It would eventually lead to a crackdown on universities, the detention of student activists, among them an orator and future politician, whose effects are still felt today.
FMT Lifestyle marks the Baling Incident anniversary by looking back at the causes and impact.
Even before the Baling Incident, a notable civil protest had taken place in Tasek Utara, Johor, in September 1974 when underprivileged villagers rose against evictions and the demolition of their homes.
The villagers sought the support of university students, who answered the call. They were eventually dispersed by the authorities, but it was enough to serve as a lead-in to the even bigger Baling Incident, started by farmers in the Baling district of Kedah who were suffering due to a sluggish economy.
World rubber prices were also collapsing at the time, leading to increased poverty within Malaysia’s rural communities.
That year also saw bad weather, resulting in a poor rubber harvest. Meanwhile, inflation was skyrocketing, leading to prices of basic goods and necessities being unaffordable for the poor.
Things came to a head when news spread about several hungry villagers who allegedly died after consuming ubi gadong, a poisonous yam. Baling residents took to the streets demanding action.
The farmers’ demands were twofold: to raise the price of rubber, and to lower the price of necessities. The government was given 10 days to make these changes but, of course, nothing much happened, and the farmers went ahead with their planned assembly.
Nov 19 would mark the first day of the protest, with 1,000 farmers taking to the streets. Two days later, 12,000 were seen protesting – and the numbers would increase with each passing day.
Students take up Baling’s banner
The government eventually tried calming the situation, with then primary industries minister Musa Hitam flying into Baling via helicopter. While he did attempt to address protesters’ concerns, no satisfactory resolution was reached, and the demonstrations continued.
Nov 21 saw the protesters tear-gassed, news of which reached universities nationwide despite the lack of media coverage.
Many students – some of whom had been involved in Tasek Utara – were outraged, and began gathering at universities in Kuala Lumpur and other cities to show solidarity with the Baling farmers.
On Dec 3, thousands of students gathered at the Selangor Club padang, reasserting the farmers’ demands and calling for the exposure and punishment of corrupt politicians. For their efforts, they were eventually met with a barrage of teargas canisters and withdrew to the nearby Masjid Negara for shelter.
Despite the mosque being surrounded by police, the students remained defiant, continuing with their prayers even as tear gas was lobbed into the building.
By the end of the day, more than 1,100 students were in custody, some of whom were charged with hurling objects at officers and obstructing police duties. Future filmmaker Hishamuddin Rais left the country to avoid arrest, while a certain noted orator named Anwar Ibrahim was detained under the Internal Security Act for nearly two years.
In the days that followed, the police raided universities and arrested several student leaders and lecturers. And in the aftermath, the 1971 Universities and University Colleges Act was amended to curtail further such protests – the effects of which are still being felt by students today.