SO this past week our news feeds were cluttered with stories on the debate over Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan’s historical accuracy and the comedienne-not-comedienne who had done a pseudo striptease at a comedy club and has since been charged for insulting Islam.
Mat Kilau, which could be the first local movie to make RM100 million (exceeding RM75 million at the time of writing) at the box office, keeps pulling in the crowds with its narrative of Malay nationalism and supremacy.
It is the retelling of the Pahang uprising of 1891-1895 and a tribute to the Malay warrior Mat Kilau (incidentally played by Singaporean Adi Putra).
No one seemed to take umbrage with the film as an entertainment feature, but when it was depicted as a historical account (in spite of a disclaimer at the beginning of the movie of fictional elements) – then the debate heated up.
Non-Malays were depicted as the bad guys, with the Sikh community taking offence at the depiction of the soldiers fighting alongside the British as violent and merciless against the vulnerable, including pregnant women.
Historian Ranjit Singh Malhi took pains to give a lesson on the uprising and pointed out the inaccuracies. He said he had watched the film three times and kept seeing more inaccuracies.
One is yet to hear of any protest from the Chinese community over the portrayal of a Chinese character as a duplicitous schemer.
Then on June 4, Siti Nuramira Abdullah took to the stage at Crackhouse Comedy Club’s open mic event.
She started her routine by claiming she was a Muslim who had memorised 15 chapters of the Holy Quran – then proceeded to remove her tudung and baju kurung to reveal a sleeveless v-neck blouse and knee-length skirt.
Her antics were recorded by one V. Alexander Navin, who claims to be her boyfriend.
So, two events – one that misrepresents and disparages minorities and another that insulted the official religion – saw two different approaches from the authorities.
In the first matter, non-Malays were lectured to accept historical accounts, and the National Film Development Corporation (Finas), which is run by 100% Malays on its board, has said it will not obstruct filmmakers.
To be fair, Finas chairman Senator Datuk Seri Zurainah Musa reminded creative industry players “to be aware of audience sensitivities in this culturally and religiously rich country, in line with Keluarga Malaysia”.
Finas was more concerned with not being credited in the film after giving an RM1.8 million grant from its Digital Content Fund to Studio Kembara, which produced the film.
The managing director of Studio Kembara is Abdul Rahman Mt Dali – the former vice-president of conservative group Isma (Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia), which champions Malay-Muslim solidarity.
He promptly issued an apology for the oversight – not for the depiction of non-Malays but for not acknowledging Finas.
In fact, he told Harian Metro that one should accept historical facts. Unfortunately, in this country, historical facts are a matter of debate as historical books and historical narratives keep being revised to suit certain agendas.
In contrast, the scorched earth treatment of Crackhouse Comedy Club following a rogue “comedienne’s” routine has sparked a major pitchfork movement.
Granted, Siti Nuramira has been rightly arrested and charged according to the law – but comparisons will inevitably be drawn with Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s decision to shut down the club and the arrest of Rizal van Geyzel, the co-founder.
Rizal is being investigated for sedition for two videos of his own skits where he teases the Malays.
What are the authorities reacting to? Insulting a religion? Disparaging a race? Flouting the law? The mob baying for blood? Politicians needing another scapegoat to champion their agenda?
The antics of one person has brought the country’s comedy scene under scrutiny with Rizal’s performances now and presumably others being inspected with a fine-tooth comb.
The fraternity of comics has already emphasised – one cannot touch on religion and the royals.
So, are we in agreement that preceding a striptease with an announcement that one has memorised parts of the Quran is not comedy?
It is no different to when a version of The Vagina Monologues was banned 20 years ago as it depicted a woman touching herself while reciting verses from the Holy Book.
But to use Siti Nuramira’s felony as a trigger to persecute the comedy club, its founder, and the art of making jokes is a worrying development.
When did we start losing our ability to laugh at ourselves? One believes that if Mat Kilau was a comedy, not a work of “historical fiction”, non-Malays would not have any discomfort with the portrayals of their communities.
The master comedian himself, the late Tan Sri P. Ramlee, and cartoonist Lat (Datuk Mohammad Nor Mohd Khalid) through their craft have masterfully teased and poked fun at every race without being offensive.
They taught us to laugh at ourselves and with each other as a way of celebrating our diversity – and the strength that we draw from it.
Unfortunately, diversity to some, is not necessarily a good thing.
By the way, one Zakir Naik has been insulting other religions and causing division among Malaysians for a while – pretty much the same offences Siti Nuramira and Rizal have been accused of.
How come he’s been given VIP treatment instead and asylum from India, which regards him as a terrorist? – The Vibes, July 15, 2022
Terence Fernandez is editor-in-chief of PETRA News that publishes The Vibes and Getaran
