“STOP censoring the words that describe who I am” was the Time online quote of the day on 25 Feb 2009. The quote was by Pang Khee Teik who was described as a Malaysian arts commentator. But Pang, who as the arts programme director at the Annexe Gallery at Central Market has revitalised cultural events […]
Found in Malaysia
“Reformasi changed everything”
By Zedeck SiewDURING the March 2008 general election, election campaign posters for Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) parliamentary candidate Nurul Izzah Anwar showed her smiling. Wreathed in a glowing aura, she seemed to be gazing into a bright Malaysian future. Now the parliamentarian for Lembah Pantai, she is still seen as a poster-child for Pakatan Rakyat (PR)’s younger […]
The evolving Chinese Malaysian
By Gan Pei LingRAPPER Wee Meng Chee, aka Namewee, was wrapped in controversy in July 2007 because of his national anthem parody Negarakuku. The six-minute video clip, which has been accessed by half a million viewers, touched on several “sensitive” issues such as police abuse, racial discrimination, and indolent civil servants. At that time certain quarters, including government […]
“Harmony is a myth”
By Zedeck SiewA LESSER-KNOWN fact about Malaysian film director and television series creator Bernard Chauly is that he spends much of the year outside Malaysia. “Not many people realise that I’m not here the whole time,” Chauly says. “Thank God for the internet!” While his work — including the futsal-and-romance Gol & Gincu, coming-of-age Goodbye Boys, and […]
Haram-ing of spaces
By Zedeck SiewTHE celebrated theatre practitioner Anne James is a perennial learner. “I can be a student forever,” she says. In 1983, after a long tussle with the Ministry of Education to secure leave (James was a schoolteacher), she went to Northwestern University to work on a Masters in Performing Arts for three years. James remembers that […]
“Kalau you separuh babi pun I terima”
By Shanon ShahSULASTRI Ariffin has been around the world. Manager of the mak nyah (trans women) programme at PT Foundation, she has participated and spoken at conferences on HIV and sexuality in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Australia, Sri Lanka, India, Australia, Canada, Mexico, and Switzerland. She has even met Richard Gere — twice. But in her 15 […]
Obsessed with being Malaysian
By N Shashi KalaSHE’S a familiar face to Malaysian theatregoers, and is the force behind one of the most successful local theatre groups, the Instant Cafe Theatre Company. At 47, Jo Kukathas remains passionate about her beliefs that were honed by an upbringing that took her away from Malaysia for long periods of time. Though born in Kuala […]
The confidence of being Malaysian
By Jacqueline Ann SurinCHEE Sek Thim used to be based in Petaling Jaya, shuttling back to Penang on a monthly basis. But over the past one year, the reverse has been happening after he moved back to his family home. Chee, a theatre practitioner and art educator, is rediscovering his home state of Penang. The shift to Penang […]
“Politicians are rascals”
By Shanon ShahDE facto Law Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz is one Barisan Nasional (BN) leader whose exact position on issues is difficult to pin down. On one hand, he trumpets the usual BN line by supporting the Internal Security Act and denying that there is discrimination against non-bumiputera Malaysians. His predecessor, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, also accused […]
“I don’t feel deculturalised”
By Zedeck SiewGURMIT Singh, 66-year-old environmental activist, says, “There’s never been any stage of my teen or adult life when I wasn’t part of some organisation.” A prominent student leader in the 1960s and 1970s, Gurmit is former secretary-general of the National Human Rights Society of Malaysia (Hakam). He got into environmental advocacy in 1974, long before […]
