-
POETRY: Crossing the Peninsula and Other Poems by Shirley Geok-lin Lim
Lim’s well-known debut collection, Crossing the Peninsula (1980), touches on a broad number of topics but starts primarily with abstract meditations on the nature of poetry. These ruminations adopt a postmodernist stance towards the inadequacy of language in representing any given reality, though the pieces are executed in a style closer to lyric romanticism. Lim herself observes Anglophone literature by Malaysian writers was not duly recognized by the state during that era. -
16 July 1981 - Appointment of the 4th Prime Minister
Mahathir Mohamad entered office as the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia following the death of the third Prime Minister and his predecessor, Tun Hussein Onn due to ill health. He was the first non-aristocrat to ever hold the office. -
Mahathir's Battles With The Royalty
Mahathir Mohamad commenced the first of a number of battles he would have with Malaysia's royalty during his premiership. -
POETRY: No Man's Grove and Other Poems by Shirley Geok-lin Lim
This marks a change in marketing strategy by opening with poems that focus on Lim’s Malayan origins and her Peranakan and Chinese ethnicity. This perhaps reflects two global trends during late eighties and nineties: that there is increasing interest in postcolonial and ‘ethnic’ literature, and also that regional writers and publishers are growing more confident in marketing a ‘marginal voice,’ orientalised or otherwise. -
Life's Mysteries by Shirley Geok-lin Lim
Shirley Lim addresses gender hierarchy and the ruthless victimization of women (including young girls) and their fortitude and endurance. “Life's Mysteries” reveals the anxieties of a ten-year-old Swee Liang about being a girl instead of a boy, which she thinks has been mysteriously causing her parents to drift apart; in her innocence, the girl considers a sex change operation so that she can get her father's love again and help reunite the parents. -
POETRY: Sacred and Profane by Salleh Ben Joned
-
27 October 1987 - Ops Lalang (Operation Lalang)
A major crackdown carried out by the Malaysian police, ostensibly to prevent the occurrence of racial riots in Malaysia. The operation saw the arrest of 106 people including NGO activists, opposition politicians, intellectuals, students, artists, scientists and others who were detained without trial under the Internal Security Act (ISA). -
POETRY: Modern Secrets: New and Selected Poems by Shirley Geok-lin Lim
-
02 December 1989 - Peace Agreement of Hat Yai
Local communist insurgents sign a peace accord with the government. After the signing of the 1989 peace agreement, the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) was dissolved and former members of the MCP were resettled in four villages known as Kampung Aman (Peace Village). A total of 330 former MCP members were allowed to return to Malaysia after this agreement was made. -
End of the Communist Insurgency in Sarawak
Clandestine Communist Organisation (CCO) signed a formal peace agreement with the government to end the communist insurgency which began since 1948. -
SHORT STORY: The Tiger and The Moth by Lisa King Li Ho
Endi, the lovechild of a Malay man and his Chinese mistress, faces ill treatment from his half-brother, Awang who has gotten used to being the only son. Awang victimises Endi for his mixed parentage, his effeminate nature and even his name. The story takes a grotesque turn as the bullying leads to Endi‟s death at the end. -
The Violence of Sultan Iskandar of Johor
In a rage caused by the 5-year-ban of his youngest son from competing in hockey tournaments, he ordered all Johor field-hockey teams to withdraw from their competitions. Douglas Gomez, a hockey coach of a leading secondary school team, criticized this withdrawal and was called to the palace. It was then reported that he was thrashed by Sultan Iskandar. -
Constitutional Amendment Bill
Sultan Iskandar’s violence pushed Dr. Mahathir to call for an amendment of the Federal Constitution that strips Malay rulers of their legal immunity from prosecution. -
The Murder Trials of Mona Fendy
A high profile case where a famed killer duo Maznah Ismail and Mohd Affandi, along with their assistant Juraimi Husin, were accused of murdering a state assemblyman Datuk Mazlan Idris. The duo was rumored to have practiced black magic, and the body of the politician, cut to 18 pieces, was found in an unnumbered house where they used to live. -
The Collapse of Highland Towers
Block 1 of Highland Towers collapsed, followed by the emergency evacuation of the residents in Block 2 and 3. The tragedy was said to have been caused by a landslide which affected the foundations of the apartment. 37 bodies were found, with some detached body parts and pieces. -
Malaysia Airlines Flight 2133 Crash
Caused by an overshot of the airplane runway by a pilot error, the airplane crashed into a shantytown in Tawau, Sabah, as it tried to carry out a go-around and had caused 34 casualties. -
Completion of the KL Tower
-
SHORT STORY: Heroes and Other Stories by Karim Raslan
His collection of short stories generally describes the failings of human beings through the theme of hypocrisy, specifically that of the middle and upper class of the Malay community who leads secret lives behind their daily day appearances. Among the short stories in this series are: Heroes, The Inheritance, A New Years Day Lunch in Jalan Kia Peng, The Mistress and Go East. -
Malaysia’s Economic Crisis
A phenomenon called the Asian Financial Crisis, felt by Malaysia as well as the ringgit values take a sharp drop, causing inflation and high rates of unemployment. -
SHORT STORY: Night & Day by Dina Zaman
Revolves around the idea of women and freely talking of sexuality. Some of the stories talk of prostitution, the female sex experience, and against all the Malay taboos surrounding the topic of sex. -
The Arrest of Dato’ Sri Anwar Ibrahim
The politician was sacked from his position as Deputy Prime Minister in the midst of an investigation of an accusation of sodomy and corruption. -
PLAY: Atomic Jaya by Huzir Sulaiman
Mary Yuen, a Physicist gets the shock of her life when she is called upon to help build Malaysia's first atomic bomb. Through the storyline, she collides with one wacky character after another, from a shady uranium smuggler to an army general with a Napoleon complex, the political satire takes on racial issues, national hubris and the post-colonial hangover. It was designed as a one-man show, with one actor playing all 16 parts -
The 1998 Reformasi
A revolt that peaked during the time when Anwar was sacked as he rallies with the people demanding a reform in the administration powers free of corruption, cronyism and nepotism. -
PLAY: Those Four Sisters Fernandez by Huzir Sulaiman
Huzir’s Four Sisters explores the psychodynamics of a Catholic Malayalee family brought together by calamity. This play explores the culture and identity of a person on which Huzir had intended to aimed at the Malayalee community in Malaysia. -
2001 Kampung Medan Riots
The 2001 Kampung Medan riots is a sectarian violence between the Indian and Malay that initially began in a small village of Kampung Medan located in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. The riot started from 4 March until 13 March 2001 which resulted in the deaths of 6 people, and left over a hundred people injured. -
NOVEL: The Rice Mother by Rani Manicka
At the age of fourteen, Lakshmi leaves behind her childhood among the mango trees of Ceylon for married life across the ocean in Malaysia, and soon finds herself struggling to raise a family in a country that is, by turns, unyielding and amazing, brutal and beautiful. Giving birth to a child every year until she is nineteen, Lakshmi becomes a formidable matriarch, determined to secure a better life for her daughters and sons. -
PLAY: Pooja by Rani Moorthy
A play that explores the tradition of Tamil and their dogmas, questioning her own culture and religion and how the followers of these teachings had not question such traditions. Rani Moorthy is a malaysian borned who had fled from the country after the racial riot in 1969 and moved to Singapore. -
PLAY: Manchester United and the Malay Warrior by Rani Moorthy
An ancient Malay hero time-travels to contemporary Manchester. This production fused the energetic martial art of Silat and colourful Bangsawan theatre, with western theatre and video. An exploration of globalisation and culture. -
Tun Dr. Mahathir's Era Ended
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi became the fifth prime minister replacing Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. -
4 January 2003 - New Educational Policy
The Mathematics and Science subject in English was introduced to all primary and secondary schools for the first time. -
NOVEL: TAIKOR by Khoo Kheng-Hor
The book chronicles how a boy, with a chaotic childhood, dodged and dived through the Japanese occupation, cemented is position as a gang boss in the post war years and then tried to become respectable after Malaysia's emergence as an independent state. -
NOVEL: The Harmony Silk Factory by Tash Aw
The Harmony Silk Factory traces the story of textile merchant Johnny Lim, a Chinese peasant living in British Malaya in the first half of the twentieth century. Johnny's factory is the most impressive structure in the region, and to the inhabitants of the Kinta Valley Johnny is a hero. But to his son, Jasper, Johnny is a crook and a collaborator who betrayed the very people he pretended to serve, and the Harmony Silk Factory is merely a front for his father's illegal businesses. -
NOVEL: Sister Swing by Shirley Lim
"Sister Swing" chronicles the growing up years of three sisters. It follows their transplant from a relatively sheltered life in Malaysia to the raw realities of the United States. It illuminates the complex relationships between the sisters, and gently but firmly explores the morals, values and mindsets of growing up Asian in a Western world. -
First Malaysian Astronaut
Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor and Faiz Khaleed are announced as the first Malaysian angkasawan. -
NOVEL: This End of the Rainbow by Adibah Amin
This End of the Rainbow is based on her memories of her student days at the University Malaya in Singapore. Set in the 1950s, it’s a tale of a group of university students and their dreams for the future. However, they are soon torn between their own sheltered lives and the harsh realities of colonialism and the challenges of ethnic diversity, racial prejudices and social injustices as well as the strains between Malaysia and Singapore. -
The Controversial Murder of Altantuya
An international Mongolian model that was killed and found in Shah Alam. Her murder case is significant in contemporary Malaysian politics due to the alleged involvement of persons close to the former Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Abdul Razak. This case is later to be considered a ‘cold case’ under Najib’s administration however was reopened in 2018 under the new government. -
NOVEL: Mamasan by Khoo Kheng-Hor
This is Khoo's second novel which has as its theme the seemier side of life in Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Amidst the heady mix of gambling, violence, prostitution and greed, Khor brings to life a wide range of characters gappling with the same life problems as most urban Malaysians. -
NOVEL: Nanyang by Khoo Kheng-Hor
Nanyang was the name given by Chinese in the 19th century and earlier to the Malay Peninsula and Singapore. This novel centred around the lives of four generations of a family , through an epic tale, explains how Nanyang came to be the multi-cultural mix that it is today. -
HINDRAF rally
A rally held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 25 November 2007. The rally organiser, the Hindu Rights Action Force, had called the protest over alleged discriminatory policies which favour ethnic Malays.
At least 240 people were detained, but half of them were later released. -
POETRY: Adam's Dream by Salleh Ben Joned
These poems are “testament in engmalchin”
(formerly known as “Malchin Testament”), the haunting “Spirit of the Keris” and
“five star poetry.” In the volume’s first section, i.e. “Adam’s Dream,” Salleh prods
and plays with the issue of religion and its impact on Malaysian society, history and
politics. -
2007 Bersih 1.0 Rally
The 2007 Bersih rally was a rally held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 10 November 2007. The aim of this walk was to campaign for electoral reform. It was precipitated by allegations of corruption and discrepancies in the Malaysian election system that heavily favor the ruling political party, Barisan Nasional, which has been in power since Malaysia achieved its independence in 1957. -
NOVEL: Evening Is the Whole Day by Preeta Samarasan
Set in Malaysia in 1980, this novel illuminates in heartbreaking detail one Indian immigrant family's layers of secrets and lies, while exposing the complex underbelly of Malaysia itself. -
NOVEL: Legacy by Shahriza Hussein
This historical novel takes us from the murder of Perak Resident James Birch in 1875 right through to independence. Mastura, a friend of the dead man, comes into possession of a pocket watch belonging to him and resolves to return the watch to his family one day. Well researched and written in a readable style which one would expect from the late author, who was a journalist with one of Malaysia's leading dailies -
Abolishment of Policy
The Malaysian New Economic Policy has been abolished in Penang by DAP government. The concept of Bumiputra privileges was highlighted to be against the goal of the party DAP that is to spread ‘equality’ amongst Malaysians. -
‘Fair’ election
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak win uncontested in the UMNO presidency election. -
POETRY: The Palimpsest of Exile by Dipika Mukherjee
A collection of poems that tells the readers what it means to be at home.The poems are divided into five distinct sections: “The Palimpsest of Exile” (1 poem), “American Angst” (4 poems), “Affectionately Amsterdam” (3 poems), “Malaysian Musings” (1 poem in two parts), and “India in My Soul” (8 poems). -
6th Prime Minister
Najib Tun Razak becomes the sixth Malaysian Prime Minister replacing Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. -
NOVEL: 21 Immortals: Inspector Mislan and the Yee Sang Murders by Rozlan Mohd Noor
An explosive debut from Rozlan Mohd Noor, an ex-police officer. This is a true Malaysian high-tech crime thriller with good cops, bad cops, and triad members, with insights into the workings of the local CSI, and forays into the world of hackers and their viruses, sleeper programs, trojans, ulat, spybots, hound dogs and their link to crime, including murder. It captures the subtleties and nuances of Malaysian culture, language, politics and crime. -
2 February 2010: Second time of Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy trial
The sodomy trial of Anwar Ibrahim began for the second time since the first accusation in 1998, now accused by his assistant Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan. -
17 February 2010: Malaysia canes three women over extramarital sex
Three Malay women are flogged for extra-marital sex in the first case of this Islamic punishment being meted out to women in the country. -
PLAY: Swordfish + Concubine by Kee Thuan Chye
Swordfish+Concubine combines the stories of Hang Nadim, a brave and smart boy who saves Temasek (Singapore) from a deadly swordfish attack, and Nurhalisa, a tough and defiant concubine sentenced to death by impalement. The allusions to issues of meritocracy, leadership insecurities, and national progress are more than evident. The play uses myths to illustrates the issues faced in our society that time. -
NOVEL: Thunder Demons by Dipika Mukherjee
Agni is struggling to comprehend her relationship with the land she calls home. Thunder Demons unveils Malaysia as it grapples with tradition in the face of globalization, especially over the issue of who is a bumiputra. Combining themes of communal violence, religion, and identity, this is a racy and dramatic story of love and betrayal. -
NOVEL: The Beruas Prophecy by Iskandar Al-Bakri
Malik Al-Mansur was the ruler of the ancient kingdom of Beruas. One night his kingdom was attacked and he was forced to flee. This is a story about the search for the hidden treasure of Malik Al-Mansur. The novel is based on a actual chapter in an 18th century book called the Malay Annals. Set in 1824 Malay Peninsula, the novel tells the nail-biting race between the British and two Malay secret societies to find the richest treasure in the Malay Peninsula. -
NOVEL: Malacca: A Romance by Kamsiah M. Bostock
This romance is set in Melaka in the early days of Portuguese rule there in the 16th century. The novel conjures up a heady romantic mix as the cultures of East and West sort out how best to live together and have fun at the same time. Combining her rich descriptions with extensive knowledge of Malacca history, the author recreates the role of famed Portuguese apothecary Tome Pires. -
2011 Bersih 2.0 Rally
The Bersih 2.0 rally (also called the Walk for Democracy) was a demonstration in Kuala Lumpur held on 9 July 2011 as a follow-up to the 2007 Bersih rally. -
SHORT STORIES: King of the Sea by Dina Zaman
She explores themes of love, grief, loss and longing, and the magic in our lives. A young boy, grieving for his late father, meets a ghost who tells him that he is the king of the sea. A daughter witnesses an affair by her unfaithful mother, but she is not sure if she was hallucinating. A young man arrives on an island and marries a jungle spirit, a bunian. Hell breaks loose in a small village when a brash modern city woman decides to live there. -
New Language Policy
“To uphold Bahasa Malaysia and to strengthen the English Language” (MBMMBI) policy was introduced to make Bahasa Melayu both a medium of unity and solidarity at the same time measures will also be taken to improve the proficiency of the English language amongst Malaysians. -
2012 Bersih 3.0 Rally
Tens of thousands of people protest against what they say is an unfair electoral system. Malaysian riot police fired tear gas and a water cannon to control the crowds after they broke through barbed wire and barricades used to block off the square in anticipation of the protest. The demonstrators say they are fed up with the government and its 2011 Peaceful Assembly Act - which limits where political rallies can be held. This demonstration is the largest Malaysia has seen in a decade. -
NOVEL: The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo
Choo tells the story of a young Chinese woman who marries a dead man. This was an ancient custom among the Chinese in Malaysia called “spirit marriage.” Set in 1893 colonial Malacca, the novel follows 17-year-old Li Lan, who, like other young women her age, hopes for a lucky and prosperous marriage, but her father has lost his fortune, and she has few suitors. Instead, the wealthy Lim family urges her to become a “ghost bride” for their son, who has recently died under mysterious circumstances. -
11 February 2013: Lahad Datu Standoff
The 2013 Lahad Datu standoff was a military conflict that started on 11 February 2013 and fully ended on 24 March 2013. Lahad Datu was invaded by a group of armed men, comprising over a hundred people who identified themselves as the followers of Sultan of Sulu, Jamalul Kiram III. They wanted to reclaim that part of Borneo as their ancestral land. The Lahad Datu standoff reportedly saw a total of 68 deaths – 56 from the Sulu sultanate, nine from the Malaysian authorities and six civilians. -
14 October 2013: Court rules non-Muslim cannot use “Allah” to refer to God
A Malaysian court has ruled that non-Muslims cannot use the word Allah to refer to God, even in their own faiths, overturning a 2009 lower court ruling. The appeals court said the term Allah must be exclusive to Islam or it could cause public disorder as the 2009 ruling sparked tensions, with churches and mosques attacked. The Christian community said that they would have to re-translate the whole bible if they were not allowed to use Allah to refer to God. -
Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho
Straddling the worlds of the mundane and the magical, Spirits Abroad collects ten science fiction and fantasy stories with a distinctively Malaysian sensibility. -
NOVEL: Last Breath by Tunku Halim
Tan Sri Ismail Ismail aims to become Malaysia’s richest man. One day, he fires his office tea lady, Lani. In revenge, Lani, with the help of a female shaman, places a curse on him. -
NOVEL: Family Values by Hadi M. Nor
Aizat is a married man who lives a hedonistic and comfortable life. But when he sells a plot of land he inherited from his father, this triggers a string of horrifying events. He sees apparitions, hears voices, and gets physically and mentally tortured. His very rich uncle, Tan Sri Aliyas, suddenly gets in touch with him. Aizat doesn’t want to meet Uncle Aliyas because he’s bad news. After a few meetings, Uncle Aliyas then shares a dark secret about the family legacy. -
NOVEL: The Gods by Mohd Rozlan
A political thriller set at the time of a Malaysian general election. Shadowy forces have plans to give the politicians a rough time. A story of Greed, Corruption and Justice in Malaysia during the elections. -
8 March 2018: Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared
MH370 disappeared during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The disappearance of the Boeing 777 with 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board led to a search effort stretching from the Indian Ocean west of Australia to Central Asia. It is dubbed one of the greatest aviation mysteries of all time. -
17 July 2014: Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 shot down
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 shot down over Ukraine, killing all 298 people aboard. The two sides in the Ukrainian conflict accuse each other of shooting the plane down. The incident and its aftermath spark international outrage and condemnation. -
May 2015: Malaysia agrees to rescue Rohingya refugees
Malaysia and Indonesia agree to rescue and provide temporary shelter to Rohingya migrants fleeing Myanmar by boat, after weeks of mounting humanitarian crisis. -
August 2015: Bersih 4.0 Rally
In the aftermath of the general elections in Malaysia in 2013, there were accusations by the opposition and non-governmental organizations that the government had cheated its way to another election victory. -
SHORT STORIES: Rules of Desire by Dipika Mukherjee
In Rules of Desire, yearning becomes both dangerous and erotic, leading the readers into worlds where the unthinkable becomes possible. Dipika Mukherjee’s stories careen from urban Kuala Lumpur to cosmopolitan Shanghai, then small towns of India and the remote wilderness of America -
20 March 2015: Opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) seeks parliament's approval to expand hudud laws
Malaysia's opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) pushed for approval from Parliament to implement strict hudud laws in the north-eastern state of Kelantan, which it has ruled since 1990. -
7 April 2015: Passes controversial anti-terrorism bill
Malaysia has passed a controversial anti-terrorism bill, which the government says is needed to tackle the threat from Islamic extremists. Malaysians largely supported Prime Minister Najib Razak's call for an anti-terror bill last year after he revealed that 19 suspects linked to the Islamic State militant group had escaped court charges due to insufficient proof. -
English compulsory in SPM
English will be made a mandatory subject for SPM (Sijil Peperiksaan Malaysia) according to Putrajaya’s Education Development Master Plan 2013-2025 -
NOVEL: The Woman who Breathed Two Worlds by Selina Siak Chin Yoke
Facing challenges in an increasingly colonial world, Chye Hoon, a rebellious young girl, must learn to embrace her mixed Malayan-Chinese identity as a Nyonya—and her destiny as a cook, rather than following her first dream of attending school like her brother. -
19 November 2016: Bersih 5.0 Rally
The Bersih 5 rally (also known by its tagline: Combine our energy – New Malaysia) was a peaceful democratic protest in Malaysia, supported by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih). Thousands of anti-government protesters take to the streets of Kuala Lumpur to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Razak over his alleged links to a corruption scandal. -
NOVEL: Once We Were There by Bernice Chauly
Set during the upheaval of the Reformasi movement in Kuala Lumpur in the early 2000s, this debut novel is the tale of Delonix Regia, a journalist who finds love in Kuala Lumpur, only to have her life upturned by tragedy. A captivating portrait of Malaysia’s capital city at the turn of the millennium. -
NOVEL: Once We Were There by Bernice Chauly
Set during the upheaval of the Reformasi movement in Kuala Lumpur in the early 2000s, this debut novel is the tale of Delonix Regia, a journalist who finds love in Kuala Lumpur, only to have her life upturned by tragedy. A captivating portrait of Malaysia’s capital city at the turn of the millennium. -
NOVEL: Yesterday by Felicia Yap
A world in which classes are divided not by wealth or religion but by how much each group can remember. Monos, the majority, have only one day’s worth of memory; elite Duos have two. In this stratified society, where Monos are excluded from holding high office and demanding jobs, Claire and Mark are a rare mixed marriage. Clare is a conscientious Mono housewife, Mark a novelist-turned-politician Duo on the rise. They are a shining example of a new vision of tolerance and equality. -
13 February 2017 - Assassination of Kim Jong-nam
Kim Jong-nam, the estranged brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is killed with a nerve agent at a Malaysian airport. -
SHORT STORIES: Creatures of Near Kingdom by Zedeck Siew
Zedeck Siew's feverishly imaginative prose intertwines with Sharon Chin's stunning lino prints and pattern designs. Sometimes fantastical fancy, at other times of nightmarish quality, the book catalogues the flora and fauna in and around Malaysia. From worms that live in your digital devices, to ants and crows that explode - these 75 creatures surely do not exist, but they should. Because they explain so much of what we are and where we came from. -
9 May 2018: Downfall of Barisan Nasional
After 61 years in power, Barisan Nasional is defeated by Pakatan Harapan in the Malaysian general election, 2018. Mahathir Mohamad becomes prime minister again. -
8 December 2018: Anti- ICERD Rally
Close to 1 million people had attended the anti-International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) rally. The rally aimed at celebrating the non-ratification of the United Nations covenant because the announcement that the government would not ratify ICERD came after the planning of the rally.
