Pendatang asing

One Straits Chinese leader declared, "I can claim to be more anak Pulau Pinang [a son of Penang] than 99 per cent of the Malays living here today.

The resolution, which stated that Malaysia's three major races originated from other countries and that none of them should brand the others as immigrants and claim themselves to be natives.

[5] This was interpreted as challenging the bumiputra status of the Malays, and led to calls for Lee's sacking by members of UMNO.

[6] A compromise was eventually worked out whereby the term pendatang would not be used to describe any community and the bumiputera status of the Malays was not to be questioned.

At a rally in 1987 in Kampung Baru in Kuala Lumpur, banners were hoisted carrying phrases such as "revoke the citizenship of those who oppose the Malay rulers", "May 13 has begun" (referring to the 13 May racial riots in 1969), and "soak it (the keris) with Chinese blood".

[7] The tensions eased after Operation Lalang, when several political dissidents — most of them Chinese — were detained without trial under the Internal Security Act.