It was 40 years passed now! I am referring to
the May 13 Racial Riots in Malaysia. In this 40th
Anniversary of May 13, it is not a time of
celebrations, but instead it is a time of reflection.

Where were you 40 years ago on that day? I
was then a Remove Class student with Sekolah
Menengah Jenis Kebangsaan (National Type
Secondary School), Kepong. I was in the afternoon
class. Our class teacher was enthusiast of football.
We had our PE classes twice a week at the last period.
He used to work “overtime” by making the boys
play football till into the dark. And we even
played in the rain sometimes. We enjoyed the
games.
In the evening on May 13 which was a Tuesday,
as usual we played into the night. Soon after I
reached home, my family members picked up
the news from the street and told us about “Pai
Wah” was taking place at Chow Kit Road. They
claimed that Malays and Chinese were killing
each other there. “Pai Wah” is a Cantonese
term for “massacre of Chinese”. Vehicles
heading towards Kuala Lumpur town were
diverted back. It was chaotic along Kepong
Road.
The government imposed a nation-wide curfew
that evening with immediate effect. I had
never understood what “curfew” was till I was
told to confine myself at home. Kepong was
only 10 miles away from Kampong Baru at
Chow Kit Road where the racial riots broke out.
Despite the proximity, Kepong was peaceful.
For the next few days when the curfew was
lifted for two hours so that people could shop
for their groceries. On the streets, as usual, I
met the familiar and friendly Kepong Policemen,
both Malay and Chinese, who would smile at
you.
And I began to wonder why a racial conflict
when Malays, Chinese and Indians lived
harmoniously all the while? In the schools we
of different races studied together, ate
together, played together, and even went
camping together.
I remembered there were public rallies during
the General Election period that year. Those
days quite often we would wake up in the
mornings and found paintings on Kepong main
road asking people to boycott the election.
A Chinese youth from the Labor Party was shot
dead for some reason. On the eve of the poll a
large funeral procession with a crowd of
thousands of people was passing by Kepong
Road, but unfortunately mom prevented me
from joining the procession. Hostile sentiments
among the Chinese towards the authority were
high. Somehow I sensed an evil omen was
looming large.

That was only an isolated case which had not
enough force to trigger a racial riot. What then
was the cause? The first Prime Minister of
Malaysia, Tunku abdul Rahman, himself has
alleged, “You know Harun was one of those –
Harun, Mahathir, Ghazali Shafie – who were all
working with Razak to oust me, to take over
my place…” (“K. Das and Tunku tapes”, edited
by Kua Kia Soong, SIRD 2002: 112).
Of course the official version of May 13 puts
the blame on the opposition parties. The
results of the General Election on May 10
shook the status quo of the Alliance. They had
been holding a two third majority control since
Independence. The Oppositions celebrated
their victory on the nights of May 11 and 12.
“The following day, the events that followed
would tend to suggest that elements within
UMNO (United Malays National Organization)
had laid plans to teach a lesson to those who
would challenge the predominance of UMNO.
(“May 13”, Kua Kia Soong, 2007: 43).
The roots of the racial riots of May 13 will
remain a mystery as long as the government is
not open to put them into history. There have
been books on the incidents banned. Due to
ignorance of history by the public, often time
May 13 had become a good tool for politicians
from the ruling coalition to instill fears to the
dissidents. For 40 years the spirit of May 13
had been haunting Malaysians. Take for
example, last year on March 8 polling night,
streets were deserted when news broke that
Barisan Nasional (National Front) had suffered
big losses!
I have witnessed how Malaysia fared these 40
years. What had transpired in my country was
an utter disappointment. Leaders eroded the
Constitution and Judiciary for political and
selfish gain. The integrity as well as the dignity
of the Royal Police Force has fallen to the
deepest valley. There were also opportunists
who played the race-cards for their political
advancement.
Malaysia had been exemplary in her racial
harmony in the eyes of the world until May 13,
1969. In the Biblical context, 40 years speak of
one generation. The old generation has faded
eventually and the new one has come.
Therefore, it is high time for us to be free from
the trauma. Malaysians need to come to a
national reconciliation. Let us put down that
baggage of racial disunity. However, just as
what Dr. Kua has mentioned, “There is a need
for a Special Commission to unearth the truth
of the 1969 racial riots before there can be a
genuine national reconciliation.” (“May 13”,
2007: 9). Yes we need to break that curse of
May 13! If not, racial discrimination will be an
issue which will haunt the country unceasingly.
No one can change history. If Malaysia were to
progress, we must face the truth in history so
that we will not repeat the folly acts of our
ancestors. Now we have a young generation of
people who are open to knowledge. Political
Writer Dr. Azly Rahman said, “If we encourage
our youth to explore the roots of the bloody
conflict, we will have a better generation of
thinkers. No more “Ketuanan Melayu (Malay
Supremacy), China, India,” or whatsoever
notions of self-aggrandizement – just the
simple act of opening the dialogues of peace.”
(http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2007/05/19/wasmay-
13-naturally-orchestrated/).

Other Articles by Allen Tan