Rediscovering roots.

22 years.

How have I lasted that long doing Malay (television)?

When it all started, my radar towards the Malay community entertainment was close to zero. I did not know anybody in the industry. Even up to this day, when someone approaches me to claim relative at someone already in the industry, it may be met with a “hmmm?” or “ohh?” from me. Sorry.

In the 80-90s, apart from those top 10 Malay pop songs on rotation on local radio, my awareness to my own culture was those of the late 70s Nusantara songs, satay, mee rebus, lontong, nasi lemak, sambal goreng, Hari Raya delicacies and maybe, Geylang Serai.

My first television assignment straight after graduating film school was a short segment on Dondang Sayang for a weekly morning magazine programme - miles away and on the opposite spectrum to Tears For Fears, Duran Duran and maybe Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Thanks to my first boss, Mr Yusoff, for throwing me into the deep end of the ocean. I somehow float my way around the very Malay Dondang Sayang troupe from Malacca.

Fast forward, I met many more Malays that were of interest to my research for many more Malay programmes. Many from the Malay community was very kind to me, while others were not. Much of their adversity perhaps arose from their self-righteous observation that I was not being Malay enough.

I fought back. Heck, I had a job to do and deadlines to meet. Then I thought if we happened to bumped into one of this malicious Malays, they’d probably feign ignorance and walked the other way. Fine.

I think this was where I began to develop a thick skin towards the impossible. It's all business, nothing personal.

And then I met the late Cikgu Muhammad Ariff Ahmad “father of Malay linguistics” and his contemporary Cikgu Masuri SN. I spent a lot of time with them while doing my research for a one-hour documentary series about their life and work. For the first time, I had someone who looked beyond my incapacities of my Malayness. I actually felt comfortable communicating with them in my half-past six “establishment” Malay language. Their countenances actually made me more keen to discover the Malay world. 

Cool guys, these Cikgus. 

In their own non-judgmental way, they made me eager to do more programmes in the Malay language. And yes, the Malay language is beautiful. There is so much that one can weave the Malay words to derive meanings at diverse contexts.

6 television awards for Malay television, 1 feature film and numerous other shorts later, I still find that the Singapore-Malay world is intriguing and amusing at the same time.

Fasih Bahasa Melayu tidak bermakna Melayu nya cerdik.
Lebih baik faham sahaja Melayu daripada tak faham bahasa.

Don’t fret if your kids do not do well in their respective “Mother tongues”. Most important, imho, that you keep harnessing their interest to the culture and ethnicity.