To those who have yet to watch the movie, a fair warning; there are a some spoilers below. I strongly advise you to watch it first if you're the type who absolutely hate spoilers.
Just came back from watching this movie for the 2nd time. Why twice? Cuz it's good and I wanted to see if I missed anything. I knew all about Namewee and the controversies that surrounds this dude from Muar and the first time I watched it was to see if it really captures the spirit Malaysia. Could a movie directed by a guy who 'seems' to incite tensions be it national or racial could 'celebrate' our nations beauty?
I came with high hopes that it would really capture the spirit of Malaysia, not just it's beauty but also it's flaws. And I'll be honest, the movie really did. Being a pacifist, the first time I watched the movie I was a little worried that he was poking too much fun at the other races but then I realised that maybe the biggest was for his own race so I guess everything balances out. The synopsis of the movie can be found from a whole lot of websites but I'll write down my synopsis:
"It's about a Chinese chef who wants to uphold the 'purity' of Chinese cooking and criticises the local Malay dish Nasi Lemak. After a devastating defeat in a mini cooking contest and plagued by financial woes, he tasted the nasi lemak and found it to be Si Beh Song! (translated as erm... extremely incredibly fantastically sedap!). In order to help a girl to save her fathers restaurant, he then embarks on a journey to discover how to make the best nasi lemak based on the map and directions given to him by the nasi lemak seller. The nasi lemak seller mentioned that he would learn something that he lacked at the end of his journey."
Overall I would rate this movie as a pretty good movie. It made me laugh a lot (and the whole cinema too). He pulled no punches in criticising various aspects of Malaysia such as our utilities service providers (power, internet, water), our government, the attitude of Malaysians, the racism that we must simply all admit exists in all races in Malaysia etc. But therein lies the beauty of it all, the movies shows them, points them out and in the end teaches us that some things needs to be changed and all that racism achieves nothing. It shows that all the little things that we laugh at at other races are actually some of the reasons Malaysia is such a diverse and beautiful place.
I'll post all the funny stuff I managed to catch while watching the movie in my next post as I myself hate spoiling the movie for people. I highly recommend watching this movie.
Some serious thoughts. Racism. People hate that word and condemn that attitude BUT unfortunately it exists in most of us. I am embarrassed to say that I am a bit of a racist myself. I cannot say that I have never critisised another race, I have and I am not proud of it. However, I can say one thing in defense of myself, I criticise my own race as well. We have to face the fact that all races have some flaw that other races frown on. It is when we realise this and realise what we ourselves lack, that is when we can truly start overcoming them. When we can come to accept and embrace the strengths that another race have much more than when we criticise their flaws, that's when we truly can be united beneath this banner called humanity.
A point is case. In his song Negarakuku, Namewee poked fun (but if u listen carefully, there is actually praise in it too) at the Azan call of the Muslims. I'll be frank, in the first few weeks at college in uni I was pretty angry at being woken up so early in the morning literally every day because the call to prayers was really loud from my room. But I got used to it after a few weeks and it didn't bother me anymore. I have come to respect it as what my Muslim brothers and sisters need to do. And hey, I actually think that some of them are really good, darn some of those notes are high! Unfortunately, I've also heard some whose voices cracked when they tried to sing the higher notes, and it was actually funny (apologies if this actually offends anyone). It is the same when we all respect the Taoists when the air is thick with incense smoke, or when the Hindu's, Christians have loud prayers/singing etc. What Namewee is guilty of is being insensitive, he spoke (actually sang) what he felt but he did it bluntly.
I honestly think that what people think of him is personal. Some can accept his views and say that all this needs to be told and that it catches attention when it is told bluntly. Some cannot and would say that there are better, gentler ways of saying what he wants to say. I have read/heard both Malays and Chinese who support him and at the same time both Malays and Chinese who condemn him. My view of him? I believe that a lot (not all) of the things that he said is true, but at the same time how he expressed them was too crass. Nevertheless I guess it seems to be working, he got everyone's attention...
Since I'm sure we've all heard a million negative racist comments on all races, let me share my views as a Baba/Chinese living in this awesome country. This is my personal view on the things I love about my Malay friends. Recently I stayed over with a couple of other friends at my Malay friends house and I experienced first hand their hospitality. Her parents were really nice to us and we chatted with her dad for a few hours and I have to say that we had a pretty good conversation. Being a slightly male chauvinist (cough cough), I actually had this strange warm feeling when she and her sis made some tea for us and knelt down when pouring it into our cups (read my words carefully ya, knelt when pouring into our cups, not knelt down to us lol). That was such an awesomely gentle feminine gesture! I'm not saying that I felt a sense of 'Lordship' over the gentler gender but that I thought it was really sweet and polite. While we were all eating, they were also always asking us to have more. The Chinese also always do that of course but we tend to be a little louder and more boisterous (nothing wrong in that) but I find their soft spoken-ess really pleasing. That there shows the beauty in diversity, loud and boisterous with a sense of camaraderie and soft and gentle with a sense of peace. How great is that? I also admire (like Namewee) the Malays overall attitude of going about things at a slower pace. This unfortunately is one of the core racist taunts among Malaysians where the Malays are too selamba and the Chinese are too 'rushing'. Why can't we both learn from each other? We need to rush when there's work to be done but learn to relax and be calm at the same time. Money is not everything and 'whatever will be will be' is not exactly a good attitude either.
I will continue to pray and work hard not to be a racist. It is difficult but I guess one way we can try to understand each other more is to put ourselves in the shoes of the other races. Look at things from their point of view and then maybe we can learn to be more tolerant and find a middle ground for peace.
I will say this though, I love Malaysia and I am 100% Malaysian. My ancestors came from China and i have the utmost respect for China and am proud of my racial history which has its roots there but there is no question that I am 100% Malaysian. In the movie, the question "When there is a match (I would infer that he meant badminton) between China and Malaysia, who would you support?" was asked a couple of times. If you ask me, I will always say Malaysia. I don't care if it's a Malaysian Indian, Malay or Chinese, I will support Malaysia. This country may not be perfect but it has given me a lot and I am who I am because I was born and raised here. It is MY country. The ending song Rasa Sayang 2.0 is absolutely awesome, hope you guys catch the lyrics.
Yesterday, September 16th, was Malaysia Day which is also my dads birthday. Happy birthday Di! Many people would celebrate it to mark the union of the Peninsular with Sabah and Sarawak, but I am thankful for it because without that union, I would not have met my friends Alfred, Iyvan, Juliana, Syeed, Serene, Zoey etc.
Happy birthday Malaysia.
