Remembering 13th May
13th May has been and will always be an important date in the history of my country.
Much has been said and also not said about the incident in 1969, which remained a dark blot in the memory and knowledge of this "developing" nation. I wasn't born then and my parents were not from this part of the country (Kuala Lumpur) so I don't have any first hand insight into what happened.
In school, this incident was described in text books as Peristiwa 13 Mei 1969 (the events of 13th May 1969) and a bit about it being a bloody racial riot but that was about it. We never learned about how it happened, why it happened, what really happened during the riot and the impact it had on the country and its people which is felt until today.
All the answers had to be gained from external sources, it was THAT sensitive an issue. And even then, history is written according to the historians' perspectives, so you get to hear both sides and wonder which one is true.
The Malays blame the Chinese, and the Chinese blame the Malays. In my opinion, it's all the politicians who're at fault - from UMNO, MCA, DAP, PAS, Gerakan, Malayan Communist Party and even the Singaporean PAP (they had a hand in it as well apparently). If one side started it, the other could have backed off and be the "bigger person" and tried to show a gesture of peace maybe, but no - both sides believed 100% they were right.
And maybe so, they both have reasons to believe what they believe. Malays want their special privileges protected, the Chinese want a Malaysian Malaysia. Both had its pros and cons for everyone. In the end, for the average Malaysian, what do we want?
If you have been poor and had the government support you through university and your family for instance, and you happen to be Malay of course you would be angry if your "privileges" are taken away. If you're Chinese and you do well in school but can't get into local universities for instance, it is fair that you would be angry that you're not given equal treatment. We're human after all.
In these days, though, it's less of a question of equal opportunity between bumiputeras and non bumiputeras. It's more of a class struggle between the rich and the poor. I've heard this so many times - the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer. The ones who play up the race card are usually the politicians, when in truth, the rich of whatever race get everything and the poor suffer.
I'm glad that personally I have not felt the benefits of this "special bumiputera privileges" although I am one. Maybe it has benefited my parents in terms of their education but it was not like they didn't deserve it. As for me, my entire education was financed by my hard working parents and I'm currently working in a Chinese owned company(which I'm very sure I did not get because of affirmative action)in an industry that I have felt to be quite racist and sexist. Yes, it's advertising but more on that in another posting.
Speaking of racism, the impact of the May 13th incident is far reaching and is felt until today. It started with the NEP, and various other draconian laws which has not been repelled. And you know what's funny, the state of emergency that was declared because of that incident has NEVER BEEN LIFTED. Malaysia is in a perpetual state of emergency and I won't be surprised if it will be enforced once again if the current government comes close to losing power.
Those are the more obvious things that happened. The rest is the experiences of the little people, and I can only speak for myself and my experiences. You know, it is upsetting when you get treated like you're useless or you're lazy because thanks to May 13th and NEP, it is forever stereotyped in the minds of the Chinese or non bumiputeras that the Malays are such and such. It is a bloody never ending story, it's like Israel vs Palestine almost!
Why can't we just be Bangsa Malaysia and accept that we are all human and our differences should be celebrated. For the Malays and bumiputeras, maybe not having any special privileges would actually be more of a blessing. And for the other races, don't la be so racist as well, just because this fella Melayu doesn't mean he cannot work, do away with the stereotypes!
These privileges, these so called "crutch" should be accorded to the poor and the struggling middle class. Not the rich, no matter what race they are. And if the government stops playing the racial card whenever their own personal interests are threatened, then I believe one day, we will look back and think, it's great being a Malaysian.
After all, where else can we find a country as unique and beautiful as ours?
Much has been said and also not said about the incident in 1969, which remained a dark blot in the memory and knowledge of this "developing" nation. I wasn't born then and my parents were not from this part of the country (Kuala Lumpur) so I don't have any first hand insight into what happened.
In school, this incident was described in text books as Peristiwa 13 Mei 1969 (the events of 13th May 1969) and a bit about it being a bloody racial riot but that was about it. We never learned about how it happened, why it happened, what really happened during the riot and the impact it had on the country and its people which is felt until today.
All the answers had to be gained from external sources, it was THAT sensitive an issue. And even then, history is written according to the historians' perspectives, so you get to hear both sides and wonder which one is true.
The Malays blame the Chinese, and the Chinese blame the Malays. In my opinion, it's all the politicians who're at fault - from UMNO, MCA, DAP, PAS, Gerakan, Malayan Communist Party and even the Singaporean PAP (they had a hand in it as well apparently). If one side started it, the other could have backed off and be the "bigger person" and tried to show a gesture of peace maybe, but no - both sides believed 100% they were right.
And maybe so, they both have reasons to believe what they believe. Malays want their special privileges protected, the Chinese want a Malaysian Malaysia. Both had its pros and cons for everyone. In the end, for the average Malaysian, what do we want?
If you have been poor and had the government support you through university and your family for instance, and you happen to be Malay of course you would be angry if your "privileges" are taken away. If you're Chinese and you do well in school but can't get into local universities for instance, it is fair that you would be angry that you're not given equal treatment. We're human after all.
In these days, though, it's less of a question of equal opportunity between bumiputeras and non bumiputeras. It's more of a class struggle between the rich and the poor. I've heard this so many times - the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer. The ones who play up the race card are usually the politicians, when in truth, the rich of whatever race get everything and the poor suffer.
I'm glad that personally I have not felt the benefits of this "special bumiputera privileges" although I am one. Maybe it has benefited my parents in terms of their education but it was not like they didn't deserve it. As for me, my entire education was financed by my hard working parents and I'm currently working in a Chinese owned company(which I'm very sure I did not get because of affirmative action)in an industry that I have felt to be quite racist and sexist. Yes, it's advertising but more on that in another posting.
Speaking of racism, the impact of the May 13th incident is far reaching and is felt until today. It started with the NEP, and various other draconian laws which has not been repelled. And you know what's funny, the state of emergency that was declared because of that incident has NEVER BEEN LIFTED. Malaysia is in a perpetual state of emergency and I won't be surprised if it will be enforced once again if the current government comes close to losing power.
Those are the more obvious things that happened. The rest is the experiences of the little people, and I can only speak for myself and my experiences. You know, it is upsetting when you get treated like you're useless or you're lazy because thanks to May 13th and NEP, it is forever stereotyped in the minds of the Chinese or non bumiputeras that the Malays are such and such. It is a bloody never ending story, it's like Israel vs Palestine almost!
Why can't we just be Bangsa Malaysia and accept that we are all human and our differences should be celebrated. For the Malays and bumiputeras, maybe not having any special privileges would actually be more of a blessing. And for the other races, don't la be so racist as well, just because this fella Melayu doesn't mean he cannot work, do away with the stereotypes!
These privileges, these so called "crutch" should be accorded to the poor and the struggling middle class. Not the rich, no matter what race they are. And if the government stops playing the racial card whenever their own personal interests are threatened, then I believe one day, we will look back and think, it's great being a Malaysian.
After all, where else can we find a country as unique and beautiful as ours?
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