|
by Chan Kheng Hoe in The Sun You can’t write a good piece of fiction in Malaysia. Don’t get me wrong. It is not that Malaysians can’t be good writers. The problem with fiction is that it has to be dramatic and sensational. There must be twists in the plot. And more than that, it must be believable, yet somewhat removed from real life. Hence, all lawyer movies depict trials as dramatic events where witnesses get broken down by ingenious lawyers with multiple tricks up their sleeves. CSI recreates the crime scene with such drama and imagination that you can virtually imagine yourself witnessing the crime. Go observe a real-life trial, or think about a real-life CSI team dusting for fingerprints, and you can immediately notice the difference. Fiction is great, but the reality can be a yawn. Not so in Malaysia.
You see, in Malaysia, we always somewhat buck the trend. While every other country struggles with racism and religious fanaticism, we remain a peaceful multiracial and multi-religious society with only good thoughts and same-sex hugs for each other. In every other country, politicians are viewed with contempt. In Malaysia, our politicians are the epitome of virtue who settle their disputes by swearing on the name of the Almighty. Is it therefore surprising that while the fiction written everywhere else is sensational and dramatic, Malaysian drama actually gets played out more sensationally in real life instead? In fact, I bet my last ringgit (metaphorically speaking) that fiction writers would find it challenging to produce story-lines to match our true stories, both good and bad. After all, would a fiction writer think about a character like the president of Umno who quit in protest when his proposal to accept non-Malays into the party was rejected by his peers? When his party colleagues eventually tried to persuade him to return, he would hear none of it unless they agreed to his earlier proposal. His principle probably cost him the premiership, and he died outside Umno, a political failure but a national legend. How about the happy-go-lucky prince who decided to step up to the plate and take his place alongside the commoners. He negotiated for the independence of Malaya, and led this country through its formative years. A generous and big-hearted man, he was friendly with the former colonial masters and comfortable with all races. However, he was forced out of his position and refused to re-join Umno when it was declared an unlawful society. He too died outside Umno, his sentiments then aligned with the Opposition. How about the unassuming man who battled extremist elements in the country and cancerous cells within his own body at the same time? He reached across the political divide and invited opposition politicians into the government fold. As a result, the Barisan Nasional was born, a coalition of diverse parties which remains the ruling coalition to this day. Then there was the bespectacled lawyer who handpicked his successor, only to regret his choice later on. By the way, that’s Tun Hussein Onn for you, just in case you were thinking of the other prime minister who equally regretted his own succession plan. Of course, no Malaysian story can afford to miss out the man who got kicked out of the ruling party, only to return as its longest-serving president. In the course of his leadership, Malaysia was transformed into a fast-developing nation, the absolute immunity of the royalty was dismantled, hundreds were imprisoned without trial and the top judge was sacked. Then there was the oppositionistic Islamic fundamentalist who got co-opted into government and rose to become its second-most powerful man, only to be unceremoniously sacked on charges of corruption and sodomy. He went to jail, was finally released in poor health, and then engineered an opposition revival only to be charged with sodomy a second time. And dare any fiction writer imagine non-Muslims voting en bloc for Islamic fundamentalists in PAS, while Muslims supported the socialistic secularists of the DAP? At the centre of it all stands the reformed Malay fundamentalist who has now declared that he is the father of all races. Unbelievable, but that did happen on March 8. Or how about the mainstream newspaper which decided to degrade itself to a level worse than the worst blogs by carrying a veiled death threat against a sitting Member of Parliament. Bloggers may write spurious articles as they hide behind the anonymity of the World Wide Web. But for an established newspaper to carry an article that depicts the assassination of a politician seems even more unbelievable than fiction writers would dare imagine. During times like this, who needs novels? Let me curl up in bed and read my daily newspaper instead. Kheng Hoe can’t wait for the long-promised Sept 16. He wishes he knows which year it is supposed to occur.
|
Worse, if you are a "Farang", then others would think you are a Pedophile !!
What about the high cases of Incest in Malaysia. Nobody wants to talk about that. Why? It's your own Father, Brother, Uncle, Grand Father RAPING the young. And yes, this includes little boys as well. It's called Sodomy, as most Malaysian kids have been well educated on that subject by now. All thanks to UMNO, and their clever "cut-and-paste-Teams".
Truly Asia, Go To Hell...