The Socialist Club was formed under the University of Malaya.
James urged the Sidney Caine, the Vice Chancellor of the university to allow the students to form university political clubs. He stressed the importance of some venue or institution through which students could ventilate and exchange their political views. In the absence of this, he warned, may well lead to underground activities as happened in his case. Soon after Mr. Caine changed the University policy accordingly.
James and his friends wasted no time in getting things moving. During one their beer drinking sessions on a Friday in Club 5 ( James’ hostel room at No. 5 Block 5 at Dunearn Road Hostel), James Poh Soo Kai and Rajakumar conceived the idea of founding a university socialist club. Once they had firmed up the idea, a pro-tem committee was formed comprising Wang Gungwu (James’ room-mate) as Chairman, Sydney Woodhull, P. Oorjitham as Secretary, Ong Pang Boon. In February 1953 the University of Malaya was thus formed.
The club easily gained the support of many poiitically-conscious students then at the fringe of the left wing group in 1949-50. The more notable ones were Sydney Woodhull, Jami t Singh, Lim Hock Siew, Rajakumar, Wang Gungwu. The Socilaist Club was not run as a revolutionary party. There were no secret study groups reading Marxist literature. It was a society of socially conscious people.
Mr. Caine later awarded James a scholarship to continue his studies at the university.
The Socialist Club launched a publication called ‘Fajar’ and James served on the editorial board.