YOURSAY | 'History is for both living and dead.'

COMMENT | Sickness of May 13 still troubles the nation

Ashaari Imran Azman Shah: Obviously, I took a lot of flak for doing this (trying to clear the name of my grandfather, former Selangor menteri besar, Harun Idris). Harun was allegedly involved in the May 13 riots.

But if you read the article, I agree with Suaram founder Kua Kia Soong that there needs to be an open conversation about this as there continues to be a sickness in our society relating to the May 13 racial riots.

Just as the author of the article points out that to view the incident as the culmination of Sino-Malay conflict is incorrect, to ignore all the subtleties around it also makes things difficult.

I have done lots of interviews and read widely on this subject and invite readers to listen to the various characters in and around the incident and make their own conclusions.

Interviews are available on the Harun Idris Diaries podcast and include interviews with former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, former deputy prime minister Musa Hitam, former Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (Ku Li), DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang, and others.

(Harun Idris diaries)

I am happy to have a conversation about this anytime as it is a worry that many of the underlying factors are still in play.

Green Puma6563: Relevance of reading history right up to university level? Does that make you an expert and in possession of facts that either support or debunk what is said in the article?

If in possession of facts that support either camp, then please share them.

My grandfather was in the Criminal Investigation Department, my dad was a renowned journalist. Both were alive and serving the nation when May 13 occurred.

Their personal accounts of May 13 (and who could have been the real instigators of this black mark in our nation’s history) are not dissimilar to what is written in this article.

Both were silenced back then for fear of the Internal Security Act and Official Secrets Act.

Do not attempt to silence contrarian views now. As a student of history, you should very well know that history is for both the living and dead.

For the living, we learn from the mistakes of our forefathers (the dead) and try not to repeat them in the hope of creating a better future for our scions.

Rejoice in the greater openness we have now. Confront the elephant in the room. Not looking or talking about it doesn’t change the fact that the beast is there.

Steven Ong: If we don’t face the facts and truth, then the root cause is still there and may explode again when the atmosphere is right.

With religion-phobia, no one wants to talk about it as the explosives are covered by a thin layer of sensitivity. Those who talk about it seriously or as a joke had to pay for it.

Most only talk about the political side and avoid the religious side, but PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang had exposed that the religious side is a political tool and it is valid.

That is why he is still free to talk even more. As usual, DAP is the main victim as it is believed that DAP is an enemy of that religion and race.

Soon after 1969, Umno-BN started the teachings and training that became laws and policies to ensure that the agenda of the religion is protected from abuses by the elitists who formulate it.

It’s so deeply rooted now that it seems no one can defuse it, not even Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who had to accept the reality and culture of that toxic rendang that is sweet to many but bitter to the minorities.

Let’s face the truth and pray together for peace and harmony, lest it happens again. But, first of all, we must accept and face the truth of that monster that is sleeping for a while. Hadi’s loud noises may awaken it once again.

Apanama is back: Looking back at the May 13, 1969 incident reminds me of the bigger picture. It was actually a coup d'etat.

It was not only to depose our late first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman but also to bring down our country’s progress by plundering and enriching oneself to form an elite group, while the common men and women live in poor and middle-class trap scenario.

Look at our country since May 13, 1969. Where we are now since that coup d'etat?

Nothing much I could comment on since most of us know the real situation. Politicians such as the late second prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein laid the wrong foundation for the country after the power grab.

Our country went in the wrong direction. Razak’s move of taking back Mahathir into Umno was the biggest mistake that the country is still paying the price for.

We just need one or two wrong people to destroy a country and a few generations.

Malaysia is a good case study on what went wrong since that coup d'etat. I hope the younger generations learn from history how not to run a country as the politicians did since the nation’s darkest day.

Red Wolf4463: The problem is that the perpetrators of the racial and religious incitement and their successors were never punished.

Rather, they were glorified as protectors of a certain race and went on to organise meetings and proclamations that perpetuate the seeds of their own self-destruction and blamed others for it.

(proclamations)

This will go on and on unless they are dealt with justice and dealt swiftly as a deterrent to others.

Just an ordinary guy: We hear you loud and clear. Most of the readers of Malaysiakini do.

Unfortunately, this is the wrong platform to publish your very well-written article. The ones who need convincing aren’t here.

Something must be done - and fast. But it doesn’t seem like anyone is doing it, including Anwar.

Maybe he has a plan or maybe not. But for our country’s sake, I sure hope he does.

It’s scary to think that Afghanistan was once a flourishing democracy. I hope our beloved country isn’t destined for the same fate.

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