Ceritalah: Malaysia in Transition

Author: Karim Raslan

This book is a collection of articles written for 'The Sun' between 1994 and 1995 - divided into 4 main segments; as well as a piece from the New Straits Times Annual 1994.

The articles cover the following aspects of Malaysia: Culture & Society, Political Life, People & Places and a special segment covering the 1995 Election.

Throughout the pieces, the writer explores and addresses the contradictions of his upbringing and his world view - his father was born into Perak nobility, while his mother is an Englishwoman. After his father's death, his family relocated to England. He is, as he claims, 'a child of the NEP' but like many who have benefitted from it through overseas education, is not 'without criticism of the policy'.

The single article from the New Straits Times, entitled 'Roots', takes us down a personal memory lane as the writer recalls the events surrounding his father's death and reminisces the 'olde Worlde' Perak that his father was born into. It is an interesting piece that highlights a turning point in the social and cultural aspects of our nation's history - the line dividing the past and post-independent Malaya, the gaps between different generations. There is a hint of melancholia as the writer attempts to put together an image of a father he lost at the young age of 7.

The Culture & Society and People & Places segments showcases the best of his writing - the sharp observations, the self-deprecating humour and his candid feelings about his surroundings and his sociocultural background. You could almost picture him sauntering along the pavements of Cape Town or drinking 'oily black coffee' in Taiping through the descriptions of the places he visits.

In the Political Life segment, he writes of several prominent political figures - Dr Mahathir, Anwar Ibrahim, Hishamuddin Hussein. Here, I felt, he was a bit guarded - almost as if he was afraid to toe the line. He admits as much in one article which was a follow-up to a piece written on Dr Mahathir. To quote another essay from another segment,

"Basically, you're damned if you're boring and damned if you're not. Which leaves the half-world between the 'lines' as your only refuge."

Since the articles were written back in 1995, it is interesting to note the differences between what was a foregone conclusion then and what has actually unfolded 14 years since. This is especially so when the subject is Anwar Ibrahim, who was at the zenith of his UMNO career back then. In an article entitled 'Follow The Leader,' this is what the author says about the prospect of Anwar, then the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, succeeding Dr Mahathir as the country's Premier:

"To be frank, we have little chance of altering what is a done deal. When the time comes, there will be the transition from PM to DPM and that will be that.
We will clap our hands on the sidelines and then go back to work. Under normal circumstances, I would complain like hell because I don't feel that I, as a Malaysian voter, have had very much say in the appointment and selection of the next PM. However, the man chosen is bright, intelligent, well-read, ambitious and determined - all the ingredients needed for the job.

My concern now lies with the question: who will the DPM be looking to in turn to succeed him?"

Well, we all know how THAT turned out, don't we?

Confessions of an Old Boy – The Dato’ Hamid Adventures

Author: Kam Raslan

Bored with my pre-natal selection for post-natal reading, I had placed another order of books with MPHOnline, this time restricting myself to 3 ‘Malaysiana’ books in English, and one Malay novel.

I started with this one, and boy was I glad I made this choice. I had initially expected the book to be filled with short anecdotes and recollections, a la Dina Zaman's 'I Am Muslim' (which was excellent, BTW!) but was surprised to find that it only contained 7 stories. For someone who was born in the 1920's or 1930's, you'd expect a lot more confessions from the Old Boy. Sadly none of the adventures took place in the 'Eton of the East'.

Dato' Hamid is such an engaging and endearing character that I really wanted to read more of his adventures, and especially wanted to know where and how exactly he met The Wife. There were at least two accounts of how he had to 'leave behind the love of my life' only to meet another woman whom he 'knew then I was going to marry.' Neither of whom, of course, ended up as his partner in holy matrimony. By the time I got to the fifth entry titled 'Ariff and Capitalism', which was about 75 pages long, it was already long past midnight, hence I am going to rate the book 'Unputdownable'.

He is a man of many contradictions. Maybe that is just a Malayan characteristic. A true Anglophile, he revels in the decadence readily served up by London and Europe, yet wishes to be nothing more than 'a humble civil servant' in his homeland. And there is the 'Whodunit', which, although built on a cliched premise, still manages to entertain with a twist at the end.

By the end of the book, you'll be wanting more of Dato' Hamid, his family, his cohorts and even his beloved boss at the Ministry (I keep wondering which Tun he is alluding to). Here's hoping there's a sequel or prequel!