Urinating scene 'fictional', says May 13 witness

A scene in the controversial film Tanda Putera, where a group of Chinese youths urinate on a flag pole at former Selangor menteri besar Harun Idris' house is "fictional" and "impossible", said a May 13, 1969, riot witness.

Ahmad Habib (seated right in picture), who was then a second year undergraduate student at Institut Teknologi Mara (ITM), said not only was the flagpole inside a heavily-guarded compound, the menteri besar himself was sitting in front of the flagpole.

"The MB's house was surrounded by a brick wall. The first time I entered the compound was around 3am (on May 14). Thousands of people were sitting on the grass in front of the flagpole.

"Sitting in front of the flagpole was the 'arwah' himself (the late Harun Idris) with a shotgun. He was so tired, he was sitting and using the shotgun as support. So it is ridiculous (to claim someone urinated on the flagpole)," Ahmad said.

Ahmad said he arrived in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur, where the house is located, around 6pm on May 13 and left about 5am the next day.  

Asked if the incident could have taken place before he entered the compound or after he left, he said: "How could it? There were so many people there."

"There is a lot of spinning going around in this country, God knows why. It is fictional. If they do not name (DAP leader) Lim Kit Siang, then it does not implicate anyone," he said when contacted. 

Ahmad had also come forward last year to state that Lim never urinated on a flagpole during the May 13 riots. 

"I don't know YB (Lim) personally but as a Muslim, if you know an untruth is being spread around to affect someone's dignity, you should stand firm," he said.

The issue broke out when a picture of Lim was posted on the Tanda Putera official Facebook page with the caption: "Lim Kit Siang telah kencing di bawah tiang bendera Selangor yang terpacak di rumah menteri besar Selangor ketika itu, Harun Idris." (Lim Kit Siang had urinated on the base of the flagpole bearing the Selangor flag at the then Selangor menteri besar Harun Idris' residence).

The picture and caption, posted in the album "Peristiwa-peristiwa yang dimuatkan di dalam filme ini" (Scenes from the film) were subsequently removed.

Tanda Putera director Shuhaimi Baba, who insisted that she based the film on historical documents and witness interviews, later reportedly said the person urinating on the flagpole was not Lim.