The decisions as a whole were firmly anchored in, and justified by, the changing
international communist line. Armed rebellion was thus presented – in March – as
the inevitable end result, but the emphasis was for the moment on preparation, on
preparing a front of the lower workers and peasants. This last reflected the conclusion
that the alliance with the bourgeoisie, in the AMCJA-Putera front of 1947 for
instance, had failed.
The same language was repeated in a statement published in the Chineselanguage
paper Voice of the People on 20 April 1948, which sought to explain and
justify the new policy to the rank and file. Entitled ‘Understand the situation, master
the orientation’, this began by arguing that the previous illusions of the British Labour
Party had been stripped away, revealing it for the tool of international capitalism and
the imperial force that it was. In trying to argue that the party’s supporters were
strong – by implication strong enough to ‘continue their struggle along the bloody
footprints of those who had gone before’ – the document also emphasised that ‘the
broad masses of the Malayan people are part of the world anti-imperialist democratic
camp’. This document, however, being intended for consumption by a broad base of
supporters, gave over more time to addressing the particularities of British policy,
countering doubts, and making suggestions for correct policy and reliance on the
working classes. Despite that, it was in effect a reassurance that a drift to violence
accorded with international circumstances.
In addition to the MCP’s secret decisions of March, and its public statement of
April, a close reading of the documentation casts doubt on Chin Peng’s spin on
Sharkey’s role at the March Central Committee meeting. Chin Peng claims Sharkey
had little influence over this meeting, except to suggest a means of strengthening
mass organisation in this next stage: an anti-scab policy including murder. But at
least one Surrendered Enemy Personnel (SEP — an official term for surrendered communists)
claimed to have seen more explosive advice. In November 1948 this Leong
Yat Seng told his British interrogators that there was
a letter from the President of the Australian Communist Party criticising the MCP in its
Trade Union Policy. The letter said that the MCP should adopt the same tactics as the
Communist Party of Indochina viz, Liberation War.30