COMEDIES are now courting controversies and backlash once again. There was a time not long ago when comedies, especially in films and RTM variety shows, were regarded as truly entertaining and were a reflection of things Malaysian, were harmless and appreciated by a wide section of society.
The comic skits in films of yesteryear featuring P. Ramlee, A.R. Badul, Jamali Shadat, Hamid Gurkha, Yusni Jaafar, Ibrahim Pendek, P. Param and numerous others ensured that Malaysians had a hearty laugh as a form of entertainment.
Comedians like Harith Iskandar are continuing this positive trend these days. There was nothing serious, overly critical or confrontational in these comedies. Lat’s comic strips those days used to brighten up our mornings with infectious smiles.
We still remember some of the more notable and salient comedies in Malay films. Maybe some of the comedies of the 1960s to 1990s should be aired daily for few minutes before the main news bulletins on RTM, Astro Awani and TV3. Perhaps, this will help us reflect on the past and prod us to laugh again.
Over the last few decades, a lot of socioeconomic and political changes have negatively transformed our
once-happy Malaysian community. Nowadays, almost every thing is viewed from a political, racial or religious angle, and this has led to polarisation in our once harmonious and united country.
Report after police report, sometimes numbering in the hundreds, are made against sometimes mostly trivial issues. I feel the police will do a world of good if a few of these so-called complainants are nabbed while making the complaints and placed in lock-ups temporarily for their vexatious and frivolous reports that waste police time and resources.
Today, Malaysians are tensed up, stressed, have become irritable and have a short fuse and tend to find fault at harmless satire and humour.
Malaysia’s diversity was a rich ground for good-natured humour and it is sad that this has now mostly come to an end. Even the political parodies,
that enable some soul searching of current situations in the present
and more democratised atmosphere, are being viewed as too critical
and confrontational against the establishment.
Perhaps, the pandemic of the last two years, with the lockdowns, Covid-19 infections and deaths, price increases of consumer goods, polemics, job losses, socioeconomic deprivation as well as the non-stop political upheaval have a lot to do with the negative reactions of Malaysians.
The global situation too is no brighter, either with the pandemic resurging with new waves and variants or novel diseases popping up dangerously, like in Africa.
Worldwide, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has led to fuel price hikes, food shortages, supply chain disruptions and inflation, that have started impoverishing many countries.
As if all these troubles are not enough, last week the United Nations announced that the world population at the end of November would reach
eight billion.
As it is, hundreds of millions of people the world over live in abject poverty, face pollution, disease and hunger. To exacerbate the situation are natural disasters like droughts, climate change, famine and floods that are wreaking havoc and causing untold misery to mankind.
Despite that, it appears that mankind has taken the biblical exhortation “to go forth and multiply” too literally to the extend of endangering their own existence and impoverishing Mother Earth to unsustainable levels.
It is tragic that mankind has forgotten that a poignant part of life is peace, happiness and laughter!
Comments: letters@thesundaily.com
