The government will neither set up a Royal commission to investigate the May 13 racial riots nor declassify official documents to shed light on the incident that is said to have taken 200 lives.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz, in a parliamentary written reply, said: "The incident had been looked into from all sides based on valid facts and analysis in the past, thus there is no need for another investigation.

"Nevertheless, the government feels that we need to learn from the history... racial integration and harmony need to be further developed."

He was responding to a query from Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur) who asked the prime minister to state whether the government is willing to set up a Royal commission to investigate the incident.

Lim also asked if the government would declassify all official documents to reveal the truth, as a way to promote racial understanding and racial integration.

Nazri explained that the government has adopted a 'look forward' policy that will ensure that Malaysians understand and respect one another

"With that in mind, we have taken several measures to strengthen the relationship among the people," he said, citing the integration programme for schools as an example.

"We also organise national-level 'open house' to celebrate (major cultural festivals)."

The causes and events of the bloody riots have been kept under a veil of secrecy, although documents recently declassified in Britain provided material for new claims in a book by former academic Dr Kua Kia Soong.

This sparked calls and at least one police report demanding an investigation of events leading up to the incident which traumatised the nation.

Strategies for efficiency

In a separate written reply, the government said it has implemented many of the proposals of a Harvard University team to improve the country's delivery system .

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said that the government has taken into consideration many of the strategies listed.

"(These) strategies are meant to enhance the quality and technical competence of the civil service to face new challenges (involving the needs of investors)," he said.

Among the proposals are the refinement of rules and regulations for the issuance of permits and licences.

"There are also proposals to form agencies to reduce bureaucracy and procedures in government agencies, especially in matters related to private-sector investment," he said.

He was replying Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Batu Gajah) who asked him to state the team's proposals to improve the delivery system and where these have been carried out.

In March last year, the premier said "we want our officers to play the role of facilitators rather than being mere regulators to development", when informing legislators about the project involving the prestigious university.