Abdullah CD
{{Short description|Malaysian politician (1923–2024)}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
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| name = Abdullah CD
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| image = File:Abdullah CD 1989.jpg
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| office = Chairman of the Central Committee of the Malayan Communist Party
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| birth_name = Cik Dat bin Anjang Abdullah
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1923|10|2|df=y}}
| birth_place = Lambor Kiri, Parit, Perak, Federated Malay States, British Malaya
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2024|1|13|1923|10|2|df=y}}
| death_place = Sukhirin, Narathiwat, Thailand
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| party = Communist Party of Malaya
| otherparty = Malay Nationalist Party
Revolutionary Malay National Party of Malaya
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| spouse = {{marriage|Suriani Abdullah|1955|2013|end=died}}
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| children = 1
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| residence = Sukhirin, Thailand
| education = Clifford School, Kuala Kangsar
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| known_for = Key figure in the Malayan Emergency
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| allegiance = Malayan National Liberation Army
| unit = 10th Malay Regiment
| battles = Malayan Emergency
- Ulu Teka Skirmish
- Battle of Jalan Chonur
| serviceyears = 1949–1989
| termstart = 1988
| termend = 2 December 1989
| predecessor = Musa Ahmad
| office1 = Politburo Member of the Malayan Communist Party
| termstart1 = 15 May 1957
| termend1 = 2 December 1989
| office2 = Commander of the 10th Malay Regiment of the Malayan National Liberation Army
| termstart2 = 21 May 1949
| termend2 = 2 December 1989
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Cik Dat bin Anjang Abdullah (2 October 1923 – 13 January 2024), commonly known as Abdullah CD, was a Malaysian politician who served as chairman and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM).{{cite web | url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/01/13/former-cmp-chairman-abdullah-cd-passes-away-at-100 | title=Former CMP chairman Abdullah CD passes away at 100 }}
Early life and career
Abdullah was born on 2 October 1923, in Parit, Perak, to Malay parents of Minangkabau descent.Ishak Saat, Radikalisme Melayu Perak 1945–1970, USM, 2014 His political involvement was sparked by interest in the Maharajalela Wars against the British.Suriani Abdullah(1999), Rejimen Ke-10 dan Kemerdekaan, Nan Dao Publisher As a young man, he joined the Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM). He became KMM secretary in the Lambor district in Perak during the early stages of the Japanese occupation.
After World War II, Abdullah CD was involved in the setting up of the Malay Nationalist Party (in Malay, the Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Muda; PKMM) in October 1945 with other early leftist Malay leaders such as Mokhtaruddin Lasso, Dr. Burhanuddin al-Helmy, Ahmad Boestamam, Ishak Haji Muhammad, amongst others.{{Cite web |last=Bernama |date=2024-01-13 |title=Former communist party chief Abdullah CD dies at 100 |url=https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/amp/category/nation/2024/01/13/former-communist-party-chief-abdullah-cd-dies-at-100/ |access-date=2024-01-13 |website=Free Malaysia Today (FMT) |language=en-US}}
He was also responsible for organising the Malay labour movement and was elected vice-president of the Pan-Malayan Federation of Trade Unions (PMFTU).
Not long before the declaration of emergency in Malaya in June 1948 by the British colonial government, Abdullah CD, Dr Burhanuddin Helmi, and Ahmad Boestamam met to discuss the conditions and the steps to be taken in the struggle for Malayan independence. When the British declared an emergency, Abdullah led many members from the CPM, PKMM, API (Angkatan Pemuda Insaf), AWAS, and PETA into an anti-British guerrilla revolution in the jungles of Malaya. In July 1948, he was captured in north Pahang, but he managed to escape.
On 12 May 1949, Abdullah started the 10th Regiment of the CPM in Temerloh, Pahang.{{cite journal | url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14649373.2015.1008201 | doi=10.1080/14649373.2015.1008201 | title=A history of the Tenth Regiment's struggles | date=2015 | last1=Mohamed Salleh | first1=Lamry | journal=Inter-Asia Cultural Studies | volume=16 | pages=42–55 | s2cid=214653737 | url-access=subscription }}
Abdullah was involved in many armed battles against the British and suffered serious injuries from a hand grenade explosion.{{cite web | url=https://www.scribd.com/document/19466019/Wawancara-Dengan-Abdullah-C-D | title=Wawancara Dengan Abdullah C.D. | PDF }}
Abdullah CD continued to be the leader of the 10th Regiment, until peace was achieved in 1989.{{Cite web |last=Arifin |first=Latifah |date=2024-01-12 |title=Bekas Pengerusi PKM, Abdullah CD meninggal dunia |url=https://www.bharian.com.my/berita/nasional/2024/01/1199717/bekas-pengerusi-pkm-abdullah-cd-meninggal-dunia |website=www.bharian.com.my |language=Indonesian}}
On 2 December 1989, he was one of the signatories of the peace agreement between the CPM and the government of Malaysia, finally ending the period of armed struggle.{{cite news | url=https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/01/1000780/former-communist-party-leader-abdullah-cd-dies | title=Former communist party leader, Abdullah CD, dies | newspaper=New Straits Times | date=13 January 2024 }}
Personal life and death
Abdullah CD was married to Suriani Abdullah (née Eng Ming Ching), also a leader of the CPM in February 1955. They remained married in Sukhirin, Thailand until Suriani's death in 2013.Abdullah CD(2005), Memoir Abdullah CD: Zaman Pergerakan Sehingga 1948, SIRD
On 3 October 2023, Abdullah CD celebrated his 100th birthday, surrounded by well-wishers and former party members in the peace village in Sukhirin.{{cite news |last1=Vengadesan |first1=Martin |title=Happy birthday to forgotten Malay Marxist centenarian |url=https://malaysiakini.com/news/681078 |access-date=14 October 2023 |publisher=Malaysia Kini |date=1 October 2023}} He died at the Sukhirin Peace Village in Narathiwat, Thailand on 13 January 2024.{{Cite web |date=2024-01-13 |title=Former CPM chairperson Abdullah CD dies at 100 |url=https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/693040 |access-date=2024-01-13 |website=Malaysiakini}} He underwent a period of ailing health before his death.{{Cite web |date=2024-01-13 |title=Former CPM chairperson Abdullah CD dies at 100 |url=https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/693040 |access-date=2024-01-13 |website=Malaysiakini}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Communism in Malaysia}}
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Category:Thai people of Malay descent
Category:Malaysian politicians of Malay descent
Category:People from Narathiwat province