The quota system in the universities, the meritocracy issue, the vision schools, the fear factor the ruling party uses during elections, the threats of a racial blowup and the police arresting DAP chief Lim Kit Siang on sedition must all be dealt with properly by the government.

The government launched various programmes after the May 13, 1969 tragedy. Hundreds of innocent people died in this unfortunate incident but there never was a royal inquiry, just a White Paper submitted to Parliament.

In the early 1970s, the National Economic Policy (NEP) was one of these programmes implemented. It was fine but political ambitions and capitalist interests of a few clouded the true intentions of the policy.

As a nation, we have hidden behind the ugly truth for more than three decades. The truth is always ugly to those who fear it. As a nation, we need to face the truth and reality of what's troubling our nation, so that we may go on with our lives without fear or prejudice.

South Africa, a developing nation, faced its ugly truths of apartheid and installed a Truth Commission to look into the horrors of apartheid and its toll on ordinary people. Why can't we hold a Truth Commission on incidents that occurred on May 13, 1969?

We should come face to face with the truth and the devastating manner in which the tragedy ruined the hundreds of families whose loved ones were lost during that time. It is the duty of this nation to study why and how these families lost their loved ones in this horrible, horrible tragedy.

The time has come for us to face this truth with peace and strength.