The Malayan Communist Party as Recorded in the Comintern Files

the Japanese Army. Immediately after the end of the War, the MCP changed this policy to
realization of a Self-Government. In December 1948, half a year after commencing armed struggle,
the MCP declared establishing a People’s Democratic Republic. In December 1955, a week before
the Baling Peace Talks, 6 in order to show its sincerity of peaceful line, the MCP declared its
forming the Independence, Democracy and Peace of Malaya. In April 1970, when its armed
struggle was at the peak, the MCP proclaimed establishing a People’s Republic of Malaya. But
since the late 1970s, the MCP has tried to explore ways to negotiate with the government. In April
1980, MCP’s programme described its objective was to establish a Democratic United Government.
In February 1985, unofficial contact with the government officials began. In April that year, the
MCP accepted the Constitutional Monarchy system. This softened line led to the Hadyai Peace
Treaty of 1989. 7
To sum up, while the MCP pursued a Democratic Republic until the end of the Pacific War,
it was changed to a People’s Republic when it carried out an armed struggle. While Democratic
Republic symbolized a bourgeois democratic revolution, People’s Republic a socialist revolution.
In this sense, pre-War MCP was consistent with carrying out revolution in a colonized feudal
country.
11. As for the strategies of the struggle, the Comintern had never officially instructed armed
struggle line after 1930. The Comintern as early as 1928 criticized the NPC for launching an
uprising that year. In an instruction dated 17 December 1930, the Comintern criticized again the
armed uprising or even the general strike supposed to be implemented by the MCP. In an
instruction dated 3 July 1931, the Comintern denounced the armed insurrection again and clarified
general strike as merely a slogan. After that, the denial of armed struggle have apparently been
taken for granted.
On the other hand, the MCP at its inaugural conference of 1930 accepted the armed
insurrection policy instructed by the CCP in 1928. And in its letter dated 2 January 1931, the MCP
reiterated the importance of armed insurrection as well as general strike. This was severely
criticized by the Comintern again in its instruction dated 1 February 1931. After that the MCP
never positively referred to armed insurrection or armed uprising until the impending Japanese
invasion of Malaya in 1941.
In this connection, it also might be worthwhile to compare these with the strategies adopted
during and after the Pacific War.
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