North Kalimantan Communist Party
Encyclopedia
North Kalimantan Communist Party was a communist
political party
based in the Malaysian province of Sarawak
in northern Borneo
. It was founded on September 19, 1971. Before that, the group had been operating under the name Sarawak Communist Organization. The chairman of the NKCP was Wen Min Chyuan. He had been a leading member of the Sarawak United People's Party
1960-1964.
The membership of NKCP was predominantly ethnically Chinese. The armed wing of NKCP was Pasukan Rakyat Kalimantan Utara (PARAKU).
and communist
cell groups had grown rapidly among Sarawak's urban Iban and Chinese communities since the 1950s and later became the nucleus of the anti-Malaysia North Kalimantan People's Army (PARAKU), which was the armed wing of the party.
The party supported and propagated the unification of all Borneo territories under British control to form an independent leftist North Kalimantan state. This idea was idea originally proposed by A. M. Azahari
, leader of the Parti Rakyat Brunei
(Brunei People’s Party), who had forged links with Sukarno
's nationalist movement, together with Ahmad Zaidi, in Java
in the 1940s.
The North Kalimantan (or Kalimantan Utara) proposal was seen as a post-decolonization
alternative by local opposition against the Malaysia plan. Local opposition throughout the Borneo territories was primarily based on economic, political, historical and cultural differences between the Borneo states and Malaya
, as well as the refusal to be subjected under peninsular political domination.
In the aftermath of the Brunei Revolt
, possibly fearing British reprisals (which never eventuated), many Chinese communists, possibly several thousand, fled Sarawak. Their compatriots remaining in Sarawak were known as Pasukan Gelilya Rakyat Sarawak (Sarawak People’s Guerilla Force). Soebandrio met with a group of their potential leaders in Bogor, and Nasution sent three trainers from Resimen Para Komando Angkatan Darat (RPKAD) Battalion 2 to Nangabadan near the Sarawak border, where there were about 300 trainees. Some 3 months later two lieutenants were sent there.
The PGRS numbered about 800, based in West Kalimantan
at Batu Hitam, with a contingent of 120 from the Indonesian intelligence agency and a small cadre trained in China. The PKI (Indonesian Communist Party) was strongly in evidence and led by an ethnic Arab revolutionary, Sofyan. The PGRS ran some raids into Sarawak but spent more time developing their supporters in Sarawak. The Indonesian military did not approve of the leftist nature of the PGRS and generally avoided them.
The NKCP gradually declined. In 1989 CIA estimated that the group had around 100 fighters. On October 17, 1990, the NKCP signed a peace-treaty with the state government and dissolved. Several guerrilla fighters were reintegrated into civilian life.
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
based in the Malaysian province of Sarawak
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
in northern Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
. It was founded on September 19, 1971. Before that, the group had been operating under the name Sarawak Communist Organization. The chairman of the NKCP was Wen Min Chyuan. He had been a leading member of the Sarawak United People's Party
Sarawak United People's Party
The Sarawak United Peoples' Party, or SUPP is a political party in Malaysia. The party is one of the constituent members of the ruling Barisan Nasional...
1960-1964.
The membership of NKCP was predominantly ethnically Chinese. The armed wing of NKCP was Pasukan Rakyat Kalimantan Utara (PARAKU).
History
Left-wingLeft-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
and communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
cell groups had grown rapidly among Sarawak's urban Iban and Chinese communities since the 1950s and later became the nucleus of the anti-Malaysia North Kalimantan People's Army (PARAKU), which was the armed wing of the party.
The party supported and propagated the unification of all Borneo territories under British control to form an independent leftist North Kalimantan state. This idea was idea originally proposed by A. M. Azahari
A. M. Azahari
Sheikh Azahari bin Sheikh Mahmud , better known as A.M. Azahari, was a Brunei politician turned rebel.Born of mixed Arab-Malay heritage in Labuan, he was educated in Java and later fought against the Dutch there...
, leader of the Parti Rakyat Brunei
Brunei People's Party
The Brunei People's Party is a banned political party in Brunei.PRB was established as a left leaning party in 1956 and aimed to bring Brunei into full independence from the United Kingdom...
(Brunei People’s Party), who had forged links with Sukarno
Sukarno
Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967...
's nationalist movement, together with Ahmad Zaidi, in Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
in the 1940s.
The North Kalimantan (or Kalimantan Utara) proposal was seen as a post-decolonization
Decolonization
Decolonization refers to the undoing of colonialism, the unequal relation of polities whereby one people or nation establishes and maintains dependent Territory over another...
alternative by local opposition against the Malaysia plan. Local opposition throughout the Borneo territories was primarily based on economic, political, historical and cultural differences between the Borneo states and Malaya
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
, as well as the refusal to be subjected under peninsular political domination.
In the aftermath of the Brunei Revolt
Brunei Revolt
The Brunei Rebellion broke out on 8 December 1962. The rebels began co-ordinated attacks on the oil town of Seria and on police stations and government facilities around the protectorate...
, possibly fearing British reprisals (which never eventuated), many Chinese communists, possibly several thousand, fled Sarawak. Their compatriots remaining in Sarawak were known as Pasukan Gelilya Rakyat Sarawak (Sarawak People’s Guerilla Force). Soebandrio met with a group of their potential leaders in Bogor, and Nasution sent three trainers from Resimen Para Komando Angkatan Darat (RPKAD) Battalion 2 to Nangabadan near the Sarawak border, where there were about 300 trainees. Some 3 months later two lieutenants were sent there.
The PGRS numbered about 800, based in West Kalimantan
West Kalimantan
West Kalimantan is a province of Indonesia. It is one of four Indonesian provinces in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo. Its capital city Pontianak is located right on the Equator....
at Batu Hitam, with a contingent of 120 from the Indonesian intelligence agency and a small cadre trained in China. The PKI (Indonesian Communist Party) was strongly in evidence and led by an ethnic Arab revolutionary, Sofyan. The PGRS ran some raids into Sarawak but spent more time developing their supporters in Sarawak. The Indonesian military did not approve of the leftist nature of the PGRS and generally avoided them.
Current status
In 1974 a break-away group led by Bong Kee Chok signed a peace treaty with the state government. The Bong Kee Chok faction was larger than the remaining Wen Min Chyuan faction.The NKCP gradually declined. In 1989 CIA estimated that the group had around 100 fighters. On October 17, 1990, the NKCP signed a peace-treaty with the state government and dissolved. Several guerrilla fighters were reintegrated into civilian life.