NOVEMBER 25 — Last Saturday many Malaysians expressed their opinions about the state of the country in a passionate, colourful way. For this, some have been threatened with disciplinary action or even risk losing their jobs, others charged and incarcerated.
This led Tan Sri Razali Ismail, chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), to issue a statement opposing the use of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, in which he said: “The government’s assurance in 2011 promised that ‘no individual will be arrested merely on the point of political ideology’.
“In Suhakam’s view, the preventive detention of Maria Chin is a misuse of the law, an abuse of the legal system and of law enforcement.”
Subsequently a delegation from Suhakam led by Tan Sri Razali visited Maria Chin in prison and shared their observations to the public. Clearly he has a certain interpretation of, and commitment to, his mandate as the head of our human rights commission, established by the Parliament of Malaysia in 1999 as an independent statutory body.
The first time I saw a picture of Tan Sri Razali was in a cartoon by Lat included in The Portable Lat published in 1998. The diplomat had served as president of the United Nations General Assembly in 1996-1997, and Lat drew a cartoon that referenced his apparent fondness for the Malay word walaubagaimanapun (meaning “however” or “nevertheless”), with other diplomats in the chamber hilariously trying to pronounce it.
By coincidence this was one of my favourite Malay words at the time so I naturally wanted to know who this character was. (Now that I sit on two boards with him, it’s clear he no longer says it.)
This is just one example of the many things I learnt from Malaysia’s legendary cartoonist, and last Saturday I was at the utterly packed branch of Borders at the Curve for the launch of his autobiography, My Life and Cartoons. Written with Datuk Syed Nadzri Syed Harun (previously also a Malay Mail columnist), the book takes us through a mostly chronological narrative of Lat’s life, with humorous asides aplenty.
And what a treat it is for long-term Lat fans. Many of the recollections are easily recognisable from previous picture versions of the same (especially The Kampung Boy) but the more serious tone of the words contextualises Lat’s own journey amid the country’s own social, political and economic changes.
And so we get a glimpse into the education system, the state of race relations, the activity of the art community, the prevailing culture of journalism and the use of the Internal Security Act in the seventies.
We read how Lat remembers May 13, 1969, the activities of the communists and his memorable overseas trips, including his Eisenhower Fellowship across the United States.
Through apparently innocent observations of Malay life we also see how values have shifted over time. But most of all, the reader appreciates how Lat’s own journey combining great discipline and talent took place amid enormous shifts that would have been experienced by thousands of families in Malaysia in the Sixties and Seventies.
There are plenty of vignettes about Lat’s interactions with people he grew up with who are now famous, and revelations on later meetings with personalities as diverse as Muhammad Ali, Queen Elizabeth II, The Simpsons creator Matt Groening and Malaysian politicians — although the identity of one royal is tantalisingly concealed. Clearly of huge importance to Lat were meeting his own idols and inspirations: the country’s early cartoonists and most of all, P. Ramlee.
I often tell young Malaysians that they should watch the movies of P. Ramlee and read the compilations of articles by Tunku Abdul Rahman to better understand what their country was like — and wanted to be — once upon a time. I have taken for granted that they, like me, are familiar with Lat’s cartoons.
But from now I shall add the cartoons of Lat to my list of recommendations for our young citizens who wish to really understand Malaysia’s soul — or national conscience (to borrow Tan Sri Razali’s latest term).
No doubt, in our efforts to become a better democracy we need champions of freedom of expression and opponents of authoritarianism leading our institutions. But we also need ambassadors who are able to freely express Malaysian values, principles and even quirks in a manner that everybody — especially future generations of Malaysians themselves — can understand.
There is no better living epitome of that than Lat, and that is why this autobiography is a must-read for all patriots.
‘My Life and Cartoons’ by Datuk Mohammad Nor Khalid is published by Editions Didier Millet and available exclusively from Borders bookstores priced at RM99.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.
