Why did Abu Samah quit UMNO *, join CPM ?

Why did Abu Samah, a descendant of a great anti-colonial Malay hero Datuk Bahaman and the Umno* Youth chief of Pahang's Semantan branch as well as a committee member of the movement's Temerloh division, quit Umno* and join the Communist Party of Malaya in March 1948? Why did he take up arms to become a guerrilla after 20 June 1948 ? Why did he continue the fighting after 31 August 1957 until 2 December 1989?

To understand the circumstances in 1946-1948 and find out the reasons, you have to buy and read Abu Samah's memoirs Sejarah Dan Perjuangan Kemerdekaan (Hong Kong, Nan Dao, 1996).

It is still available in both its original Bahasa Malaysia and translated Chinese editions.

Abu Samah bin Mohamad Kassim, 80, is still alive in southern Thailand. We met on 20-21 February 2005.

* "Umno" in this entry refers to the original Umno founded in 1946 which was declared an illegal organisation in a court verdict in 1988, not the present "Umno" which was registered in 1988 as Umno Baru.

Abu Samah - the ex-British child soldier
http://www.malaysiakini.com/opinionsfeatures/35027

Abu Samah's alternative history of Merdeka (in Chinese)
http://www.malaysiakini.com/columns/39779

Komunis Melayu warisan Bahaman
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/12781

Lubok Kawah: kampung kecil yang melahirkan pejuang besar
http://duridanapi.blogspot.com/2006/05/lubok-kawah-kampung-kecil-yang.html

A challenge to "Umno's" version of Merdeka history (in Chinese)
http://www.malaysiakini.com/columns/40547

Who is afraid of The 'Last' Communist ?
http://lastcommunist.blogspot.com/2006/05/who-is-afraid-of-last-communist.html