Life After: Oral Histories of the May 13 Incident

by Members of the May 13 Oral History Group

“As May 13, 1969 has lived on as one of Malaysia’s most iconic moments of political transition and change, it deserves to be told and retold through many lenses and by many interlocutors. How did those palpably touched by the ordeal, and lost friends, neighbours and family members survive the aftermath of the violence? As the narrators in this book recount these experiences, they weigh and judge the history of the nation, from below. This book thus makes for a powerful read, laying the groundwork for the possibility of public reconciliation and private closure of a painful national memory.”

Maznah Mohamad

National University of Singapore



“‘Never again!’ ‘It’s too painful!’ ‘They also hacked the woman to death and dumped her inside the house too!’ These are some of

the heart-wrenching sentiments and blood-curdling narratives captivated in this book…a much-needed collection of first-hand memories of ordinary people who survived the unspeakable violence of Malaysia’s May 13 racial riots. A must-read, especially for students and scholars of identity politics and communal violence, and generally, for all who appreciate the value of oral history and memory studies.”

Sharifah Munirah Alatas

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia



Members of the May 13 Oral History Group

Tham Seen Hau is a Kuala Lumpur-based video journalist. She is also a second-generation family member of five victims who died in the May 13 riots.



Usen Leong is currently a senior lecturer at the Drama and Visuals Department of New Era University College.



Tung Wan Qing is currently a media lecturer in a private college. She has just co-published with friends a book on media literacy in June 2022.



Por Heong Hong is a social scientist who studies politics of memory.

Genres: Nonfiction

252 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2022

Reviews

[Cassandra Chung · Rating 5 out of 5]

The May 13 riots have always remained a personal interest of mine so when I first heard of the release of this book, naturally I bought it almost immediately. However, unlike all the other books on May 13 I've read (which read more like investigative or opinion pieces) this book is a collection of interviews of those who witnessed the riots and / or who lost family members to the riot.

Born from a desire of one of the editors to uncover the truth about the death of her maternal family members, going through this book was quite an emotional journey. The editors took great care in ensuring the emotions were conveyed through their English translations and in attempting to get the full stories as evidenced by the more-than-once interviews they would undertake with contributors of this book. As a result, I found myself (typically a very quick reader) having to slowly take my time with each story contained within this book. I often couldn't read more than 1 story over a couple of days because by the end of each story, I would end up tearing up and having to process what I had just read for the next few days. Unlike the previous books on the May 13 riots I had read, this book gave me the insight on the extent lives were impacted because of the riots.

There is also a substantial amount of commentary in the book in respect of the role of oral story-telling and its place in history. As someone who has always been very passionate about history, I found this commentary very insightful especially in interpreting the riots amidst the lack of information from official sources.

All in all, out of the 4 books I have read on the May 13 riots, I would hands down cite this book as the best. I was able to process more coherently why Malaysia functions the way it does now, as compared to when I was reading the previous 3 books (written by Kua Kia Soong, Tunku Abdul Rahman and John Slimming respectively). I had friend's comment that Kua's book has a bias slant (I agree) but this book was not biased in any way. Just raw unadulterated emotion coupled with eye-witness accounts.

I would recommend every Malaysian to purchase this book from Gerakbudaya so that it never goes out of publication and to read it to understand why Malaysia functions the way it does today.

(You can find my review of Kua's book, May 13: Declassified Documents on the Malaysian Riots of 1969, here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)

[Jasmin Mohd-zain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just realised that I finished this book on 513. And now I am off to have dinner with one of my dearest chinese friend, Ms Loh. I am malay - but too young to recall 513, because then I was only 5.

Took me a while to complete this slim volume. Many times I was overcome with emotion/sadness, stopped reading to stare into space for a while. The team on this project produced a good exposition of the personal experiences of the survivors and the affected next of kin. The grey pencil illustrations therein lend more sadness to these stories.

Losing family members without a proper goodbye or farewell is traumatic. More so under the circumstances of this unexpected riots of 513. Hard to recall and even harder to speak about. The grief runs really deep.

To me this is a human interest story..maybe not story but documents. Every experience is personal, every scar still bleeds if not handled gently. Every Malaysian should read this book - and do their part to get racially intergrated so that there is never a repeat of 513.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s weird to finish this book on May 13.

I wish more people read this. These are oral histories of what happened to them, their family members before, during, and after. I’m looking forward to read more on the things that were culminated that ended up triggering something truly traumatic.

Thank you to the committee members that dedicated their time and energy to collect history.

[ethene ethane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read, coming from a generation that learned about the 513 incident only through a brief mention in history textbooks, I appreciate the authors for their bravery in bringing this important narrative to light. The stories are presented in a way that’s easy to follow, making it relatable by capturing the authentic voice of Malaysian speech. I appreciate the balanced perspective, with accounts shared by individuals from different ethnic backgrounds, emphasizing that no single group is to blame.

It struck me deeply to realize that I pass by places like Kampung Pandan, Kampung Baru, and Ampang Road (even my primary school was mentioned) almost every week, yet I had no idea of the innocent lives lost there half a century ago. This book should be read by the public and should be recommended for high school students to help them gain a deeper understanding of this tragic chapter in Malaysia’s history.

[Ashley Y. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope the victims and their families find some solace in knowing their stories are finally being told.

In school, May 13th riots were treated like something to briefly acknowledge, then quickly move on from. Reading this book made me realise just how much we’ve downplayed the weight of that day. It’s unsettling.

May 13th shaped the Malaysia we know today. It is the reason I had to recite the Rukun Negara every Monday for six years in sekolah kebangsaan, and it’s the reason for bumi quotas.

Every Malaysian should read this.

[Darius · Rating 4 out of 5]

The authors should be greatly applauded for their work collecting and sharing the stories of the interviewees so they are not forgotten. The stories are obviously deeply emotional and raw, and the interviewees also deserve much respect for agreeing to participate.

I say 4 stars because the 'commentary' prologues and epilogues are in places poorly written. The chief problems are bloat and a lack of clarity. A tighter word count and greater editor scrutiny could have helped to make these sections more impactful. Nonetheless a great read and again much credit to all involved.

[Iryani · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an insightful read. I wish the book compiled every story they've obtained, it would do justice to all interviewees and the general masses who's learning about the incident. Apart from that, good job!

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read both the Mandarin and English versions of this memory study. I strongly recommend to read both versions if you are fluent in both languages. Interview excerpts are kept objective and transcribed to be as close to the interviewees' tone and meaning as possible, subject to subtle nuances in the language and its connotation. The foreword, introductory essays and afterword are written by the same authors intending to deliver several main points, but I'll say just the English version or the Mandarin version is academically rigorous enough to be read alone. Both versions of the interview excerpts are equally emotional to the reader.

This English version also has two additional chapters, one by economist Jomo Kwame Sundaram, and the other by historian Anthony Reid. Reid commented on his personal encounter of the very incident on that day and the transition of his academic career of Southeast Asian studies from this incident.
This recollection of stories by survivors of the May 13, 1969 riot in Peninsular Malaysia will definitely be included in the Truth and Reconciliation process, if there is one in Malaysia. I genuinely hope for this day to come.

Just like any other historical event, the recount and memories of this incident have been multifaceted, with different groups inheriting different perspectives and emotional remnants.
The author also contrasts the goal of recounting these memories to fit the nation-building narrative versus to help the healing of the survivors and the victims' families. I find this consideration an interesting and important element of memory studies, as recalling memories in search of different versions of truths may involve the replay of traumatic scenes and reopening of scars. I look forward to the publication of the Malay version of this recollection.

My review of the Chinese version:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...