Turning Malaysia into a cultural desert

 

Malaysia has nothing much left except for squabbling politicians backstabbing each other in the political arena and banning talks of our cultural heritage as it may harm Muslim sensitivities. Sounds like we are living in medieval times.

Culture and history are intertwined, and yet both humanities in Malaysia are not spared from such morons.

The handlers lurking in the government shadows change the narratives to suit their needs, with their narrow agenda of archaic Muslim views. It’s similar to Taliban countries where there is so much strife and tribal infighting.

The latest incident was the cancellation of Ramli Ibrahim’s cultural talk by a learning institution hoping to produce stereotypical Malays with narrow views. It’s like sending your children to a religious school and all they learn is the Quran, and nothing else.

The history of Malaysia banning dance and culture is not new, it has happened multiple times. The Mak Yong dance is a good example of a mindless ban. The art form, which was declared a “masterpiece of humanity” by Unesco in 2005 and added to the Intangible Cultural Heritage list, has been banned from public showing for the past 26 years by Kelantan’s Islamist state government.

The heart of the issue seems to be the question of gender: under Kelantan’s strict codes, the predominantly female performance, which involves elements of cross-dressing as well as other clothing “violations” (not to mention aspects of Hindu-Buddhist mythology and animism), is considered potentially immoral. Ramli’s renown dances with international fame fit into this category.

In October 2017, at the invitation of the Malaysian government, the United Nations special rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, Karima Bennoune, said this at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur: “Let me be very clear, the bans on mak yong, wayang kulit, main puteri and, dikir barat, and the restrictions on women performing for mixed audiences must be lifted without delay.”

As a note, Malaysia did not become a signatory to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage until 2013.

In an interview in August 2018, Ramli had this to say about whether being a Muslim has posed problems while studying Indian classical dance forms.

He said: “Yes, I did face difficulties. The wave of fundamentalism in the early ’90s changed the free-thinking that was so pervasive in society those days, and I was branded an apostate. My affinity towards Indian classical dances goes back to the ’60s, when the Malay peninsula was a more liberal place famed for its rich music, art and dance traditions. I am the product of that age.”

Many of us like Ramli are products of the ’60s, where how you dress was not an issue, when people mingled freely with each other, beer, whisky and wine in hand; where you could “joget” with pretty maidens at fun fairs and where you didn’t have professors teaching women to act stupidly when seeking husbands.

In those days, we didn’t judge people the way we do now, putting them in “haram boxes”.

Even our historical narratives are tilted towards one race, the Malays. The contributions of other people and of Sabah (North Borneo) and Sarawak in the formation of Malaysia are conveniently omitted.

Malaysia has a penchant for banning things such as certain concerts and performances. A UN cultural rights expert warned in a report that there is growing pressure to adopt a more narrow interpretation of the Islamic religion and identity in Malaysia, which excludes the country’s cross-cultural history, marginalises religious minorities, and fails to take account of the diversity of Malay Muslims.

Darren Choy, chairman of the Recording Industry Association of Malaysia who also heads the Malaysian unit of American entertainment and record label group Warner Music said it of course affects the overall attractiveness of Malaysia in being a venue for artistes, events or festivals. Neighbouring countries like Indonesia and Singapore have benefited from such bans in Malaysia.

The creative industries have suffered the same fate. Heavy censorship has affected the film community and forced them to go underground or abroad. Censorship does not help in today’s world where anyone can just download the latest music, film or video through their digital devices.

The real test will come when Undi18 is finally implemented. Will the youth subscribe to these nonsensical issues when they are deprived of their freedom? - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.

✍ Credit given to the original owner of this post : ☕ Malaysians Must Know the TRUTH

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