Zunar tells Malaysians to use talents to express disapproval with Putrajaya

PETALING JAYA, April 2 — Whether it is writing, singing, drawing or reciting poetry, political cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar Ul-Haque urged Malaysians today to use every talent at their disposal to highlight authorities’ alleged abuses.

Speaking during a forum here, Zulkiflee Anwar, popularly known as Zunar, said Malaysians should not feel shy about using their talents or be cowed by anyone from doing so.

“If you sing, then sing a song that would best reflect your stand on the (government’s) abuses, because if you keep quiet, it is a kind [sic] of encouraging them to continue doing what they think is ‘correct’ for the people.

“Don’t keep quiet. Let the government know if you are not happy with what it is doing,” he said at his talk entitled “To Fight Through Cartoons”.

At the event, Zulkiflee Anwar drew laughter and applause from the crowd when showing his political satire drawings.

The cartoonist, who was charged with nine counts under the Sedition Act for his images poking fun at political topics in the country, also declared that his drawings posted on his social media accounts were free to be shared, reused and redistributed without conditions.

“There is no copyright for my work, and in fact, it is mandatory to share my drawings under the ‘Zunar Cartoonist Act,’” he said in jest, to further applause from the crowd.

Zunar most recently won an award from Human Rights Watch for upholding the right to freedom of expression via his satirical drawings.