The dark clouds of May 13

April 29, 2014

FMT LETTER: From Dr Dominic Damian, via e-mail

With regard to May 13, if we Malaysians especially parties that hold stewardship of the country are unable to deal effectively on the platform of simple evident truths about what transpired, we will always be enmeshed in the quagmire and ghost of the past with never ending recriminations, accusations about who did what to who, why this or that happened without cementing and appropriation of responsibility to the parties, groups and individuals concerned.

We must be greater than the sum total of our mistakes by acknowledgment of all parties concerned. It is one of the many ways to move forward. Innocent persons whose lives were snuffed out in that tragedy and whose families were traumatised and destroyed should have the right to justice, closure, peace and the dignity of restitution from a fund undertaken by the government of the day in collaboration with other political parties who were involved in the incident.

The perpetrators who were influenced by the political leaders and those responsible for this day of infamy and shame must be accorded mercy to enable that the truth set’s us free. It is easy to claim innocence and moral high ground on account of defending one’s party or oneself. Before offering defence or excuses consider the following:

• Quotes that were aggressive and proactive which would have created deep-seated animosity, anger and injury as follows are registered in documents during the various protests.

• Malays, return to your villages, we are now in powerHey Sakai, you can return to the jungle

• Death to the Malay aborigine – go back to the jungle

• Death to the Malay

• Blood debts will be repaid with blood

• Obscenities and offensive gestures were directed at policemen

Both Chinese and Indian groups were intimidating and shouting insults at Malays in their vehicles near the roundabout leading to Maxwell school, while cars with Chinese and Indians were allowed to go through without harassment.

A poor and unfortunate Malay gentleman by the name of Kassim Omar was killed for no rhyme or reason on April 24, 1969 for no rhyme or reason in a degrading manner. His perpetrators were never brought to justice.

It is rather sad and ironic that the opposition and its supporters in victory never knew how to be magnanimous and gracious to the defeated who were fellow Malaysians. The effrontery, gloating, taunting, arrogance and insults were unacceptable despicable conducts that the opposition parties may have perpetrated and instigated by omission or commission. The frenzy, massacre and mayhem that followed should never be thought of or accepted as plot that was conceived, constructed and masterminded by cold, calculated scheming brutality.

Looking at all available facts it just seems like the build up of tension was the consequence of our politicians – nobody would have expected matters to get out of hand including our politicians, it was a naïve, terrible and grave miscalculation on their part.

The political responsibility of the leadership and discipline of its supporters was a serious infringement. Is Umno innocent and absolved in this matter? I believe they are just as complicit and must consider accepting the responsibility. Just view the matter objectively and ask oneself the following questions:

• Why after 44-year we don’t have as many Malays in DAP or Gerakan? Despite the parties having essentially good political structures, and leaderships with open policies, they are unable to attract a groundswell of Malays or persons of other ethnicities?

• The insecurity on the ground has ensured that the political ruling party goes into survival mode or the siege mentality syndrome. The following actions, though detrimental, were instituted over a period of time to ensure one ethnic group dominated:

- The civil service

- The police

- The army

- The judiciary

- Key government positions

- University intakes

- In education

Just about every segment was infiltrated in such a manner. I believe in taking such an extreme course of protective action, which though understandable, had direct consequences and implications on the loss of potential of the best human capital from across the ethnic groups. That fact that they could have potentially made us a world class nation par excellence was forsaken by motives that started off on a noble foundation but eventually was enmeshed by sinister, insidious and dubious thoughts at the best.

The policies of our ruling elite have systemically deprived, destroyed and depreciated the country. The lack of courage to show the world the best in Malaysia will be the defining legacy of the ruling party in years to come. We are teetering and languishing at the rungs just above the foothold of the countries deemed to be lowest.

I believe the future viability and credibility of political parties will be attained if they stand on a common principal, conceive the effort, commit their collective goodwill and throw their support behind a truth and reconciliation committee or commission on the tragedy of May 13. If one honours the simple commitment to truth, it honours those who died, honours those living among us who were traumatised by the incident, honours the survivors and the citizenry at large, they would exercise the conscience from the eye of the soul and record the truth. Anything less is a desolation of ideals, a desecration of hope, and an abandonment of the entrustment of each one’s votes.

Shame in anguish 

The first two leaders who followed Tunku were essentially good men who did their utmost to develop the nation. Each had his own style, there was nothing brilliant, exceptional or extraordinary about their capabilities. The face of corruption which manifested itself in the popular and powerful Selangor Mentri Besar Harun Idris was met with the resolve and constitution of steel by the PM of the day, Hussein Onn.

The moment he allowed for rule of law to be enforced within his own party the dice of destiny on the roulette wheels of politics would ensure that this principled man was doomed to leave the office of PM to a successor who though a successful PM in terms of structural development but a dwarf in terms of nation building, unity and bridging the soul of a nation. In this respect the Prime Ministers before the Doctor were persons who brought humanity to the citizens.

The Doctor brought about development and as such was awarded the title ‘Bapa Moden’. One would not find leaders of other nations having titles with the exception of the North Korean leadership. Such worship or adulation is contemptible as it deleterious in implying that Malaysia suffers from a deficit of intelligent citizens. Given the resources, any person with sufficient knowledge and will may have improved and advanced Malaysians in a far more progressive manner.

I contend that greatness is earned when you knit and sew the differences together by recognising the strengths of appreciable diversities we have in our midst. Greatness is earned when a real leader can extend protection and care to minorities. The measure of a leader’s strength is known when he can accord equality to all and sundry. The era from the 80s on was when the soul of the country was torn and ripped to shreds, it witnessed the decimation, degradation and sell out of traditional values.

The conceptualising backbone of the Doctor’s era is what I would call instant gratification of economic, social and deformed developementalism. Most Malaysians fell for this hook, line and sinker. The execution and deception were simple enough but the might of the state against the right of the citizens was disproportionate and disadvantageous to the citizen. In simple language, one can express them as follows:

• A road was more important than a river.

• Mountains and forests were sacrificed for buildings and development.

• Grass gave way to pavements.

• Fields and badminton courts were decimated for growth.

• Shore lines and seas were barricaded for hotels and resorts.

• Hazed grey skies overcame clear blue skies.

• Freedom was enjoyed best behind bars.

• Race and religion, pawns reduced to rhyme and riddle.

• The simple traded for sophistication and sinful.

History must always seek to express the truth and wrestle with the positives and negatives of what transpired. With regard to development:

• The NEP was designed with the best of intentions in the 60s to alleviate or eradicate poverty among the Malays. It enriched very few and left the masses still in poverty. Some of our poorest citizens are Malays. A moral policy of unconditional assistance would have united people but because of the insidious and cynical manner of implementation – disillusionment and division is what has been reaped. The giving was a chain to support to ruling party.

• Placing the wealth in the hands of a few was a grievous error or an act of criminal negligence, I would choose the latter. A housewife, a fishmonger and a burger stall operator would know that they have to invest their monies in various securities to receive returns. The financial politics of developing people here is unsophisticated and unthinking and it actually borders despairingly on laziness. The structure was a blanket approach to just give contracts to one group or individual which is a serious infringement of basic governance. Any idiot with some level of education can do this, the specification is almost fail safe. The manipulation with the finance institutions and taxes was at an unprecedented level which continues unabated until this very day.

Trusting the wrong people was a colossal blunder with the exception of one legendary finance minister, all others were dismissal and had failed miserably.

I believe that this country was and is blessed with natural resources that even a mediocre or ordinary leader whose intellectual capacity is found wanting will not have a difficult task of governance. We have never needed a leader of exceptional brilliance to do the maths to make us a developed nation. We have also had resourceful and creative individuals and a hardworking population. This is precisely the reason I believe we must not fall over each other to worship or pay tribute to our leaders.

Each citizen’s hard earned money was used to support our leaders and we expect that they will serve the people well. This is akin to being employed and given command of a company and its operations, one is expected to fulfill the specification of the job according to the contract and leave when the contract is fulfilled. There is no hero-worshipping or according a person God-like status.

Have our leaders represented us well on the international stage? It is appalling, embarrassing and shameful that we have the leader of country expressing views that are caustic and so horrendous, not just once but consistently on many occasions. It is reprehensible to note that nothing could evoke sympathy for the innocents that have died. How can such a person be considered a statesman or a national leader?

It is very painful and shameful but we must acknowledge we had a leader who was and is a bona fide racist in equivalence to those who perpetrated the atrocities in the World War II and other times in History. I just wonder how many innocent lives were lost due to the hate-filled speeches which would have inspired some lunatic in some part of the world to kill another human being on views promoted by one of our ex-Prime Minister. Some of the views espoused were as follows:

• The Jews for example are not merely hook-noosed, but understand money instinctively – 1970.

• The Jew’s have always been a problem in European countries. They had to be confined in ghettos and periodically massacred. But they still remain, they thrived and held a whole government to ransom… Even after their massacre by the Nazis of Germany, (Jews) survived to continue to be a source of even greater problems for the world….The holocaust failed as a final solution.” – January, 2010.

This is one of the most reprehensible, vile, and uncouth expression from a statesman of so called international stature. The above kind of statements or expression in the world are virtually extinct, persons are castigated for such expressions. In our country we have been subject and exposed to some primitive fossilisation of thoughts and philosophies that are demented and vulgar against life. I cringe in embarrassment and deep shame when I think that Malaysia was represented on the world stage by such crass remarks.

It is abhorrent but we as members of the public were through a combination of propaganda, marketing, salesmanship, brinkmanship, media, want of security, education and legal intimidation through every available apparatus were intimidated and awed in a comprehensive manner. A small and conscientious vocal minority were effectively shackled and repressed by various means and methods.

In a most systemic manner the safeguards were dismantled and decimated to suit the needs of the politics of the day. The constitution which is deemed the vehicle of ownership of each community’s legal, political and social aspirations was torn asunder. That which protects and accords each person the inalienable right to citizenship and the security which accompanies it have in the face of multiple vulnerabilities, have had their confidence, shaken, devalued and destroyed to such an extent that we experienced migrations.

We do not need to hire million-dollar consultants to tell us what is wrong, just send out a brief two-page letter list of questions asking people the top five reasons for leaving the country. The top three answers though anyone’s guess would cement what people require. It is very painful but I have heard so many parents tell their children, “stay where you go, don’t come back, there is no future here, given the circumstances”. Now these are parent’s who know that such decisions would eventually consign them to face the twilight years of life alone with the accompanying inconveniences and deepest personal tragedies. Only people with no choice would drink the cup filled with the concocted potions of bitter choices. Is this not a sad reality?

Another jolt of reality was the death of our beloved gregarious, noble and simple Tunku Abdul Rahman who passed away in December 1990. He suffered when he chose to oppose the government of the day. The man who had understood and stood for a real substantive democracy and forged unity among races and promoted strong institutions in Malaysia was treated in a shabby manner. To this day, we do not have a day in our Malaysian Calendar assigned either to honour his birth or death.

From various sources it is made known that he died virtually penniless and this is the sword that really cut deep among us common folk. It is simply heartbreaking that our avuncular Bapa Kemerdekaan was not accorded greater dignity or respect. If a founding father can be treated in such a contemptible manner, what hope is there for ordinary Malaysians? Do we have anyone with his vision and calibre to resuscitate and calibrate the beautiful dream that we call Malaysia with aspirations of the people?