officially the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM), was a Marxist–Leninist and anti-imperialist communist party which was active in British Malaya and later, the modern states of Malaysia and Singapore from 1930 to 1989. It was responsible for the creation of both the Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army and the Malayan National Liberation Army.

The party led resistance efforts against the Japanese occupation of Malaya and Singapore during World War II, and later fought a war of national liberation against the British Empire during the Malayan Emergency. After the departure of British colonial forces from the Federation of Malaya, the party fought in a third guerrilla campaign against both the Malaysian and Singaporean governments in an attempt to create a communist state in the region, before disbanding in 1989.[2] Today, due to historical connotations surrounding the MCP, communism as an ideology remains a taboo political topic in both countries.

  1. ^ Lee, T. H. (1996). The Basic Aims or Objectives of the Malayan Communist Movement. In T. H. Lee, The Open United Front: The Communist Struggle in Singapore (pp. 2-29). Singapore : South Seas Society.
  2. ^ "Chin Peng, an obituary". 4 October 2013.