May 13: Declassified Documents on the Malaysian Riots of 1969

by Kua Kia Soong

This is the first credible account of the May 13, 1969 racial riots / pogrom in Malaysia using documents recently declassified at the Public Records Office, London after the lapse of the 30-year secrecy rule. Since local sources remain classified or have been destroyed, these documents provide the only available confidential observations and memoranda by British and other foreign embasay operatives They include dispatches by correspondents which were not available to Malaysians at the time.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction

147 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Cassandra Chung · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be my third book on May 13 that I've read: the first one I read was "Death of a Democracy" by John Slimming and the second was"May 13" by Tunku Abdul Rahman. Out of all three books, I would say this was the most sytematic in its analyses and the book with the most references to documents (albeit only British ones). "Death of a Democracy" was largely based on eye-witness accounts while "May 13" was Tunku's emotional account on how the Chinese shouldn't have paraded the fact that they got so many seats and how May 13 is largely the fault of communists.

One would be tempted to call this book bias i.e. blaming the Malays who decided to go with Dato Harun's riot plans. However, the fact that a lot of what Slimming and Kua says about how the riots started and how they proceeded are pretty similar, I would be careful to call this book biased. There is also a lack of official Malaysian documents on this incident so its no surprise the author relied on mostly British documents.

I would recommend this book not just because its well referenced but also because its very easy to read: Kua even adds a summary at the end of every chapter. However, if you do intend to read this book, do read it with the Tunku's "May 13" and Slimming's "Death of a Democracy" so that your view of events would be more informed.

[Nazmi Yaakub · Rating 3 out of 5]

13 Mei: Dokumen-dokumen Deklasifikasi mengenai Rusuhan 1969 Malaysia karya Dr Kua Kia Soong dan terjemahan Seah Li Ling, meninjau kembali rusuhan perkauman yang menggegarkan negara ini pada 13 Mei tahun terbabit, berpandukan dokumen sebelah pihak, iaitu British yang dibuka di Pejabat Rekod Awam, London.

Pembukaan dokumen itu selaras dengan Peraturan Arkib yang mengkehendaki fail sulit dan rahsia dibuka selepas mencapai tempoh 30 tahun bagi membolehkan orang awam membacanya.

Buku ini dibahagikan kepada lima bab meliputi Bab 1: Formula Perikatan Bersifat Perkauman; Bab 2: Pilihan Raya 1969; Bab 3: Rekod Rusuhan; Bab 4: Penilaian Negara Asing tentang Pertukaran Regim dan Bab 5: Kelas Pemerintahan Melayu Baru, selain bahagian Pendahuluan: Mempersoalkan Sejarah Versi Kerajaan serta Kesimpulan: Ke Arah Perdamaian Negara.

Bahagian pendahuluan buku ini menjelaskan dokumen yang menjadi rujukan dalam buku ini, membabitkan perutusan rasmi oleh Pegawai Suruhanjaya Tinggi British yang membuat pemerhatian terhadap rusuhan kaum dan perutusan rasmi Pejabat Luar Negeri dan Komanwel (FCO) yang bertanggungjawab terhadap perkembangan negara di Pasifik Barat Daya termasuk Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia serta Singapura.

Antara dokumen lain yang turut dipetik dalam buku ini ialah laporan daripada media asing dan kenyataan akhbar oleh Persatuan Palang Merah Malaysia yang menerangkan kesan rusuhan terbabit, khususnya membabitkan kematian serta kecederaan.

Buku ini turut berpandukan catatan sulit yang memperlihatkan reaksi Suruhanjaya Tinggi British di Malaysia Barat dan Timur serta laporan kepada London, selain penilaian Jabatan Kabinet British, Pejabat Luar Negeri dan Komanwel serta Kementerian Pertahanan.

Maklumat yang menjadi sandaran dalam penulisan buku ini turut dikumpul melalui catatan dalam mesyuarat diplomat dan catatan risikan daripada Kedutaan British, selain turut mengambil kira reaksi masyarakat ekspatriat British di ibu negara.

Perlu ditegaskan laporan yang dikumpulkan dalam penulisan buku ini adalah berpunca daripada satu pihak, iaitu British yang pernah menjajah negara ini dan sudah tentu boleh menimbulkan wasangka terhadap penilaian pegawai negara bekas imperialis berkenaan yang boleh dihubungkan dengan maksud neokolonialisme.

Pandangan media dan masyarakat ekspatriat pula sudah tentu terhad kepada kejadian yang berlaku dalam jangkauan mereka dan mungkin dipengaruhi oleh pandangan tidak objektif daripada bangsa bekas kuasa imperialis berkenaan.

Hal ini boleh dilihat daripada laporan media dengan penggunaan perkataan yang mungkin bersifat hiperbola sepert kumpulan pengganas seramai lebah atau penceroboh, yang sudah tentu maksudnya jauh berlainan sekiranya pembaca cuba membandingkannya dalam konteks hari ini.

Berdasarkan dokumen deklasifikasi dan laporan media terbabit itulah, buku ini menganggapnya sebagai petunjuk kepada rancangan untuk menghimpun `penjahat muda' di kediaman Menteri Besar Selangor serta menyimpulkan pihak keselamatan gagal menjalankan tugas dengan baik untuk mengekang rusuhan berkenaan.

Buku ini turut memetik pandangan pemimpin dan media dari negara jiran serta negara asing yang terkandung dalam dokumen deklasifikasi itu, sekali gus turut mendedahkan pandangan sinis bekas Perdana Menteri Singapura, Lee Kuan Yew.

Pandangan lancang Lee itu termuat dalam telegram FCO yang menganggap Tunku Abdul Rahman sebagai `seorang tua yang bodoh, tetapi beliau ialah seorang tokoh bapa', manakala Tun Abdul Razak pula dicemuh dengan mengatakan, `Razak menjadi semakin menyerupai seorang setan yang pintar'.

Ia disebut dalam telegram yang dihantar Diplomat British di Singapura, Sir A de la Mare yang bertemu dengan Lee dan kemudian menghantar telegram berkenaan pada 2 Jun 1969.

Judul buku ini mungkin provokatif dengan maksud memancing minat pembaca kerana menggambarkan penulisannya berdasarkan dokumen sulit dan rahsia yang dibuka serta diturunkan tarafnya, tetapi dokumen terbabit tidak dapat lari daripada pandangan tipikal pegawai tinggi, perisikan, wartawan dan ekspatriat bekas kuasa imperialis kepada negara bekas jajahannya.

Kebenaran di sebalik peristiwa 13 Mei sudah tentu tidak boleh dan tidak wajar ditentukan debgan hanya berdaskan laporan asing, sebaliknya perlu diimbangi dengan pelidikan daripada pengkaji dan sejarawan tempatan.

Sekiranya buku setebal 165 laman terbitan Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) Komunikasi ini menimbulkan keterujaan pembaca dengan bahagian yang mempersoalkan sejarah versi kerajaan, maka ia juga sepatutnya turut mempersoalkan sejarah versi `bekas kerajaan penjajah'.

[Linda Tahir · Rating 4 out of 5]

The racial riots of 1969 is an event that is still cloaked in secrecy due to its sensitive nature. The scarcity of information about it has led to some irresponsible parties manipulating the events to their advantage by spreading misinformation and creating fear. So for this reason I take my hats off to the author for writing this book and providing a fuller picture and some might say, a different perspective to the govt’s official report.

Where the official report sets out the chronology of events and statistics, this book describes the background prior to that fateful day and the possible causes. The author uses previously confidential information from foreign embassies and journalists in Malaysia at that time. How they viewed the Malaysian leaders, the cause and effects of the riots on the citizens and also their future relationship with Malaysia.

The author further writes about the changes to govt policies to address the problems that gave rise to the riots. Some interesting theories with respect to the eventual change of leadership were also raised by the author, made credible by the reports of foreign embassies. Tunku’s book Before and After May 13 is next on my list which I hope will shed more light on this.

Overall this was a very interesting and enlightening read. It must be read together with the Govt’s Official Report so you will be able to see the whole picture especially the possible causes of the darkest moment in Malaysian history.

Highly recommended.

[Faqihuddin Ghazali · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aku beli buku ni sebab nak tau sejauh mana beza 13 Mei versi ni dengan versi buku teks sejarah. Buku ni ditulis berdasarkan dokumen-dokumen sulit British. Yang aku dapat simpulkan dari buku ni:

1) Dari dulu sampai sekarang, politik kotor Malaysia tak berubah.

2) Melayu (UMNO) yang mulakan keganasan sebab sakit hati sangat dengan perarakan pembangkang.

3) Cina lagi ramai mati berbanding Melayu masa darurat tu. So siapa yang bersalah sebenarnya?

4) Peristiwa 13 Mei ni ialah kesempatan untuk Tun Razak naik, dan jatuhkan Tunku Abdul Rahman.

5) MAGERAN digunakan sebagai medium mengukuhkan peranan Melayu (UMNO) dalam pimpinan negara yang makin terhakis (sementara parlimen tak berfungsi).

6) Dasar Ekonomi Baru (DEB) ialah peluang kapitalis Melayu kaut kekayaan. Aku setuju, tapi DEB pun penting untuk kurangkan jurang ekonomi antara kaum (Refer buku The Colour of Inequality).

7) Buku ni asalnya dalam BI. Tapi aku beli versi BM sebab lagi murah, dan terjemahan dia memang teruk.

8) Penulis bersifat bias sangat hingga ketepikan keadilan berakademik cewahh

Akhir sekali, ada beberapa persoalan yang aku terfikir:

1) Kalau Parti Buruh Malaysia yang merupakan komponen utama pembangkang masa tu ada sampai sekarang, apa yang akan jadi?

2) Apa peranan Raja-raja Melayu masa darurat tu eh? Main golf?

3) Ada tak 13 Mei versi dokumen-dokumen sulit kerajaan?

[Fuad Syazwan Ramli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shocking! But I think it's kind of too biased.

[Ooi Ghee Leng · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a twist of event telling comparing to the history textbooks. Must read if you are a Malaysian. How sad that our country's politicians are still shuffling the same cards which were dealt on the table in 1970.

[Yee Lilith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A red pill that reveals the story of the May 13 racial riots in Malaysia. Supporting documents are compiled and published to suggest a theory of political conspiracy - a coup d'etat.

'May 13: Declassified Documents on the Malaysian Riots of 1969' by Kua Kia Soong will definitely trigger cognitive dissonance among Malaysians as it is hardly the recapitulation of the History textbooks taught nationwide in the country's schools.

Kua's vociferous arguments offer the perspective, 'history was written by the victors, the Razak triumvirate regime.'

During the Alliance era, a Malay-centrism ideology was put forth as a vessel to guard the economic interests of the Malay ruling class, not only in the state, but in the private capital of the non-Malay and foreign capitalists. "Even if this only meant sitting on the boards of directorship," leeching in the name to reduce inter-ethnic economic disparities.

Instead of social solidarity, the UMNO, MCA and MIC factions have appointed horizontal solidarity which intrinsically harbor tribalism. Therefore, even at independence, social inequality among the three main national groups continued to be segregated in the respective communal terms.

Despite polarization of the Malaysian society in 1969, the writer attributes the pogrom against the ethnic Chinese to a systematic political coup rather than the "shoddy official claim" of an impromptu outbreak of a communal clash due to provocation by the triumphed opposition parties. The chronology of the incidence has been detailly elucidated in the book.

According to the published records, "the riots of May 1969 were carefully planned and organized" as an excuse to declare a state of emergency for the new regime to oust the Tunku's government. Evidence suggests that the Malaysia security forces "allowed" the regime's hoodlums to slaughter the Chinese. With his analytical reasonings, the writer proposed that, the Razak's plan had ostensibly "received the full backing of the police and army."

In order to win over the Malay masses to support the new Malay capitalists, the regime follows the Suharto regime in imposing "Malay dominance" and "keeping the Chinese down" policies. Hence, the May 13 racial "bloodbath" has since been utilized as a tool to facilitate radical chauvinism. From time and again, the UMNO's legacy has been proven to epitomize hooliganism.

Today, Malaysians still witness the "climate of terror and repression" through "discriminatory Malay-centric economic, educational and cultural policies."

In my opinion, albeit boring, this book leads to higher history accuracy with facts and testimonials; ergo, unequivocally tells a better story about the May 13 Sino-Malay sectarian violence than 'Tanda Putera', a controversial propaganda backed by the regime to further instigate racism.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book attempts to present the events leading to and surrounding May 13 using British declassified documents. As such, the viewpoints are primarily from British citizens or correspondents, either in an official or non-official capacity. Since the Malaysian government is still keeping the episode under wrap, this is as close as one can get to get a glimpse of what happened.

As a history book, it somewhat fails at its impartiality. While it does attempt to give a chronology of events based on the declassified documents, the summaries and conclusions were drawn with a political bent - understandable I suppose. But as a book that purports to she'd some light on that tragic event, being unable to completely free itself of political bias was unfortunate. It would have had a greater influence had the reader been given more of an opportunity to draw the conclusions themselves given the accounts from the documents, rather than having the author's conclusions given to the reader.

[Anas Nor'Azim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Make no mistake, Kua Kia Soong is a very credible person in Malaysia's political scene, but while the book does provide a good account of the development of events in May 13 riots, perhaps one of the best I've read so far, I don't think the conclusion he draws holds up and borders on conspiracy.

It's total reliance on British sources is understandable, considering the Malaysian ones are classified, and despite what many have said, I don't find much irrational bias in his account. Regardless, the author would do well to flesh out his argument, if what he insists is true.

[Muslim Imran · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although the book is politically motivated and is not very academic in its analysis, it gives you an insight on what happened from one perspective..
As for the total reliance on the British documents, its like reliance on wikileaks! They only give u a partial view..

[Rachel Morais · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is what our history books in Malaysia are missing. Cold hard facts. Not sentiments and propaganda. This book was tough to read seeing that it dealt with very real issues of race and violence but it is a clear reminder for all to be educated and informed about the past.

[Johanes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apa persamaan Indonesia dan Malaysia? budaya? bahasa? etnik? bukan itu semua tapi cara mereka menggunakan etnis China sebagai tumbal kudeta tersembunyi.

[Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unfortunately everything is still classified and this is closest I can get to understand what happened during that fateful day. Let's hope history does not repeat itself.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an interesting read despite not being what I was looking for. I wanted a more general history of what happened. This book (as it clearly states in the introduction) is setting out to prove a hypothesis using declassified British documents. It doesn't claim to be a general account of what happened.

For what it sets out to do it is a decent book. The organization could be better and the book could definitely use some heavy handed editing. The author often repeats assertions with no evidence, then the evidence comes much later as part of a lengthy excerpt from the British documents.

Despite its flaws though, this is an interesting book and worth a read.

[Julian Lasius]

Given how frequently the events in 1969 get mentioned without context, any honest effort at shedding light on what happened around May 13 is commendable. This book makes declassified materials regarding the events more accessible to the public. While the author at times seems heavy-handed in his interpretation, his call for greater transparency in the shape of a truth and reconciliation commission, or other is compelling.

[K1c · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know... Important archival activity but too much was taken at face value (not much scrutiny of that archives material), and the argument never followed from the evidence aside from some light contact induction.

[Zainab Abdul Aziz · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book that provides an alternative analyst of the May 13 tragedy and events that contributing to that riot and slaughter to happen.

[Ho Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another case of politicians messing with masses for their own advantage.

[Terence Kong · Rating 5 out of 5]

40 years has passed since the bloody riots that took place on that fateful day. As a Malaysian myself, I truly believe that the government has intentionally kept or perhaps destroyed all official documents associated to the bloody riots of 1969, for the sole purpose of preserving its political dominance.

The author went to great lengths uncovering the "declassified documents" which paint a somewhat detailed picture of the situations which surrounded the eyewitnesses that were present at the time. When the readers reach the end of the story, they will eventually come to several conclusions that many Malaysians are only too aware of, despite the government's attempt to cover up the truths.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is curious to find out what actually happened before, during and after that tragic day. I strongly uphold that every Malaysian should read this book while vividly painting a series of images reflecting the sequence events that brought forth perhaps one of the darkest days in Malaysian history.

[Khairul Hezry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since we still can't read the documents from the Malaysian side, we have to make do with the ones gathered by the British and other foreign sources during the riots in 1969.

[Kenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different take from the history books on what was the reason behind the May 13th 1969 racial riots.

[Audimatic · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book can safely be classified as a highly prejudice book vent on achieving a specific propaganda which is detrimental to the nation’s social harmony.