Why didn't Abdullah CD join Umno* at all ?

It is now crystal clear that the first modern political organisation that struggled against British colonialism was the Communist Party of Malaya which was founded in a rubber estate in Kuala Pilah on 30 April 1930, 16 years before the formation of the original Umno in Johor Baru on 11 May 1946. There were then Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM) inaugurated in Kuala Lumpur in 1939 and Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (PKMM) formed in Ipoh on 17 October 1945.

One of the very important persons who was a member of the prewar KMM and founder of PKMM is Abdullah CD, the veteran communist who signed the 1989 Haadyai Peace Accords with the Government of Malaysia as the Chairman of the Communist Party of Malaya. He joined the Communist Party of Malaya in May 1945 together with his friend Seman in the latter's house in a kampong in Perak's Lambor. In his memoirs Memoir Abdullah CD (Bahagian Pertama): Zaman Pergerakan Sehingga 1948 (Kuala Lumpur, SIRD, 2005), he recalls that the ceremony did not even need to be kept secret because at that time, the penghulu and the imam as well as the villagers in Lambor were all supportive of the party and its guerilla forces (p.55)

Abdullah CD also recalls that when he was first accepted as a CPM member in May 1945, there were already other Malays in the party like Rashid Maidin, Baharuddin Tahir, Osman, Mokhtaruddin, Khatijah Ali, Harun, Zulkifri Auni and Arshad Ashaari. So, while you are waiting for the ban of Amir's film to be lifted, why not buy and read Abdullah CD's memoirs to learn more facts and details ?

In fact, his latest memoir is only the first installment. A second one is being written. Also, he wrote two other books which are still available, viz Darurat Dan Kemerdekaan, 1948-1998 (Hong Kong, Nan Dao, 1998) and Perang Anti-British Dan Perdamaian (Hong Kong, Nan Dao, 1998). These two books are still relevant as antitodes to bodoh- sombong propaganda.

* "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.

History of the Malay Left
http://www.malaysiakini.com/opinionsfeatures/48827

A tale of two Malay communist memoirs
http://www.malaysiakini.com/opinionsfeatures/33401

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