Malay Left & the struggle for Merdeka!

Since this afternoon, I have started to read with intense interest another new book published by the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in Malay. It is titled Gerakan Kiri Melayu Dalam Perjuangan Kemerdekaan (Bangi, UKM, 2006) and written by Associate Professor Mohamad Salleh Lamry.

At this point of time, I have just covered only 48 out of 203 pages but it has already given me a strong impression that it is a balanced and scholarly narrative of a long suppressed and distorted dimension of the struggle for independence of our land from British colonialism and Japanese fascism.

The author, for example, makes his stand very clear at the outset of not using terms like 'terrorists' or 'communist terrorists' to describe or label members, fighters and leaders of the Communist Party of Malaya like Abdullah C.D., Chin Peng, Rashid Maidin, Suriani Abdullah @ Eng Ming Ching and Abu Samah Mohamad Kassim because the Cold War is over and there is a Peace Accord signed between the Government of Malaysia and the Communist Party of Malaya on 2 December 1989.

Like me, Associate Professor Mohamad Salleh Lamry also met and interviewed Abdullah C.D., Rashid Maidin, Suriani Abdullah and Abu Samah in southern Thailand before and was granted access to some of the important documents in the party's archive.

Utusan-UKM lock horns over CPM memoirs
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/31784