Utusan shielded from parliamentary grilling on May 13 article

May 13,1969 - shops, homes razed, scores killed

KUALA LUMPUR — Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia shot down an attempt by Lim Kit Siang today to question the government’s commitment in condeming Utusan Malaysia’s editorial on the May 13 tragedy, which Lim described as seditious in nature.

Lim (DAP-Ipoh Timor), in a supplementary question in the Dewan Rakyat, had asked Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman his views on the Malay daily’s opinion piece, which had called the bloody racial clash in 1969 a “sacred day” and a “blessing in disguise”.

“Utusan Malaysia came up with a report saying [the] May 13 [tragedy] was sacred and should be celebrated although it is a black day in Malaysian history and many lives were lost.

“Is this not seditious in nature and dangerous? Should it not be studied by the ministry? What is the minister’s view and are these Umno and BN’s views?” he asked.

Lim also questioned if the government could be expected to show a “serious attitude” on the matter by condemning the reports.

Pandikar, however, interjected Lim’s line of questioning, pointing out that his queries had nothing to do with the ministry.

“You are asking his personal view, nothing to do with the ministry. It is a hypothetical question. I will not allow this question. I do not want to,” he said and told Abu Seman he need not respond to Lim’s questions.

When Lim stood up to deny that his questions were hypothetical, Pandikar cut him off.

“I understand but your question is asking his (Abu Seman) legal and political opinion, which has nothing to do with the ministry,” he said.

In his editorial yesterday, Utusan Malaysia’s deputy editor-in-chief Zaini Hassan had said that Malaysia’s bloodiest racial clash on May 13, 1969 was a blessing in disguise, otherwise “wealthy businesses and the professional classes would be controlled by one race only.”

He had also called on the DAP to recognise its significance and claimed that its opposition to the pro-Bumiputera New Economic Policy (NEP) had resulted in the party’s attempt to erase the May 13 riot from national history.

He condemned the Penang government’s move to suspend state Opposition Leader Datuk Azhar Ibrahim for citing the May 13 incident in his speech.

Early this month, Azhar was suspended for six months from the state assembly after he refused to retract allegedly seditious remarks made at an assembly sitting earlier this year.

Azhar, who is Penaga assemblyman, was accused of uttering apparently seditious words and issuing May 13 threats during a speech in the assembly by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng on May 7.

He had warned of May 13-style racial riots and suggested the army take over the functions of the police if the latter had lost the confidence of the people.

Earlier in the House, Abu Seman refuted claims that there was no media freedom in the country and pointed out that the ministry had approved a total of 78 newspaper permits, with 45 in the peninsula, 13 in Sabah and 14 in Sarawak.

Of the total, he said, 18 permits were granted to Malay-language newspapers, 19 to English papers, 29 to Chinese-language papers and 10 permits to Punjabi and Tamil-language papers.

“Apart from the dailies, the ministry also approved 42 tabloid papers that cover the latest news and 16 permits to political organs,” he said.

This, claimed Abu Seman, “obviously” proved that the government did not deny media freedom.

He also said a total of 19 publications had been reprimanded in the form of advice and given show-cause letters, but none had their permits revoked.

He said the government, through joint efforts with a number of ministries, would ensure that the media was free of seditious articles, slander and insult.