I recently read a book on the racial clashes in Malaysia in 1969. Written by Dr Kua Kia Soong, it was simply titled “May 13”. May 13, amongst Malaysian Chinese, conjures up ugly images. It is however, an ugliness perpetuated by the Malays, particularly the Malays in the dominant ruling party of UMNO. May 13 is consistent with what others wrote about the issue of racial bullying in Malaysia. Lee Kuan Yew for example, wrote about the different treatments received by Malay and Chinese at different times when the races clashed. Kua Kia Soong gave similar accounts.The Malay police would shoot at Chinese homes indiscriminately and would be very harsh with Chinese presence on the streets during curfew hours, even shoot at them. On the other hand, they would sit around and share a joke with Malay rioters, who often still have their weapons in hand.The biggest culprit was UMNO. It was clearly they who started and was fully responsible for the tragedy. Tun Abdul Razak had blood on his hands. There have been suggestions that the riots were okayed by him personally. While his motivation may not have been racially based at the first instance, he ignited deep seated racist sentiments which have always simmered away and never fully abated in most part of the country. His son Najib Razak the current Deputy Prime Minister, continues to threaten to have more Chinese blood on his hands. If he is not careful, or indeed if he continues to remain deliberately callous towards sensitivities of other races, he may well ignite yet another chapter of similar tragedy. I don’t know the extent of damage May 13 inflicted on the lives and psyche of Malaysians, particularly those of the Chinese. Until recently, those who remembered May 13 still fear voting for the opposition. UMNO has taken advantage of this and has repeatedly used this fear tactic in every election since. I wonder if one of the effects of May 13 is a tendency to stick to one’s own race. When we were in Klang recently, I asked if any one in Tress’ family has deliberately or naturally walked into an Indian restaurant to have a meal. Apart from the roti canai, I challenged them to name even a handful of dishes one can order in an Indian restaurant. For as long as I could remember, Chinese in Malaysia have always referred to food and ways of lives of other races as “their food” or “their ways” in demeaning and belittling ways, in ways which leave the listeners in no doubt that they thought the Indians’ ways and foods to be inferior.The racist tendency abounds. Many feel the same way. The nasty joke that if you see an Indian and a snake on the road which you’d run over, is often repeated, even amongst “respectable” circles. Racism rules in Malaysia.