........of 'WAYANG', 'PAADAM' & 'BEIJING OPERA'

Our ‘Wayang’ (free film entertainment) shows in the Sixties was the weekly outdoor Tamil Movies (‘Paadam’ in Tamil) at the adjacent Rubber Estate, and the unscheduled visits of the Government Propaganda machine - The MFU (Malay Film Unit) outdoor Mobile Film Shows. However the MFU film screening was not so much of real film shows, as the newsreels were often interrupted by the Information Officer lashing out ‘recycled’ Government Messages. Even then the whole Kampong Folks from the Malay Settlement would throng the venue not so much for the film show but for the latest information from the government. More so, it was The Penghulu’s wish that all residents should adhered latest government information, for their own benefits.
There was also this staging of the ‘Wayang China’ - Beijing Opera at a local Chinese Temple. Normally it was a ‘one off’ event organized by the Chinese Association to appease the Gods, so we were told. Teenagers like me would not miss the opportunity, though most elders dismissed the shows as non Islamic. More so it was a religious obligation for our Chinese neighbors they felt we should not interfere.
But my love for the theater, make me one of the ardent admirer, and an observant fan of the Beijing Opera. I would give all the excuse to my parents to be out each night for the opera shows. I was taken by the well managed stage direction and the presentation techniques of the production team. Each night show was different in directorial style with the other. The productions were well stage-managed and the shows flawless. The eloquent delivering of the dialog or songs and the expressive performances of the actors or the actresses with their calculated playacting moves either on a somber mood of  'romancing the beauty of the landscape with adjacent hills jutted with high cliffs’, or in the scene of ‘the tranquil forbidden garden of the wicked Empress’, more so 'the bloody and the aggressive battlefield scenes of the conquerors' that frenzied us to the out most. The swing of the sharp weapon, the artistic animated move enhanced by the sound effects from the beating of cymbals and gongs, the staccato drumming of drums accompanied by live music, too surreal to the ardent audiences.
Even though the storyline and the dialogues were foreign to us Malays, the colourful staging of the opera i.e the extraordinary traditionally designed costumes, the heavy make ups, the lighting effects, the vocals and the dancing, the red cheeks chorus girls of the ‘extra turns’, the comedies and the tragedies of the historical epic staged befitting the real live revival of the historical periods. For me watching the shows all season was like a period of my theater study apprentice attachment. As a result till present day I become too observant for details of events in the same manner I enjoyed the professional staging of The Beijing Opera at that Chinese Temple near my village, long time ago.

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Watching the ‘so called’ high profile DEBAT over BRTV (Bernama TV) a couple of nights ago (15th July 2008) between PKR De Facto Leader Dato’Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the newly elected Minister of Information, Dato’ Ahmad Shabery Cheek reminded me much of the 'impressive' performances of the Beijing Opera actors portraying advancing combatant Generals with full battlefield costume outfits I watched some 50 years ago as a kampong lad.
Although the bulk of the story line and the historical facts of the Chinese Historical Epics were alien and difficult for me to fathom then, or interpreting the Tamil Film hero MG Ramachandren and his comedian sidekick Nargesh, wooing the daughter of a rich Landlord, the storyline of which was also foreign, we enjoyed interpreting their overacting bits and well rehearsed gestures, mimic and moves.
But unlike the 60 minutes DEBAT (alas the station availed 3 “door slammers” of 3 minutes duration of commercial spot breaks) we the audience fully understood the issues upfront as they were current and spoken in our National Language. Surprisingly, what we could not fathom was their body language and the sparring part, the concept of the production, their way of dressing, the setting, the décor, the format as well programmed treatment and running order. For once I thought the production was apeing the concept of the televised current American Presidential Campaign Debate telecasts live by CNN, only that it lacked pomp and luster.
So what did the DEBAT left us.
It reminded me of our ‘Wayang Time’ way back in the sixties. Those WAYANGS although entertaining but were full of farce and false pretenses. Our two confronting generals (Dato’Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Dato’ Ahmad Shabery Cheek) presentation look like there were on two different planes working on 2 sets of data aka aliens from two different planets, trying to save mankind from impending disasters that we know best to counter. They looked confused and uneasy. Were they reading from prepared scripts with some form of ‘ad libbing’ here and there? That was how it looked like (pardon me for my arrogance). Also the well structured program format was of no help either. I presume each segment was timed to the second to give way for commercial break. The Production was too clean for a live and unrehearsed discoursed from 2 opposing politicians. Even school debates would be more provocative, riotous in nature as the issue discussed was of importance to the nation. Dato’Seri Anwar Ibrahim known to be an orator capable of breathing fire of provocations on all his streets rallies, looked lame like a ‘lion in winter,’ at time haggard and sometime seemed accommodating. His apathetic smiles and casual dressing with over sized sagging jacket did not help much in positioning and uplifting his stage image. Dato’Ahmad Shabery on the other hand looked a bit under dress on his dark suits without his tie. His performance was like a young half groomed actor with a badly written script. His unmotivated moves at times resulting to his vocal fell flat. Unlike Dato’Seri Anwar, the Minister of Information has no experience ‘acting for the cameras.’

(I suggest IPTAR – Ministry Information’s Institute Penyiaran Tun Abdul Razak could design a special course for the new politicians, more so for the present bunch of parliamentarians. This is no joke, as in over developed countries upcoming politicians or spokespersons need to master the skill of appearing for the media, playing gallery and charmed the public as the trust of their voters are judged on their outstanding personality, performances and ‘good press’.)

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So much with the DEBAT, now back to the ‘WAYANG’ or ‘PAADAM’ or 'BEIJING OPERA' play acting.

MGRamachandran not only an icon of the Tamil Movies in the Sixties and the seventies, but also a successful South Indian politician. He was the Prime Minister of the State of Tamil Naidu for a long term. There was this short film entitled The Phenomenon of MGRamachindran. It was shown by delegates from India in a Short Film Communication Seminars organized by Thamassat University Cheng Mai, Thailand which the scribe attended sometimes late 80es.
The Short Film was about the nagging problems the down turned of MGRamachandran’s political career. His charmed as the film lover boy was dwindling, and his camp need to do something to reposition his popularity to his electorates. They researched on all the good things he portrayed in his films. They found out, of the hundreds movie titles MGR acted as hero, never ever he lost a fight except once in a comedy skit with his sidekicks Comedian Nargesh. They decided to capitalized on it and created media frenzy on rumors that they had been for sometime in loggerhead over some leading actress. So one fine day while MGR was on one of his election campaign trail they stage-managed a fight which saw his onetime sidekicks Nargesh attacking him. Later the photograph of MGR with his ‘broken right arm’ in the sling was distributed in all his political rallies to his fans and followers. The short film was also screened in his other election campaigns. In no time the team had successfully maintained their leader’s popularity

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All in all the DEBAT akin watching some playacting stunts on films or stage shows. I truly believed if any qualified politicians choose to play acting in the world open stage, he or she could enhance his or her popularity standings (or political diversion) to the masses if stage managed properly.

But most of our political aspirants are neither (true) actors, nor (qualified) politicians. Some even make a mockery of themselves in Parliments. Imagine another DEBAT of this kind involving those, where do we end up.

A"Flip-Plop' society?

That’s all folks. I now rest my case. Have a good day.

THE RURAL POOR

Life was simple in the Fifties. At least for my Kampong folks from The Malay Settlement, for by virtue of our Malay descends as ‘the native son of the soil’ (kaum Bumiputra) we were categorized as Tuan Tanah/Land Owner - ‘Small Holders’ as against the vast Estate Plantations owned by European Planters. Most accepted it as honorable standings, that the British Colonial had positioned residents of The Malay Settlement as among the ‘well off’’ well above the ‘have not’ – the poor, the ‘landless’ or laborers in some Rubber Estates or Tin Mines.

Thus it was stated in my school record Father’s profession was that of a Land Owner or Tuan Tanah – a Small Holder, though I knew very well he was not. I remember our early dwelling was on an ancestral plot less than half an acre in size, known among the family circle as Tanah 2 Baris situated at Parit No 23 (Baruh). The plot consisting of two rows of coconut palms, left by his parents to be shared with his other 5 siblings. When his sibling sisters grew up the plot was too congested for their families housing needs. Father opted out. He moved our dwelling to a rented plot ¾ miles away at Parit 25 (Tengah).

It was on this rented plot that Father started his retail business, by means of ‘barter-trade’. Those days’ provision goods were exchanged with agricultural produce, as real cash was hard to come by. A lucky day’s cash sale saw only a couple of Ringgit turnover. Instead, we had loads of coconuts and other agricultural produce in his makeshift store next to father’s shop house. Later Father positioned his business as a local copra producer. He afforded himself with a Coconut Kiln taking advantage of the abundant supply of coconuts from The Malay Settlement.

His business was good and a couple of years later he enrolled me for English Medium Education in town. By now he could afford the monthly M$2.50 school fees plus other hefty consolidated and book fees. Time was hard then. It was easier to attend Malay School for free then going to town for English Education, expensive by local standard. You are lucky having an extra pair of school uniform on the first month of school, as there were other fees payments taking precedent. Nevertheless, Father has made his decision and the family must support.

I remember at times Father pawned Mother’s only jewelry for my school expenses with the promise he would redeemed them soonest. Mother did not mind the arrangement as long as Father fulfilled his promise. Mother reminded Father, that pair of gold bangles was her only prized possession left to her by her late mother. The only occasion she worn them was during her wedding ceremony with Father. Since then the jewelry was in some secret closet for safekeeping. Mother agreed, pawning them as collateral for my school expenses was a worthy cause, and through out my school days that pair of jewelry was my parent’s only valuable collateral for cash.

I owed them my heartfelt gratitude for their efforts and sacrifices.

(As time passed, I lost tract on that pair of Mother’s gold bangles. I presumed that after father’s death at the prime age of 52 in 1960, the pair of gold bangle was still lying in the pawnshop in town waiting to be redeemed. And no way Mother could redeemed it. Or on the night thieves burgled our house a few month’s after Father’s death stole all valuables including that pair of bangles. I believed the former. )

Now at 67 some 48 years after Father’s death, and as I enjoyed the luxurious view of the effluent Lembah Klang from my Penthouse Office at Cosmopolitan Square, Damansara Perdana, I realized how much things have changed for me. I am no more a village lad but an urbanized person, living in the comfort of a developed society. Gone are my simple rural livings in The Malay Settlement with Father, Mother and five siblings. Time passed by and I very much missed them. Had not for Father’s vision on my sound education and Mother’s sacrifices all along, I will not be what I am today. I would be growing up in the Malay Reserve Land, a dropout surviving with whatever odd jobs availed, like most of my other colleagues deprived of proper education. Most, to this day are still living on meager income. Some are in the bracket of hardcore poor living on the same plots left behind by their ancestors.

Sadly after 50 years of Merdeka and self-ruled my descendents in The Malay Settlement, the once acclaimed Tuan Tanah/Land Owner by the Colonial Master, are but a bunch of hardcore poor. Merdeka means nothing to them. It has not changed much improvement to their livelyhood. The existing infrastructure was no better than those left behind by the colonial master, some 50 years ago. And so are their life stories, that of a never-ending tales of hardships for ‘the son of the soil.’ – kaum bumiputra.

Until present time, I feel no stranger meeting them as I travelled the 30km stretch of coconut plantations covering the length of the Malay Settlement. Nothing changes, except some rundown buildings and some old coconut palms swaying in the evening breeze of Selat Melaka. Some occupants are still around, though most of their elders had passed away. We still remember each other’s first name, that of their siblings and the name of their parents and grand parents. Nothing changed much. Their (Rumah Kotai) ancestral homes like mine once the landmark of each family plot, still remained but lack luster, ruined with times and not fit for living. Others left unattended, and a few like Father’s Rumah Kotai, rented out for cheap.

The Malay Reserve Settlement itself was in dire state. After Merdeka as the demand for copra slacks, most moved out making their livings elsewhere. Those who remain in The Malay Reserve heartland opted to other means of livelihood by becoming odd laborers or inshore fishermen….or unemployed poor. Alas, to this day they are the still left outs and the hardcore rural poor.