Former CPM chairperson Abdullah CD dies at 100

Former chairperson of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM), Abdullah CD passed away earlier this morning at age 100.

Abdullah breathed his last at the Sukhirin Peace Village in Narathiwat, Thailand, at 9.29am, according to his son-in-law Indra Djaja Abdullah on Facebook.

The posting did not state the cause of death, but it is believed that Abdullah died due to old age. He was known to not be in good health for quite some time.

Abdullah, whose real name is Che Dat Anjang Abdullah, was born and raised in Perak before he joined CPM in 1948, actively taking part in fighting British occupation in Malaya.

He also founded the 10th Regiment of the Malayan People's Liberation Army, which was a guerilla army formed by the now-defunct CPM.

The communist leader had fought under the command of former CPM secretary-general Chin Peng and alongside several other prominent CPM figures like Rashid Maidin and Shamsiah Fakeh, until the group agreed to lay down arms in 1989 to sign the Hat Yai Peace Accord.

The peace agreement allowed former CPM members who laid down their weapons to return and reside in the Federation of Malaysia, which was formed in 1963.

However, Abdullah and several others decided not to return and chose to stay in Sukhirin.

‘May history be fair’

Meanwhile, condolences had started pouring in from many, including politicians, following news of his death.

"Let us not forget he was nationalistically committed to the struggle for genuine independence for this country," said former PKR deputy president Syed Husin Ali.

S Arutchelvan of PSM, in a statement, expressed his hope that history would be fair to Abdullah for his struggle for Malaysia's independence.

"His writings and worldview are available for all to read. His contributions and CPM in fighting for independence are acknowledged by Tunku (Abdul Rahman) himself and the peace accord signed in Hat Yai is the testimony of his leadership which cannot be erased from history.

"May history be fair and impartial to him," he said.

Former MTUC chairperson Syed Shahir Syed Mohamad said Abdullah was an important figure who should not be forgotten.

"He played an important role in our history and nobody can deny that. Even former deputy prime minister, the late Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman credited CPM leaders such as Abdullah and Rashid Maidin for their contributions towards independence.

"They had a good relationship with another former deputy prime minister, Ghafar Baba from Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya during the independence struggle in the 1940s.

"We can have our differences but history remains. Young people should know about the contributions of people like Abdullah.

“I would like to see the government acknowledge his passing," said Syed Shahir.

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Meanwhile, Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim reminded Malaysians that Abdullah was a patriot.

“He fought for Malayan liberation and the independence from British imperialism.

“He believed in an armed struggle to fight British colonialism,” he said, paying tribute to Abdullah.

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