Imagine if you woke up one morning to find that Malaysians are being killed by their fellow countrymen, and people who used to be friends, colleagues, neighbors, or even the friendly pakcik nasi lemak outside your office are now eyeing you with hatred in their eyes as they hunt you down for no reason other than the color of your skin. Imagine when the neighborhood shops you visit on a weekly basis are nothing but charred cement and brick and your every movement restricted at the threat of death.
Well, that happened exactly forty-six years ago during the May 13 racial riots of 1969 which, by official count, saw almost 200 Malaysians killed by other Malaysians.