Laughter in a time of Misery-The Malay Mail Online
February 17, 2015 - The reasons why ordinary Malaysians should be an unhappy lot is long and getting longer by the day. If it’s not 1MDB, it’s the GST. Retail prices refuse to come down, despite the price of fuel falling.
The price of fuel falling and the ringgit depreciating in tandem is reducing the room for the economy to grow.
Experts opine that Malaysia as a trading economy with an over reliance on commodity exports is going to suffer the most in what is widely seen as a turbulent year for the global economy. While the air tragedies of last year are still fresh, a concerted attack on freedoms of those still here is underway. The worst hit are religious and political liberals who are being detained regularly for expressing any opinions contrary to the official narrative.
The international community, while not particularly engaged with his country, has noted the alarming drop in the ability of the media, the political opposition and indeed ordinary people to express their views independently without attracting the wrath of the authorities. Race and religion are front and centre of a culture of fear and distrust that has been created with the perception of partisanship by the authorities deepening the fissures and polarisation of the populace.
Governments in East Malaysia, though part of the ruling coalition, are openly expressing their determination to prevent their states from going down the route of what they see as the politics of hate in the peninsula. 1 Malaysia is long dead and the prime minister is cutting a forlorn figure with his colleagues in the Cabinet seemingly ignoring him while the party’s senior statesman states that if he was the incumbent, he would resign.
Illegal logging and the blatant abuse of the environment contributes to the worst floods in decades. Cameron Highlands is a shell of its previous self and Selangor is always anxious about water. Wildlife conservation is a joke while domestic animals are routinely abused. In sum, a sense of economic, political and social gloom pervades. This just feels like a bad time, with the end nowhere near.
But in some ways the crackdown on laughter in the form of the harassment of Zunar the political cartoonist seems the worst of all. The ability to laugh at ourselves and our circumstances is one of the few free ways to relieve misery. Cartoonists use the art of exaggeration to hold up a comic mirror to our shared human foibles. It is a gentle art, one focused first and foremost with entertainment. With the most talented exponents, one can admire the art while disagreeing with the message in every case.
Many have argued that the cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo provoked anger by mocking faith. True or not, that has no bearing on Zunar’s case, an out and out political satirist. Even if some people believe that their gods and prophets are humourless and cannot be made fun of, politicians certainly are not.
They too like all of us, at times make mistakes, say the stupidest things and have extravagant tastes. While Malaysia is still a democracy, its leaders should develop a thick enough skin to not fear every cartoon, article or video that extracts some humour from their personalities or actions. Because those who fear laughter indeed lead very small lives.
The continued persecution of Zunar and the banning of his books bring to mind the six-year incarceration of the famous Moustache Brothers of Myanmar by the military junta for making fun of them. While they paid a heavy price for the laughter they generated, ultimately it was the generals who looked ridiculously insecure. Indeed those who can laugh at themselves are humble people with small egos who can do the most good in this world. They take the sting out of satire and learn from it.
Maybe the others do deserve to be laughing stocks.
Experts opine that Malaysia as a trading economy with an over reliance on commodity exports is going to suffer the most in what is widely seen as a turbulent year for the global economy. While the air tragedies of last year are still fresh, a concerted attack on freedoms of those still here is underway. The worst hit are religious and political liberals who are being detained regularly for expressing any opinions contrary to the official narrative.
The international community, while not particularly engaged with his country, has noted the alarming drop in the ability of the media, the political opposition and indeed ordinary people to express their views independently without attracting the wrath of the authorities. Race and religion are front and centre of a culture of fear and distrust that has been created with the perception of partisanship by the authorities deepening the fissures and polarisation of the populace.
Governments in East Malaysia, though part of the ruling coalition, are openly expressing their determination to prevent their states from going down the route of what they see as the politics of hate in the peninsula. 1 Malaysia is long dead and the prime minister is cutting a forlorn figure with his colleagues in the Cabinet seemingly ignoring him while the party’s senior statesman states that if he was the incumbent, he would resign.
Illegal logging and the blatant abuse of the environment contributes to the worst floods in decades. Cameron Highlands is a shell of its previous self and Selangor is always anxious about water. Wildlife conservation is a joke while domestic animals are routinely abused. In sum, a sense of economic, political and social gloom pervades. This just feels like a bad time, with the end nowhere near.
But in some ways the crackdown on laughter in the form of the harassment of Zunar the political cartoonist seems the worst of all. The ability to laugh at ourselves and our circumstances is one of the few free ways to relieve misery. Cartoonists use the art of exaggeration to hold up a comic mirror to our shared human foibles. It is a gentle art, one focused first and foremost with entertainment. With the most talented exponents, one can admire the art while disagreeing with the message in every case.
Many have argued that the cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo provoked anger by mocking faith. True or not, that has no bearing on Zunar’s case, an out and out political satirist. Even if some people believe that their gods and prophets are humourless and cannot be made fun of, politicians certainly are not.
They too like all of us, at times make mistakes, say the stupidest things and have extravagant tastes. While Malaysia is still a democracy, its leaders should develop a thick enough skin to not fear every cartoon, article or video that extracts some humour from their personalities or actions. Because those who fear laughter indeed lead very small lives.
The continued persecution of Zunar and the banning of his books bring to mind the six-year incarceration of the famous Moustache Brothers of Myanmar by the military junta for making fun of them. While they paid a heavy price for the laughter they generated, ultimately it was the generals who looked ridiculously insecure. Indeed those who can laugh at themselves are humble people with small egos who can do the most good in this world. They take the sting out of satire and learn from it.
Maybe the others do deserve to be laughing stocks.
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