What do you think is the voice of the literature of your country?

I just got myself a copy of Ceritalah: Malaysia in Transition by Karim Raslan. This year I had been more interested in local writings.

Reclaiming Malay culture is great but that idea needs to be renegotiated. Migration of Chinese and Indian workers by the British to help work the tin mines and rubber estates, had changed the country’s composition and dynamics and the country’s literature should reflect a more plural Malaysia.

Yes, Postcolonial theory makes an appearance in discussing Malaysia’s literature voice.

In the book, Karim notes that although Malaysia does not provide a thriving environment for writing to thrive due to lack of media freedom, he nonetheless stressed the importance that things need to be documented for us and future generations to understand who they are.

During Colonial time the people of this country had been subjected to the British textbook strategy of divide and conquer. This is still apparent as how things that differentiate us like are reinforced as if we live in tourism posters still wearing exotic traditional costumes. 

Karim argues in his writing that being Malay, Chinese, Indian or others in today’s Malaysia is something that is affected by today’s social and economic standards rather than a cliché checklist that compartmentalize the races (Raslan 1999).

For instance, it is common for people of different races to mix with one another, discuss things openly without being over sensitive.

He lightens up the message with anecdotes like how he is a Mat Saleh Celup or literally translated as Caucasian that is dipped, as his father is Malay while mother was Irish.

Dr Farish Noor is another writer I think has become the voice of literature in this country. He differs in the style, in which he writes, but is similar in the tone of writing, taking us to the past and present to give us a clearer picture of who we are. Unlike Karim, the lawyer turned journalist, Farish, writing reflects his training as an anthropologist fused with him as a traveler.

In What Your Teacher Didn’t Tell You he discusses taboo topic like how long before Malays were Muslim they were Hindus and how stories in Hikayat or folk story that suppose to reflect society of their time are more liberal with things like sexuality and adapting to other cultures (Noor 2009) than the conservative idea of values that had been reinforced in society today.