Malay origin of 'May 13-as-coup-d'etat' thesis

Contrary to the popular impression of those who have not read May 13 - Declassified Documents on the Malaysian Riots of 1969 and think that Dr. Kua Kia Soong is the first person who ' invented ' a new interpretation or perspective of the 1969 riots, the public origin of the thesis of 'May 13' as a coup d'etat can actually be traced to a well-known veteran Malay journalist Haji Subky Latiff who wrote in 1977 that:

" The May 13 Incident did not occur spontaneously. It was planned quickly and purposely. The identity of the planners of the incident cannot be stated with accuracy. But whatever it was that happened, the Malay 13 Incident was a form of coup d'etat directed against Tunku Abdul Rahman. The Tunku's power in fact ended from then onwards. Although he continued to be Prime Minister and President of Umno, he was no more than a figurehead ". ( p. 3 )

What Dr. Kua Kia Soong has uniquely done is the discovery of a set of newly declassified British dossiers in London that he thinks confirms what Subky had already observed in 1977. Haji Subky Latiff, whom I personally know as a sifu-class of friend now writes for Harakah. Don't tell me it was Haji Subky Latiff who actually wrote all those then confidential British diplomatic intelligence on the 'May 13' riots.

Of course, another friend of mine former professor Dr. Syed Husin Ali, who launched and critically reviewed Dr. Kua Kia Soong's book last Sunday at the Kuala Lumpur-Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, reportedly does not fully agree with the central thesis of the book.

Progressive Malays against ' May 13' book ban