13 May 1969
As the 1960s progressed, impoverished Malays became increasingly resentful of the economic success of Chinese Malaysians, while the Chinese grew resentful of the political privileges granted to Malays. The situation reached breaking point when the Malay-dominated government attempted to suppress all languages except Malay and introduced a national policy of education that ignored Chinese and Indian history, language and culture.
In the 1969 general election, the Alliance Party lost its two-thirds majority in national parliament and tied for control of Selangor state with the opposition, made up of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Gerakan (The People’s Movement). On 13 May, a black day etched in the city's collective memory, at an UMNO-organised post-election meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Chinese onlookers were said to have taunted those in attendance. The Malays retaliated and the situation quickly flared into a full-scale riot, which Malay gangs used as a pretext to loot Chinese businesses, killing hundreds of Chinese in the process.
A curfew was immediately imposed on KL and a state of emergency was announced; parliament was suspended for two years. Stunned by the savagery of the riots, the government decided that if there was ever going to be harmony between the races, the Malay community needed to achieve economic parity. To this end the New Economic Policy (NEP), a socio-economic affirmative-action plan, was introduced.
The Alliance Party invited opposition parties to join it and work from within. The expanded coalition was renamed the Barisan Nasional (BN; National Front), which continues to rule Malaysia to this day.
Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s first book, The Malay Dilemma, in which he postulated that Malay backwardness was due to hereditary and cultural factors, was banned in 1970.
Enter Mahathir
In 1981 former UMNO member Mahathir Mohamad became prime minister. Under his watch Malaysia’s economy went into overdrive, growing from one based on commodities such as rubber to one firmly rooted in industry and manufacturing. Government monopolies were privatised, and heavy industries such as steel manufacturing (a failure) and the Malaysian car (successful but heavily protected) were encouraged. Multinationals were successfully wooed to set up in Malaysia, and manufactured exports began to dominate the trade figures.
During Mahathir’s premiership the main media outlets became little more than government mouthpieces. The sultans lost their right to give final assent on legislation, and the once proudly independent judiciary appeared to become subservient to government wishes, the most notorious case being that of Mahathir’s former heir apparent Anwar Ibrahim. Mahathir also permitted widespread use of the Internal Security Act (ISA) to silence opposition leaders and social activists, most famously in 1987’s Operation Lalang, during which 106 people were arrested and the publishing licences of several newspapers were revoked.
Bumiputra Privileges
When it was introduced in 1971, the aim of the New Economic Policy (NEP) was that 30% of Malaysia’s corporate wealth should be in the hands of indigenous Malays – bumiputra (‘princes of the land’) – within 20 years. A massive campaign of positive discrimination began and handed majority control over the army, police, civil service and government to Malays. The rules extended to education, scholarships, share deals, corporate management and even the right to import a car.
By 1990 bumiputra corporate wealth had risen to 19% but was still 11% short of the original target. Poverty in general fell dramatically, a new Malay middle class emerged and nationalist violence by Malay extremists receded. However, cronyism and discrimination against Indians and Chinese increased, while Malays still account for three in four of the poorest people in the country.
Affirmative action in favour of bumiputra continues today, but there is growing recognition that it is hampering rather than helping Malaysia.
Economic & Political Crisis
In 1997, after a decade of near-constant 10% growth, Malaysia was hit by the regional currency crisis. Characteristically, Mahathir blamed it all on unscrupulous Western speculators deliberately undermining the economies of the developing world for their personal gain. He pegged the Malaysian ringgit to the US dollar, implemented policies that were widely interpreted as bailing out politically connected companies, forced banks to merge and made it difficult for foreign investors to remove their money from Malaysia’s stock exchange. Malaysia’s subsequent recovery from the economic crisis, which was more rapid than that of many other Southeast Asian nations, further bolstered Mahathir’s prestige.
At odds with Mahathir over how to deal with the economic crisis had been his deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim. Their falling-out was so severe that in September 1998 Anwar was not only sacked but also charged with corruption and sodomy. Many Malaysians, feeling that Anwar had been falsely arrested, took to the streets chanting Anwar’s call for ‘reformasi’. The demonstrations were harshly quelled and, in trials that were widely criticised as unfair, Anwar was sentenced to a total of 15 years’ imprisonment. The international community rallied around Anwar, with Amnesty International proclaiming him a prisoner of conscience.
BN felt the impact in the following year’s general election, when it suffered huge losses, particularly in the rural Malay areas. The gainers were the fundamentalist Islamic Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS), which had vociferously supported Anwar, and a new political party, Keadilan (People’s Justice Party), headed by Anwar’s wife, Wan Azizah.
Amir Muhammad’s 2009 documentary Malaysian Gods commemorates the decade since the reformasi movement began in 1998 with the sacking of Anwar Ibrahim as deputy prime minister.
Abdullah Badawi's Premiership
Mahathir’s successor, Abdullah Badawi, led BN to a landslide victory in the 2004 election. In stark contrast to his feisty predecessor, the pious Abdullah impressed voters by taking a nonconfrontational, consensus-seeking approach. He set up a royal commission to investigate corruption in the police force and called time on several of the massively expensive mega-projects that had been the hallmark of the Mahathir era.
Released from jail in 2004, Anwar returned to national politics in August 2008 on winning the by-election for the seat vacated by his wife. However, sodomy charges were again laid against the politician in June and he was arrested in July.
In the March 2008 election, BN saw their parliamentary dominance slashed to less than the customary two-thirds majority. Pakatan Rakyat (PR), the opposition People’s Alliance, led by Anwar Ibrahim, not only bagged 82 of parliament’s 222 seats but also took control of four out of Malaysia’s 13 states, including the key economic bases of Selangor and Penang. PR subsequently lost Perak following a complex power play between various defecting MPs.
Abdullah Badawi resigned in favour of his urbane deputy, Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak (typically referred to as Najib Razak), in April 2009. Son of Abdul Razak, Malaysia’s second prime minister after independence, and nephew of Razak’s successor Hussein Onn, Najib has been groomed for this role ever since he first entered national politics at the age of 23 in 1976.
Malaysia's Government
Malaysia is made up of 13 states and three federal territories (Kuala Lumpur, Pulau Labuan and Putrajaya). Each state has an assembly and government headed by a menteri besar (chief minister). Nine states have hereditary rulers (sultans), while the remaining four have government-appointed governors, as do the federal territories. In a pre-established order, every five years one of the sultans takes his turn in the ceremonial position of Yang di-Pertuan Agong (king).
Malaysia’s current prime minister is Najib Razak, who heads the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and 13 other parties. The official opposition, Pakatan Rakyat (PR), is a coalition between Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS); the opposition leader is Anwar Ibrahim. All sit in a two-house parliament: a 70-member Senate (Dewan Negara; 26 members are elected by the 13 state assemblies and 44 members are appointed by the king on the prime
minister’s recommendation) and a 222-member House of Representatives (Dewan Rakyat; elected from single-member districts). National and state elections are held every five years.
TIMELINE
1826
Mohammed Shah becomes the third sultan of Selangor. During his reign, tin mines are opened at Ampang and the state is divided into five independently governed districts.
1857
Raja Abdullah and Raja Juma’at, nephews of Abdul Samad, fourth sultan of Selangor, sponsor an expedition of 87 Chinese miners up the Klang river to search for more tin.
1859
Chinese trader Hiu Siew is appointed the first Kapitan Cina (meaning Chinese captain) of the growing jungle settlement that had become known as Kuala Lumpur.
1867
A war over the tax spoils of tin starts between Raja Abdullah, administrator of Klang, and Raja Mahadi. The war ends in 1874.
1869
Yap Ah Loy, commonly considered the founder of Kuala Lumpur, becomes third Kapitan Cina. When he dies in 1885 he owns a quarter of the city’s buildings.
1880
Following the tin boom of 1879 and a swelling KL population, the British Resident in Selangor, Bloomfield Douglas, moves the state capital from Klang to Kuala Lumpur.
1882
Frank Swettenham becomes the new British Resident in KL and sets about rebuilding the city in brick following devastating fires and floods in 1881.
1888
State Treasurer Alfred Venning starts to lay out a botanical garden in the valley where a small stream is dammed to create a lake. Within a decade KL has its Lake Gardens.
1896
Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang join as Federated Malay States, with Kuala Lumpur as the capital. The sultans lose political power to British Residents.
1904
The rail link between KL and Port Swettenham (now Pelabuhan Klang) is completed. Lines are later extended to Ipoh, Penang and Singapore, making KL the region’s rail hub.
1935
The British scrap the position of Resident General of the Federated States, decentralising its powers to the individual states, in order to discourage the creation of a united, self-governing country.
1941
Within a month of invading, the Japanese take KL and occupy the peninsula. The Chinese residents are badly treated and the city’s economy stagnates for nearly four years.
1946
After public opposition to the proposed Malayan Union, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) forms, signalling a rising desire for political independence from Britain.
1948
Start of the Emergency, when the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) takes to the jungles and begins fighting a guerrilla war against the British that would last for 12 years.
1951
Sir Henry Gurney, British high commissioner to Malaya, is assassinated by MCP rebels, a terrorist act that alienates many moderate Chinese from the party.
1953
Formation of Parti Perikatan (Alliance Party) between UMNO, the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) and Malayan Indian Congress (MIC). Two years later it wins 80% of the vote in Malaya’s first national election.
1954
The Department of Aboriginal Affairs Malaysia is set up to protect the Orang Asli from modern encroachment and exploitation.
1957
On 31 August merdeka (independence) is declared in Malaya; Tunku Abdul Rahman becomes the first prime minister and the nine sultans agree to take turns as king.
1963
Malaysia comes into being in 1963 with the addition of Singapore and the British Borneo territories of Sabah and Sarawak; Brunei pulls out at the 11th hour, and Singapore is booted out in 1965.
1969
Following the general election, on 13 March a race riot erupts in KL, killing hundreds. A national emergency is declared and parliament is suspended as KL is put under curfew.
1971
Parliament convenes and the New Economic Policy (NEP) is introduced, with the aim of putting 30% of Malaysia’s corporate wealth in the hands of Malays within 20 years.
1974
After the sultan of Selangor cedes Kuala Lumpur to the state, making it a federal territory, KL citizens lose representation in the Selangor State Legislative Assembly.
1976
Hussein Onn becomes Malaysia’s third prime minister following the death of Abdul Razak. His period of office is marked by efforts to foster unity between Malaysia’s disparate communities.
1981
Dr Mahathir Mohamad becomes prime minister and introduces policies of ‘Buy British Last’ and ‘Look East’, in which the country strives to emulate Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
1987
The police launch Operation Lalang (Operation Weeding), arresting 106 activists and opposition leaders under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
1995
Prime Minister Mahathir announces the construction of a new administrative capital, Putrajaya, as part of a Multimedia Super Corridor stretching from KL to the new international airport at Sepang.
1998
After six years of planning and construction, the Petronas Towers officially open. The twin towers hold the title of tallest building in the world until 2004.
2003
Having announced his resignation the previous year, Dr Mahathir steps down as prime minister in favour of Abdullah Badawi. He remains very outspoken on national policies.
2004
A month after the election in which Barisan Nasional (BN) takes 199 of 219 seats in the lower house of parliament, Mahathir's former deputy Anwar Ibrahim sees his sodomy conviction overturned and is released from prison.
2007
As the country celebrates 50 years since independence it is also shaken by two anti-government rallies in November, in which tens of thousands of protestors take to the streets of KL.
2009
In April, Najib Razak succeeds Abdullah Badawi as prime minister; the 1Malaysia policy is introduced to build respect and trust between the country’s different races.
2011
The first of the rallies organised by the civil-rights organisation Bersih brings tens of thousands of people onto the streets of central KL in support of free and fair elections.
2012
In January a second set of sodomy charges against opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim are thrown out of court. In April, another Bersih rally in KL is violently broken up by police.
2013
General elections in May see BN hold onto power at the national level but fail to recapture Selangor from governance by the opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat (PR).
2014
Malaysia suffers a double blow as Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 goes missing in March, and flight MH17 is shot down over Ukraine in July.
Life in Kuala Lumpur
The following provides an insight into how KLites go about their daily lives at work, home and play. Routines will differ slightly according to ethnicity and adherence to traditional cultural values, but these very differences – and the general acceptance of them – are what make KL such an appealing and cosmopolitan metropolis.
A City of Immigrants
The birth of KL coincided with an influx of Chinese immigrants, mainly Hakka and Hokien. They were followed by Cantonese, Swatow, Hainanese and, from India and the subcontinent, Tamils, Punjabis, Bengalis, Sikhs, Sinhalese and more, each bringing with them their own dialects and customs. What they all shared was a desire to build a new and more prosperous life.
That process is ongoing. KL continues to be a magnet for economic migrants from Malaysia and across the region (in particular Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal and Myanmar). Wander around Chinatown on a Sunday or Bukit Bintang on any night of the week and it's almost as if you've touched down in a convention of the United Nations.
For all the city's seeming harmony, underlying ethnic and religious tensions are a fact of life: many KLites openly acknowle
dge the lack of integration between the principal Malay, Chinese and Indian communities. There are also worries that Malaysia's tolerant brand of Islam is becoming more conservative, impacting the lives of KLites across the board.
The online community magazine Poskod (http://poskod.my) has interesting features on KL's cultural and social life. It also promotes grass-roots campaigns and has its own project, BetterKL, to improve urban living.
Daily Routine
Performance of religious rites – lighting incense sticks or a ghee candle for an altar, or kneeling in the direction of Mecca to pray – may be the individual response to the dawn of the day. Such differences aside, there are similarities that can be observed in the daily routines of all KLites.
Our average Mr or Ms KL, engaged in an office job, may leave their home (most likely in Petaling Jaya (PJ) or elsewhere in the Klang Valley) early – say around 7am – to avoid the worst of the morning rush of traffic into the city. Until public transport improves, they are wedded to their car as their primary means of transport.
Having reached the city, they will drop by a street stall to pick up a triangular packet of nasi lemak (rice boiled in coconut milk) for breakfast, along with a plastic bag filled with teh tarik, the milky sweet tea of choice. This can be consumed in the office but, should they prefer not to have crumbs on their desk, there's always a nearby kopitiam (coffee shop) serving a zingy kopi-o (black coffee with sugar) and kaya (coconut-cream jam) toast as a breakfast alternative or mid-morning snack.
While they may well flick through a daily newspaper such as the Star, most KLites approach the old-school, government-linked media with scepticism, preferring to get their news from trusted online sources such as Malaysiakini (www.malaysiakini.com). They love their blogs, too – both reading and writing them – so don't be surprised to find your neighbour at the kopitiam Instagramming their meal and adding a review for the online community.
Lonely Planet Kuala Lumpur, Melaka & Penang Page 34