All of Malaysian should know about this incident which left hudreds of peoples dead..
It was all about racist hatred.. Maybe it is a dark history for our country, but if this incident didn't happen back than, maybe a civil war can happen now. what do you think?

There will be no NEP if 13 May didn't happen..
Thats why history lesson is important in our life..

Two heavy topics started in a day Sam?!

I wish Malaysians can talk about the May 13th incident frankly with each other, because post-independence it was the single most traumatic and important event in our nation's history. Truly changed the social and political landscape of the nation. We gotta talk about it to learn from past mistakes. My take is that it happened because of people's prejudices that were incited by some leaders who made use of the highly charged political environment of that time.

For the Form 3 PMR History project, I did mine on Kampung Baru. It was very very insightful to hear about how some Malay folks in Kampung Baru protected some Chinese friends in their houses, just like how some Malay villagers who were at predominantly Chinese Chow Kit area at the time were housed by their acquanitances there until things settled down. These while the very same members of their races were at each other's throats.

No May 13th incident, no NEP.

That is what i'm trying to say.. I gonna end up in ISA if it is openly debated in our country..
Hope that we can laern something from this incident with the help from elder people such as Proculture, forrestcat, Tengkuafif, you and the others.. I'm still in learning process..
In here, it is more to exchanging views actually..

The thing about the May 13th incident is that any discussions concerning it must come from a starting point of goodwill and trust amongst those present. While I have no doubt that all of us here are true blue Malaysians who wish only the best for it, many things can get lost in translation over the internet and create even more resentment and distrust which is not what you want in the first place.

This is interesting. I was just talking to my parents about the May 13th incident and how it affected them.

I am not trying to provoke anything here as usual. Accd to my parents, there was already some racial tension in M'sia esp btwn the Malays and the Chinese. After BN lost for the first time, there were rumours saying that they employed people from the East Coast to stir up in KL. My believe is that the politicians from both the Alliance and BN somehow were to ones who provoked the height of the racial tension at that time.

Accd to my parents, Selangor was safe during the May 13th incident. However, my uncle and aunt were working in Kuala Lumpur. My uncle wanted to go back to S'gor instead of staying over a relative place in KL. So, they took a bus back to PJ. They took the second bus because the first was full. Accd to the Malay bus conductor in the second bus, many Chinese were killed in the first bus. That Malay bus conductor saved my uncle and aunt's life. He asked them, alongside with the other Chinese to hide under the seats. He then stopped the "people" from going into the bus. He then quickly dropped my uncle and aunt to a not so busy bus stop and they ran back home.

They are still grateful until today.

What I learn most is that it is hard to achieve true democracy.

^ thanks for sharing the story.. i hope other people can share their story too..

OKAY KIDZ, you're on a bumpin' ride this time ....

May 13th 1969 marked the darkest memory in interracial realitionship between races in Malaysia.

In post Independence Day until 1960s, Malay-special rights enshrined in the Constitution but never seriously implemented, has led Malays to remain unchanged from their lower-economic status.

Fast forward to 1969, it was an election year. It was the day that Kuala Lumpur, which was not a Federal Territory back then, was a capital of Selangor. KL had just fallen to the hands of the Oppostion, DAP to be precise, & as the norm of the olden days, after-election parades were being held up by victor supporters. Rambunctious parade-goers, with alcohol-laden & a need to boast a tad too overboard, go all around KL roads & every KL nooks & corners to celebrate the victory.

It just happens those guys are Chinese ....

It took a parade procession went into Kampung Baru, the heart of Malays in KL, & rowdy parade-goers shouting obcenities to simmering Malays in their kampung houses & even had the gall to shout 'Melayu Balek Kampung Lah, KL Kami Punya' (Malays go back to villages, KL is ours).

Malay girls all around KL even being threaten by perhaps drunken Chinese lads, & with all the racially-charged insults & rumors flowing like free alcohol on that fateful day ..

ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE .....

Malay gangsters clashes with Chinese triads, which both claimed to represent each communities, later flared up to full-blown ethnic feud-wars all over KL. The killings & burnings continued until Tunku declared an 'Emergency', cordoned the entire KL mobilised with police force, consisted of multi-racial personnels.

Well, the rest is as history says .....

That incident was trigger by chinese by doing parades on the street in Malay own place and they were chanting death to Malay.

Arrogant and ungrateful people! who the hell they're thinking they were?

....Agonized cries of "Malai si!" (Death to the Malays!) and "Hutang darah dibayar darah!" (Blood debts will be repaid with blood!) shouted by Chinese paraders were only the prelude to the violence that erupted four days later following the release of the 1969 general election results (Comber. pp 66-67. For full citations throughout, please refer to the biblio).

1969 incidedent

Thanks for sharing caramel.
May 13th 69 was a rude wake-up call for everyone who had ever only seen themselves as Malaysians up to that point. My parents were living at Banting at the time, cos my dad was employed by Harrison's and Crossfield Plantation. It was a sleepy town with a mixed population of Chinese townsmen, Malay villagers and Indian planters. Nothing untowards happened there.

According to my parents, Penang and KL is the two most affected area.

^I wonder how Malacca fared actually?

Yeah.. i also wonder how bout N.9 at that time.. must be they are all afraid..

The problems of race based politics.

I hope this will be erradicated in the near future.

I think the problem with Malaysians is that we refuse to discuss these touchy issues, likely because we fear we are too immature to deal with them. But then if we never discuss them, we never mature. So we are perpetually kept immature, and forever incapable of discussing these matters sensibly without sinking to the level of small children, calling each other names.

Well, it may not be on the national levels, May 13th incident is reserved suitably to kopitiam's talks.

Why, you may asked? Because talking about it, even on rational basis, will dredged up racial issues .... sensitive issues we all try to avoid.

Call the May 13th as MY's Pandora Box. Opened it up in your perils.

Besides, if we may rationalised the matter, it may take a long time. May 13th is still to fresh to some Malaysians who stills remembers those days.

Nusantara:
I hope you will then condemn the actions of those UMNO politicians (most notably our current DPM, Najib Tun Razak) who threatened to bathe their kerises with Chinese blood during the prelude to Ops Lallang in 1987.

John, Nusantara is an Indonesian forummer.

About that Najib guy, I guess he has learn his lessons well. Given that he has improved our Malaysian Armed Forces, so he is now in my good graces.

Besides, he was one of Anwar's clique .... one can expect hot-blooded Malay politicians to close ranks with Anwar to capture UMNO Youth movement .... so they play with rhetorics.

Almost all the times, the UMNO Youth movement can really embarrased the hell outta us ....

Darn politician wannabes!

i didnt pay much attention during history lessons in school. but they dont include the
May 13 incident in the history books do they???
being neither chinese or malay i never knew of such incident but only found out about
it about 5-6 years ago. even that i 'stumbled' upon in the internet.
if its not in the history books, shouldn't they start including it into the syllabus?
on the one hand we are treated like small kids: 'on may13 1969........
...........nothing happened'. contrast: santa claus is real.
but on the other hand are we prepared to handle the truth?
if they were to include of course it should(?) be heavily censored.
eg:' in 1969 there was a riot, what started this riot is none of your business or should not be of great concern, just learn from it you good student malaysia'

pancaindera:
Come to think of it, you're right. May 13 is never mentioned in our history books, and only the first couple of general elections are discussed. At the same time, students are bored out of their minds memorising the details of countless failed Malay insurrections in the late 19th/early 20th centuries.

I believed there is an attempt to erase May 13th incident for Malaysian public concious-minds. This attempts infuriated me because we Malaysians, especially younger generations should learn more about this incident, atleast to avoid making the same mistakes.

Actually, when i learn Malaysian Studies in Uni. , the text book mention about this many times.. Malaysian Studies is a compulsary subject for all Uni's student.. I don't they want to erase the history.. people learn from history..

Not many Malaysians attend university. Our history textbooks in secondary and primary school don't cover May 13 enough (if at all) when it's probably the most momentous incident in modern Malaysian history, next to the expulsion of Singapore.

It depends how people want to learn the 13th May 1969.

It just too difficult to determine the objective of learning the tragedy, many people just want to know who start it first and many would gladly volunteer as the real witnesses as to who started it first.

Its like the crusades, both sides only want to show which side killed the most and were the most tyrannical during those wars.

What's the solution here?

Like I said again and again, assimilation is the answer.
The Malays are the kindest race in the world.
We would be pleased if the other non-Bumis try to assimilate our culture.
In my point of view, the Malays would never see the non-Bumi races as aliens if they can speak good Malay and being aware of the Malay culture.

Assimilation take exhaustive time perhaps more than 50 years.

As MY exist solely on integration principles, to make assimilation policy would mean a total write-up of the constitution.

This policy has been abandoned by our forefathers, & thus, assimilation has no place in MY currently.

That is why we need a change.
Things can't just go like this forever.

I support inter-assimilation of all races into a Malaysian culture. We don't have to give up our race or entire culture. Take the Philippines for example. Feng shui, Chinese astrology, firecrackers to celebrate the New Year -- all are rather prevalent there, even though the Chinese community is nowhere near as "proud" of its roots as they are here. The "original" Filipinos have no problems about celebrating the New Year with fireworks or discussing Chinese cultural aspects like feng shui, and vice-versa. That's the sort of assimilation I would prefer, and this assimilation only comes about without the use of force.

If you try to paksa people to assimilate, it won't wash - especially when you expect to assimilate the Chinese and Indians into Malay culture. Even the Babas, Nyonyas and Mamaks evolved their own unique culture quite different from either Malay, Chinese or Indian.

I agree. Inter-assimilate. or even the way things are i can accept.
Malaysia IMO is the only multi-cultural gem of Asia.
India is multi-cultural in the Indian sense.
Singapore is too small to be a gem.
To assimilate like Indonesia or Thailand would destroy
the value of the gem.
I dont want to be known as Indonesia Jr.
Altho i like Indon culture generally,
better be original than a clone.

Assimilation does not work easily. for example, the minority peoples in MY such as the chinese and indians, shouuld they follow the example of Thailand and Indonesia and adopt Malay names? Can they still remain as non-muslims? Can this be done?

Assimilation is not solution, look at Indonesia even after the chinese adopting Javanese name, relation between Indos and chinese-Indonesians worse than Malaysia. I think integration system like now better give more understanding of cultural and race difference.

The jury is still out on whether 'assimilation' or 'multiculturalism' is a desirable goal for multiracial cities and societies now prevalent around the world.

After the recent riots in Paris, the French are now faced with the stark realization that their 'integration' policies has failed for their muslim citizens. The french model has been contrasted with the Anglo-saxon model of 'multiculturalism' or 'communitarism'.

There is a lot of jargon being thrown about in this area. But the simple truth remains that the crux of keeping a multi-racial society in harmony is continued prosperity and the closing of the divide between the haves and have nots.

As long as wealth is perceived to be justly shared by all, why would we even need to expect minorities to assimilate to the majority race in the first place? Wd u agree?

John, are you referring to the French way of inter-assimilation into a secular French culture and identity? We have seen it doesn't work if the economic benefits are not perceived to have been shared.

The French, be they of native or immigrant origin, know very well what their French identity consist of. You can tell a Frenchman or French Berber from a mile. But I notice that Filipinos are still searching for that concrete Filipino identity. I don't think they have sorted that integration business out yet. What Filipino identity are they integrating to?

I fear that it is so easy to let racial issues sidetrack the moral imperative of all governments : which is to ensure a level playing field where everyone, whatever their ethnic backgrounds, can perceive that they have a fair share in the economic pie of the nation.

Of course addressing economic imbalances is a key part of the issue. The problem is that sometimes people focus so much on adjusting the economic balance that they forget to ensure people have an overarching identity they can belong to. Economic prosperity is of no use if there's the perception that certain groups are "pendatang asing" (mere immigrants).

so you would advocate following the French experience of constructing an overarching identity for everyone to adopt? Or like an overarching American identity? Can this be done for Malaysia? How? What tools?

^ hi.
i dont know anything about the french method of inter-assimilation.
do you mind explaining its main features?

i think at the moment nothing should be done in malaysia.
nothing should be forced upon the ppl. i think the ppl 2day are
relatively and generally happier than ever.
i think the malaysians nowadays have become more proud to be malaysian
regardless of race.(maybe i speak for myself)
also msia got a weird demographic. never seen other country like us.
maybe suriname?? cannot also just blindly follow other models.
maybe other races should at least speak the language.
that may be good enough.

I reckon there are degrees of assimilation in many countries. In France however, it's enforced assimilation.

In line with a secularized sentiment dominant in Europe, Frances expects its migrants to assimilate into French culture. In their colonies, the colonial subjects were offered citizenship in France in excahnge for their total assimilation into French culture. This enforced assimilation ranges from visible policies such as ban of overtly religious symbols in schools and other places.

The assumption in France is that that no one will be picked on if everyone is the same. The current trend is to privatize religion right out of the public eye. Each person is free to personally pray to Allah or Jesus or Jehovah, but publicly everyone is on the exact same ground as a French non-religious citizen.

Some critics say that the French are ruling out of fear of the mob, in this case, not the hungry mob of Paris, but the religious third world.

^thanks.
that dont seem like a good idea. no wonder the immigrants there got pissed off.
yeah UK seem to be a bit different. i remember some foreigners working in McD
complained to the race commissions cos they were banned from speaking
any language other than english by their employers. the commision looked into it.
not sure what they decided. see it here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/4022461.stm

Frankly Mc Donalds is surely one of the most successful major institutions of the Anglocization wave.

Backtracking to French assimilation policy, the french government does not collect nor publish data or make any statistics on ethnic race groups. All frenchmen are subject to the revolutionary motto of Liberté, Egalité and Fraternité. It all sounds very beautiful. But the French have their dilemma too.

Integration policy in MY does indeed allows existing ethnic mix to keep their culture, identity, religion, language to survived better than assimilation.

However, that policy come at a price of Malay-hegemony (ketuanan Melayu) that favors Bumiputra crowd, yet currently Govt. slowly & meticulously dismantling these 'exclusive' rights.

As I've been saying again and again, forcing (paksa) assimilation doesn't work. Real assimilation occurs as happenstance (of course with a little occasional help from policies that provide incentives to inter-assimilate without actually forcing it) -- it doesn't occur because the government decreed so.

No, but a government can help with innovative policies to bring the national Malaysian identity to a closer knit one amongst the different peoples in light of today's rapid and integrated globalization.

Can we look at what's happening in Britain for a moment?

In Britain, their multicultural policy is giving way to the realities of evolving a British identity in the midst of ongoing global political, economic and technological changes.

Since their race riots in Birmingham in 2002 following 9-11, the BLair government has tried to redefine the British values and what that Britishness means.

People may be born Scottish, Welsh, English, Pakistani, Chinese, Italian, Polish etc..but they are all integrated as British in the union.



What I find interesting is the idea they have espoused of plural allegiances for their myraid tribes. It's quite a shrewd thing and takes into account the changes in their society and how many Britons lead an international life these days. And this is reflected in their national institutions and public life.

The BBC has all sorts of accents on the TV and radio. The UK has a political structure where there is autonomous local governments in Scotland, Wales and Cornwall(?)... Their mainstream political parties are encompassing Hindu and Muslim candidates in the constituencies where these minorities aggregate.

This plural allegiances is not juz limited to the nationalistic values but encompasses an 'intrinsic internationalism' as an increasingly important British value.

There are three institutions which are popular because they are becoming emblematic of the greater diversity of Britain.

The NHS which stands for fairness and solidarity, the armed forces for Britain’s internationalism, and the BBC for their creativity.

Post 9-11 and the Birmingham riots, there is an innovative political movement in the Blair government to include an international value of respect for human rights in the British identity and enshrine the protection of these rights in a Human Rights Act which can help create a framework for dealing with the clashes of values in their own diverse society.

I think such a navel gazing exercise on national identities need to spread across the world now, esp Europe (Denmark, France, Holland, Germany etc...). Even our own countries.... where conflicts over values can be mediated through participation, negotiation and dialogue.

BTW, the British government is calling it Integration in Diversity... a bit of a ying yang taoist concept innit??

perhaps some aspects of their policy can be applied here. but we must remember currently racial integration in malaysia is not too bad. i'd rather leave it the way it is now. plus UK and other western states have a typical socio/demographic distribution: around 90% white, and others. i think their policies will ultimately revolve around the 90% white population.

tangawizi:
That's the sort of thing I would prefer.

Don't be too hasty to dismiss the European shift in identifying their values and redefining their societies.

Leaving the existing multiculturalism policy in Malaysia intact as it is (status quo) is not a long term solution.

You need to tackle the challenges thrown at Malaysia by the inevitable rise in globalised integration.

For eg. the influx of Indonesian and PRC workers is inevitable, how do you integrate these migrants with the existing peoples? Another example, steering the correct path in the clash of values between the islamic right, sultanates, secular government and minority groups. If there is no forum for dialogue and negotiation on these matters, one day the pot will boil over again when the economy doesn't deliver.

^yes i agree existing policy may not be suitable in the long-run. im not dismissing the european policies. just saying that we should be careful if we were to emulate and apply those policies here, thats it. this also may be a bit cheeky/sneaky: that we should see first if it works well over there. in europe, they are probably redefining their cultures and values by basing it on the original, 100% white values (eg: german culture and tradition) and then modifying and building from that to take into account cultures from various immigrants. currently i think a truly unified malaysian culture is yet to be defined, or at least very difficult to define.

What do you think about a Malaysianness instead of a unified Malaysian culture?

I often find the use of the word 'culture' would lead to an inevitable clash.. it's like taking out your family jewels which invariably leads to saying mine is more valuable than yours..

^it depends on how ppl define the word 'culture'. i might not be using the word properly myself . maybe the better term would be 'values' or 'identity'. yes malaysianness sounds alright. i wasnt actually saying that we need a unified culture, which may entail assimilation. just trying to differentiate the situation in europe and malaysia.

Haha, indeed. Unfortunately slogans like "Malaysian Malaysia" are just as taboo here. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysian_Malaysia

I happened to be involved in the counting of votes at one of the counting centres at Gurney Road. The jubilation of the winning party was already felt then.

Next morning I was at Old PJ and the victory parade passed through....a rather noisy lot I must say. That is why such parade is now banned. That evening, many people were taking the buses to KL for another gathering and what happened that night is history.

I was stuck at my lecture room for a couple of days due to curfew before I was taken back to my hostel in the Principle's car accompanied by the army truck.

Well, there were lessons to be learned no doubt.