Dr Kua Kia Soong, currently principal of New Era College in Kajang and former MP of PJ, is going to launch his new book this Sunday which presents a view of the causes of the racial riot which started on May 13, 1969.
Based on declassified documents from the Public Records Office in London (imagine if our documents would be declassified similarly!), Dr Kua hopes to debunk two common "myths" surrounding the unfortunate event, and I quote:
Source: Malaysiakini
“One is racial riot will occur when the Malays are not happy, that’s why you need the New Economic Policy, affirmative action policy et cetera, otherwise the Malays will be unhappy and there will be riot.There have been plenty of theories on what exactly happened on that fateful day, and what are the causes behind them. The official version is that it was started by the opposition (nothing new, same excuses are used by the government today for almost anything that happened in this country). The other more interesting version is that it was a manufactured incident to facilitate a coup d'etat against the Tunku. This version I first read about in the late MGG Pillai's writings. Dr Kua believes this version is the more accurate one, and he attempts to show it in his book using the declassified documents from intelligence services, diplomat circles, correspondents, etc.
“This is the first myth we should dismantle as documents showed some people were involved in making it (the May 13) happened with the connivance of the police and army,” he stressed.
The second myth, Kua said, is academicians and pluralist theorists who uphold the views that riots and conflicts will occur naturally in multi-racial country.
“I am questioning this. The role of the state is very important at a particular historical conjuncture. Malays, Chinese and Indians don’t suddenly decide to fight in conflict, it doesn’t happen like that,” he said.
(for full article, click here)
38 years on and we are still nowhere near coming to a satisfying conclusion on the why, what, and who of the incident. I personally think it is important for Malaysians to really get a clear picture of it due to the fact that our current socio-political system and environment is a product of decisions post that day. That was the day when true inter-communal decision making ala the Tunku's way died, and the current Umno hegemonic way of decision making with the other BN component parties playing a subservient role was born. Even more important for us all is to rid ourselves of the ghost of that unfortunate incident, and not to be threatened over and over again by a corrupt BN government. When we know exactly what happened on May 13, no longer would we need to fear BN's constant reminder of it, which is purely for their own selfish interest and nothing more. Let's hope this book will not be banned, as what has happened recently to a
book about the Kampung Medan clashes.
5 comments:
It is said that wars are caused by politicians and not army generals. Our darkest history was also caused by certain politicians at that material time and was not a spontanteous uprising by ordinary Malaysians. The publication is therefore confirming this historical fact that the guilty parties conspired to achieve a certain specific agenda. It also exposes all along the rhetorics and threats by ruling party leaders to protect the Malay agenda. The truth has to come out someday. And what better time than now, to explode all the myths and lies.
It was not the Malays nor the Chinese or the Indians who stepped their foot in the Malaya. The original aborigins such as the Orang Asli should be the root of Malaysia.
If someone is to cry out for their rights in Malaysia, it should be one of the Orang Asli and definitely not the Malays, who so declared themselves as the bumiputras and who claimed rights from others and who labelled themselves as the ordinary Malaysian.
There must be some reasons for the colonial countries brought over the Chinese and the Indian. Should it be just a way to overcome the shortage of workers or the so called ordinary malaysa are generally too weak to perform, either physically or mentally, in Malaysia.
Without the assistance of the so called immigrants, the so called ordinary Malaysian may be, and should be still eating their nasi lemak in the half peeled coconut shell and climbing the coconut tree to make a few bucks.
That is why there are killings in USA when the whites brought over the blacks (a better way to call them)... It happens EVERYWHERE
It's just humans' natural instinct to protect their own benefit, it's genetically programmed every human
It's sad to see anyone suffers, regardless of chinese, Indians, Malays. There are Malays who curse rioters in Indonesia 1998, and there are Chinese who donate and physically helped the Indonesian tsunami victims.
Please look at others' good and forget others' bad, as tiny humans, we are not perfect, and most of us are serverely imperfect... So shall we civilized people work very very very hard to ensure than our sons and your sons live peacefully?
The choice is YOURS
There is a troll here who is giving my fellow Malay friends and countrymen a very bad name by letting everyone see his stupidity and inane fascist and racist mind. I can tolerate most people, but when it's stupidity mixed with racism, I have to intervene.
My god, I read the repugnant remarks by this melayu raya which you have deleted. Yes its a bitter pill but its an eye opener to us all. Such differing views can be misconstrued by both sides, chinese and malay alike but over time a fine balance will be achieved. Be strong and face reality and at the end when all discourse are revealed peace will ensue for our sons
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