Operasi Lalang

In August 1987, Malaysian government sent non-Mandarin speaking senior officers to Chinese primary school. This made the Chinese community in Malaysia to think the government wants to remove Chinese in education and they protest to fight against this move. However, Anwar Ibrahim, who was the Education Minister in that time maintained stand despite protest. On 8 October 1987, joint committee set up by 15 Chinese-based groups including MCA, Gerakan and DAP. It is the first time MCA work together with the opposition party in Malaysia history. On 11 October 1987, Chinese groups met at Thean Hou temple to propose boycott of classes, which asked the parents stop sending their children to school until the government to take action about this issue. It resulted 30,000 students boycott classes. Umno Youth carried out a counter rally that mobilised 20,000 Malays in Kuala Lumpur on 17 October, and there is a rumour says that our current Prime Minister, Najib Razak, who was the Umno Youth Leader in that time said 'This kris will be bathed with Chinese Blood' in that rally, but there is no prove of it.

On 18 October 1987, an armed Malay soldier, Adam Jaafar, known as 'Private Adam' ran amok in Chow Kit, he took his machine gun and shoot on random people on the street, killed and injured civilians. All the Malaysia citizens are worried and afraid of racial riot like the May 13 tragedy will happen again. There is no official reason on why he did this, rumour says a Sultan killed his brother but he could not sue the Sultan in court, which made him crazy and he just took an M16 machine gun from his army camp and go to the street to shoot the civilians.

Adam Jaafar aka. Private Adam(left).

On 19 October 1987, Anwar Ibrahim reiterated Chinese school policy. The government took action against protestors, which resulted protests escalate. The government said that races riot is going to happen if this issue continues and they want to remove all the 'lalang'. Operasi Lalang began on 27 October 1987, which 199 people was detained with trial under ISA (Internal Security Act), most of them are opposition party leaders, and 3 newspapers closed within a week (The Star, Sin Chew Jit Poh, Watan). 

A Malaysian artist, Wong Hoy Cheong, had made an art in respond to this issue. He made an artwork out of lalang in front of the old National Art Gallery. He planted the lalang plant and burnt it, but it grew back after several months. He wanted to show that what government did was useless because the 'lalang' would not die. He also did some famous artworks and one of them are Sook Ching.

'Sook Ching' by Wong Hoy Cheong.

Wong Hoy Cheong (2nd from right).

Sook Ching is a huge artwork, it is about the cruelty of Japanese when they invade Malaysia during World War II. He will perform a drama performance in front of his artwork with several performers. Sook Ching was then purchased by a Japanese.