DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang has called on the cabinet to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on the May 13, 1969, racial riots.

Lim said this was not to punish the culprits but to allow the country to heal its worst racial wounds

dap special meeting 110313 lim kit siang Taking a swipe at Shuhaimi Baba, who directed the controversial Tanda Putra movie, Lim said a RCI would be more meaningful as opposed to spending public funds to allow a movie director the "creative licence" to "concoct fictitious events purportedly provoking the May 13, 1969, riots".

Lim added in a statement today: "The RCI should be tasked to ascertain the true events and causes of the  riots, who were responsible for them, not so much to apportion blame or to punish the culprits as 44 years have elapsed since the occurrence of the national tragedy in 1969.

"It should be to ascertain the true causes and developments to present the historical truth to the present and future generations, to heal the country’s worst racial wounds and to remove the spectre of May 13 from being used at every general election since 1969 to blackmail voters."

As for Shuhaimi, Lim said the director should seriously consider his advice that although she prides herself as the original founder of horror films after directing a Pontianak film, she must not regard Tanda Putra as belonging to the genre of ghost films.

"She must be conscious of a sense of responsibility to the nation, especially to the present and future generations of Malaysians, to protect and promote inter-racial goodwill, peace and harmony in the country," he said.

In view of this, Lim said, Suhaimi should list out the fictional or unverified incidents of the May 13 riots in her movie, so as not to mislead and incite Malaysians and thereby worsen race relations in the country.

"This is all the more imperative as Shuhaimi has admitted that the film is a fictional account of events surrounding the May 13 racial riots," Lim added.

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