The Memoirs Of Rashid Maidin: From Armed Struggle To Peace

"Since the 1930s, I was involved in the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) in the struggle against the British colonizers to free our homeland. Many have asked me why I chose to take this path and not another; they have also asked me about my experiences, my joys and pain, and my memories. I’ve had all kinds of questions thrown at me. It is also true that I myself have wished to write down some episodes from my struggle within the CPM....

I endured the extreme bitterness of living under both the British and Japanese. I fought against the Japanese during their occupation (1941–45) with all my might, just as I did when the British returned to rule Malaya in 1945. Between 1945–48, when I agitated peacefully against the British, I was one of the CPM’s public representatives, openly organizing the masses for independence. Soon after the declaration of the Emergency, I was caught and imprisoned in British detention camps until 1952. It was a good thing that I managed to escape and join the 10th Regiment [of the Malayan National Liberation Army] with my close friend, Abdullah C. D. In December 1955, I participated in the Baling Talks with Chin Peng and Chen Tien. In 1989, I was one of the CPM’s representatives in the Phuket negotiations which resulted in the Haadyai Peace Accord of 2 December that same year.

I hope this memoir will give some idea of the struggle which I plunged myself into for decades".