Finally something for Malaysian to fill the longing of wanting a fresh historical site of the nation.
A book THE RELUCTANT POLITICIAN: TUN DR. ISMAIL AND HIS TIME by Ooi Kee Beng published by Institute Southeast Asia Studies Singapore is a MUST READ in order to understand and to get another insight of Malaysian politics and the past untold stories.. But as Ooi stated in the Sun newspaper interview (19 August 2010) by Pauline Puah “although the book was complimentary of Ismail, he should not be cast either as an “idol” or “devil””. Giving a valuable insight about most Malaysian, Ooi continue stated, “The tendency in Malaysia is either to idolise someone or ignore the person … I hope this book won’t make a god out of him,”. Ooi stressed that the book was not Ismail’s memoir but rather an analysis of his time.
One of the strongest content and something for Malaysian to re-think is the issues Ismail raised and asked fifty years ago..
“Why did we fight for Merdeka? So that the different races can be divided? That can’t be the way, right? That can’t be why all these great Malay and Umno leaders fought for this … Something is wrong,”
“I hope the new discussions will start. Why are we building Malaysia? What Malaysia are we building? What kind of symbol is Malaysia supposed to be?” he asked.
A selections of reviews gathered by Institute of South East Asian Studies (ISEAS) would be good to read to have an overviews of the book content.
This is the first Malaysian animation cartoon published by Filem Negara Malaysia (National Film Malaysia) in 1990.
Strongly influenced by Walts Disney cartoon,
Malaysia find its own way to present the nostalgic Hikayat Sang Kancil.
“Dialam inilah tinggalnya Sang Kancil yang bijak sana dengan sahabatnya si Kura-Kura. Mereka hidup, rukun damai, bebas bergembira, tolong menolong dan berkerjasama di taman peliharaan mereka”.
Translation: In this world lived the knowledgeable Sang Kancil (Mousedeer) and his best friend, si Kura-Kura (tortoise). They live harmoniously, peacefully, free and happy, and helpful between each other in their governed garden. Until Si Monyet (Monkey) arrived. And who is Si Monyet (monkey)? and what world are we living in? There are stories behind the narrative of the Sang Kancil, Kura-kura and Monyet.. and yes, there is also the owl who is living on the tree.. Hmmm.. clearly I have not thought about this when I was a kid… wait until you see the ending of this story, what had happen to Si Monyet…