Malaysia Inside Out

Standing beside her home, a room in a homestead she shares with her extended family, Archana grins broadly as I ask her about the events of the last week. As one of four people from her village selected to produce a video film, the last 7 days have been something of a departure from the usual daily activities in Melandi village.

Archana is a young mother of two teenage children. Married at 15 to a man she had never met until her wedding day, she now lives with her husband’s family in Melandi village, in the western province of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. For the women of Melandi village, life revolves around the home, and family. Rarely venturing beyond the village walls, women are answerable at all times to their husbands, to whom they defer on all decisions. They are rarely called upon to voice their opinions and are excluded from community meetings.

Melandi is a small Hindu community located on an ‘island’ within the Rajshahi floodplains of the Padma river. Reachable only on foot or motorbike, the village is practically cut off during the flood season when passage by boat is only possible when the flood waters are high. On the day we arrive at the village, heavy rains have made the path along the flood embankment impassable on anything but our feet. We walk barefoot for 3km to reach the village, ankle deep in mud. We visit the village in July, during the flood season, but the water in the floodplains is low. The monsoon rains are late this year. The little rain that has fallen has brought patches of bright green paddy to the floodplain.

This is my second visit to Melandi, as part of a project to boost fish production from nearby Beel Mail, a depression in the floodplain that fills each year during the monsoon rains. Working together, with help from the local fisheries department and the WorldFish Center, the people of Melandi are culturing fish in the flood waters to eat and sell. Arriving in the village, there seem to have been some changes. There are more brick houses amongst the traditional mud houses, more televisions and a palpable change in the atmosphere. My last visit left a stark impression of poverty and hardship. The local fisheries officers are pleased with the results of the project and hope to try the same approach in other villages.

Our arrival in the village causes a stir. Visitors are not uncommon, the research team makes this journey regularly from Dhaka – it’s the video equipment that is unusual, and the children gather round to get a better look. A meeting is called, and before long the village square is full of people. They have the difficult task ahead of selecting just four people, including two women, to represent their community and make a documentary film on a topic of their choosing.

Led by Kazol, a filmmaker from one of Bangladesh’s largest NGO’s, Proshika, the Melandi team were taken through the basics of video camera techniques. On day one, they each held the camera for the first time. By day two, they were testing camera angles and setting up a range of shots. By day 5, the team produced a beautifully shot film about the town where the training took place, ‘The story of Bhobaniganj’. About the film Archana says “I loved seeing our video after we made it. Making it was a great experience. I never went anywhere before and freely spoke to people. It felt great.’

Unlike most women in her community, Archana has spoken directly to the local District Officer, and asked him questions. Under normal circumstances, for a woman to approach a government official in this way would be unthinkable, but with a video camera in her hand, the usual cultural norms no longer apply.

For Kazol, the video represents an opportunity to revive a way of film making that is close to his heart. As part of a ground-breaking participatory video team, Kazol has seen how powerful video can be in the hands of women. In 1990, he trained a group of village women in video film production. Amongst them was Shahnaz Begum who, after the training, chose her neighbour, Aleya, as the subject of her first film. Escaping her husband, who became violent when her family could not complete her dowry payments, Aleya fled her home and struggled to build a new life with her daughter, living off a meager income from menial labour and selling betel leaf. In the film, Aleya speaks candidly and with emotion about her experiences. The film received international awards, and has been shown in 23 countries. But it is in Bangladesh that the film has had the greatest impact, shown in villages around the country it has empowered women, who recognize their own situation in the experiences related by Aleya, to speak out against the financially crippling dowry system.

Now Archana has the opportunity to benefit from the power that the video camera seems to create.

‘Before the training I was a little scared’, she admits. ‘I am not educated and I was worried whether I would be able to learn. I only knew I have to work with a video. But I had never heard of, or touched a video camera before. I loved the experience and felt great when I held the camera. I never went anywhere before and freely spoke to people. It felt great.’

The Melandi video team were able to choose any topic for their film. They chose to call it ‘The Island of Dreams and Success’, describing how the village has changed in recent years. The production is entirely their own, written, filmed and edited with only minimal assistance from Kazol and his team. The result is astonishing. As we watch the film on the final day of the video process, it is hard to believe that this was the work of a team who held a camera for the first time just a week before. The whole village has turned out to see the film, projected onto a makeshift screen of sheets and bamboo poles in the center of the village. As the film comes to an end, there is a loud round of cheering and applause.

The crowd disperses quickly. It is late and the day starts early in Melandi. But the video process doesn’t end here. The video is to be shown to government officials in the capital, Dhaka – to people who the villagers of Melandi will never have a chance to meet, but through video they can tell them what is important to their community. Kazol continues to work with the newly trained video crew, and hopes to extend video training to other communities in rural Bangladesh, giving more people an opportunity to have their voices heard.

See the video here (10 minute version)

The idea to produce a video in Bangladesh came about as a direct result of the training I received through CJ.MY, proving that video has the power to make a difference in the hands of citizens everywhere.

The fish culture project is led by the WorldFish Center, based in Penang, and funded by the Challenge Program on Water and Food.

In this, the first of a weekly round up of the top stories in Malaysia and views from Asia, I am in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka. Yet it’s hard to miss, or ignore, the events unfolding in Malaysia this week surrounding the death of Teoh Beng Hock, 30 year old political secretary to Selangor state executive councillor Ean Yong Hean Wah.

Not only is this a tragedy for a grieving family and Beng Hock’s pregnant fiance, the repercussions will be felt for a long time to come. Reports suggest that he fell to his death from the building housing the MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) in Shah Alam, where he had been held for interview until 3.45am that night. No one can be sure what happened after that. Politicians are calling for a Royal Commission of Inquiry.

On Saturday, police reported that Beng Hock died as a result of a high fall. His death was classified as ’sudden death’. The reason why he fell has yet to be determined, and dozens of questions are waiting to be answered.

What is known so far? According to Malaysiakini,

‘Teoh, 30, was found dead last Friday [17th July] . He had been picked up on Thursday about 5pm for questioning by the Selangor MACC   in relation to a probe into the spending of constituency funds. His body was found at about 1.30pm the next day on the fifth floor balcony at the building in which the MACC is housed in Shah Alam.’ (Malaysiakini, July 21st)

The Star Online reports that Teoh Beng Hock was a key witness in the probe against several state assemblymen who allegedly misused allocation funds.

An uneasy public clearly wants their questions answered, as a forum held in Penang yesterday evening shows.

Malaysiakini.tv: Tribute to Teoh Beng Hock

Datuk Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim, Minister for Information, Communication and Culture was confronted today with a new breed of journalist, the ‘Citizen Journalist’.

Speaking with reporters in Ampang this morning, the Minister was at first unsure how to respond when asked if he supported the growing movement of Citizen Journalism in Malaysia, and whether he thought the growth of citizen journalism was a positive development.

Following some clarification that Citizen Journalists are ‘non-professional reporters or bloggers’ his response echoed his comments in April, in which he stated that “[private media corporations and bloggers] who have broken the laws have to face legal action”.

The potential role of non-professional journalists and bloggers as a source of independent news and views was not touched upon by the Minister, who focused exclusively on the law and the need for writers and bloggers to be responsible for what is written, to prevent the country from falling into a ‘quagmire of untruth and half-truths that would not be good for the civilisation’.

Stating that the right to write should be respected, he also warned that he or she who violates the law through the kind of writing they choose to pursue should face the consequences of their actions, “bravely”.

See the video here

International performances are staged rarely here in Penang which, despite its extraordinary cultural heritage, can be something of a desert when it comes to theatre and performance arts, so last week many people jumped at the chance to see one of the most expensive performances ever staged in Penang.

Dewan Sri Penang, Penang’s only theatre space of a size sufficient to put on major performances, staged ‘Breakout’, an ‘extreme dance comedy’ from Korea. The group has performed around the globe, including an extended run on New York’s Broadway. The show went down a storm. The audience loved it.

It feels like Penang’s arts scene is experiencing a sudden growth spurt, with two international performances staged at Dewan Sri Penang in the last two months – Rasa Unmasked, an Indian dance performance created by Malaysia’s foremost Indian Classical dance performer, Ramli Ibrahim, was performed here in April 2009 – perhaps bringing us closer to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s vision of Penang as an ‘inter-cultural hub’. Penangites seem  to have a thirst for more, with the on-going popularity of the performance space at the Little Penang Street Market, making the arts accessible to all, and international events like the annual Penang Jazz Festival.

The cancellation of the World Music Festival this year was a disappointment to many. Last year’s festival was one of the most exciting and enjoyable arts events I have ever experienced. Penang had an opportunity to really put itself on the map as a venue for the international arts scene. Last year’s event was not only a show case for an incredible mix of musical styles from some of the top performers in the world, but also an example of the highly professional pool of people Penang has to organise and stage an event of this kind. The organisation and production of each show was flawless.

But what art lovers in Penang are crying out for is a versatile performance space, where people can come together to share their love of the visual and performance arts – and in this cultural mix that is Penang, surely the arts are one of the best ways of cultivating tolerance and understanding between people from all backgrounds. What are the options here in Penang? Could Dewan Sri Penang be upgraded? Instead of yet another shopping mall, could we see plans for an arts center with multiple performance and exhibition spaces, capable of supporting both international productions and community-focused arts programs that allow anyone, regardless of background, income, religion or mobility to enjoy the arts?

Arts events may be seen by many as the privilege of the few, but this needn’t be true. Self-expression and communication through the arts is open to anyone, together with the benefits the arts can bring in terms of confidence building in young people, cross-cultural communication, an outlet for stress and tension, a reprieve from daily struggles, and a simple source of pleasure and enjoyment. This is something that should not be denied to anyone.

I’d like to see the Chief Minister’s vision become a reality – but it needs commitment, and funds that are sorely lacking in these tough economic times. It needs to be a greater vision – that speaks ot equity and freedom, and an attainable enhancement of the quality of life of anyone who seeks it in Penang.

Anyone who has a seen a newspaper or browsed the internet recently can’t have failed to notice a lot of buzz about by-elections. No less than three, in fact, were held simultaneously yesterday in Perak, Kedah and Sarawak. By-elections have the potential to generate political storms when a critical seat is in question, but few have caused the political fervor witnessed in Malaysia during the last two months. The outcomes of today’s by-election will have repercussions around the country, linked as they are to a dozen separate issues rampaging around the Malaysian media at the moment.

So what’s going on, and where did all this start?

It could be argued that today’s tumult has its origins back in March 2008, when the opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat, or the People’s Alliance, had its first major breakthrough in 50 years, gaining power in 5 states and putting an end to the two-thirds parliamentary majority enjoyed by the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN) since Independence. This was a groundbreaking victory, of such magnitude to the Malaysian electorate that it is compared in metaphor to one of the most powerful and devastating natural disasters the region has witnessed – no less than a political ‘tsunami’. It was an event that has rocked BN to its foundations, culminating in the events of last week, when Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi stepped down as PM to make way for his Deputy and successor, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

In February 2009, BN saw an opportunity to regain power in at least one of the opposition states – Perak. Despite their win in March 2008, PR held the state assembly by a narrow majority. When four assemblymen from the PR defected to join BN, the balance swung in favour of BN, who swiftly moved in to claim the state as theirs, seeking advice from the Sultan of Perak to formalize a new state government, and physically preventing the Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin from entering his office, now occupied by BN’s Zambry Abdul Kadir. But the implications of the defections had a wider reach, increasing the majority in parliament for BN to 31 against 28 for the opposition PR.

Turmoil in Perak followed as the PR refused to step down, against the decision of Sultan Azlan Shah, the monarch of Perak. Protests, riots and tear gas continued throughout much of February. BN currently holds power in the state.

But, you may well ask ‘What has this got to do with the by-election in Bukit Gantang in Perak?’ The current by-election was after all brought about by the death of PAS Member of Parliament Roslan Shaharum (pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, a member of the opposition coalition) on 9^th February 2009. Seen by Mohd Nizar and others as a referendum on the BN takeover in Perak yesterday, Nizar’s win won’t reinstate PR in Perak, but it will send a strong message to BN and the new PM where the sentiments of the electorate lie, despite the ruling of the Sultan. A double success for PR in Perak and Kedah and the weak outcome for BN may lead to shows of strength by Najib Abdul Razak as he establishes himself as the country’s new leader.

Mohd Nizar won the Bukit Gantang by-election on 7th April by a majority of 2,789 votes and takes the parliamentary seat for Perak.