The National Security Studies Programme held the official launch of Communist Party of Malaya: A Comprehensive Bibliography on 18 November 2022, at the Civil Service College, Singapore. Compiled by Assistant Professor Ong Wei Chong, Head of the National Security Studies Programme, the CPM Bibliography is an online resource guide at Reference@NLB that covers an extensive range of material on the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM). It seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of sources for interested researchers and national security practitioners engaged in resilience-building.
The official launch brought together a diverse panel to share their perspectives and insights on both the CPM Bibliography and subject of the CPM. The panellists at the launch were Asst Prof Ong Wei Chong, former Chief of Defence Forces of Malaysia General Tun (Dr) Mohamed Hashim bin Mohd Ali (Rtd), former Inspector General Police of Malaysia Tan Sri Abdul Rahim bin Mohd Noor, and Professor Karl Hack, Professor of History at the Open University, UK.
Asst Prof Ong Wei Chong shared his perspective on the CPM Bibliography as a living resource guide that could be used for contextual insights on conflicts and insurgencies. General Tun (Dr) Mohamed Hashim bin Mohd Ali (Rtd), who was one of the signatories of the Hat Yai Peace Agreement between Malaysia, Thailand, and the CPM, shared his perspective on the peace-building process that ended the Second Emergency (1968-89) in Malaysia. Tan Sri Abdul Rahim bin Mohd Noor shared his perspective as then Director of Special Branch Malaysia, and his role in the negotiations with the CPM that led to the signing of the Hat Yai Peace Agreement. Prof Karl Hack brought to the panel an academic perspective of how the subject of the CPM could be taught, and shared his perspectives on how the bibliography project could be enhanced.
The launch was attended by civil servants from the Ministry of Home Affairs, as well as academics and students from NUS, NTU, and RSIS. The participants engaged the panellists on their perspectives on the CPM, and asked questions about the CPM Bibliography project and how they felt it could be of use.
