Championing change

“No more bullshit, please.” This is something on the minds of many Malaysians today who have become fed-up of all the lies coming out of Putrajaya. After having suffered more than five decades of rule under Barisan Nasional (BN), these Malaysians have come to feel that “enough is enough”, and that the time for change has come.

Echoing this sentiment is the 404-page book “No More Bullshit, Please, We’re All Malaysians” by writer, actor, playwright and journalist Kee Thuan Chye, and published by Marshall Cavendish.

Straight talk on Malaysian politics is what you get in this book. No mincing of words, no waffling. Direct and to-the-point. In other words, no bullshit.

Its author, Kee Thuan Chye, is noted for his candid and honest commentaries on Malaysian politics in online news websites such as Malaysiakini, Free Malaysia Today and Malaysian Digest. He is also the author of “March 8: The Day Malaysia Woke Up” (2008) and “March 8: Time for Real Change” (2010).

In “No More Bullshit, Please, We’re All Malaysians”, you hear the voice of a Malaysian who speaks without fear or favor for the sake of his country. The book contains his incisive interpretations of what is going wrong in Malaysia and his suggestions of what needs to be done to correct the ills.

Reading it, you get the strong message that all he wants is a better Malaysia, a truly multiracial, multi-religious, multi-cultural nation that respects the rights and customs of every citizen, and is governed according to the rule of law and the principles of justice.

He calls on non-Muslim voters not to be afraid of PAS, and declares that “BN only talks, but PAS transforms”. He asks, “How did we tolerate the ISA for so long?”

Kee does not hold back his criticism regarding the prime minister and some of his Cabinet members. He calls Najib Razak “a salesman and a flip-flopper” and regards his 1Malaysia as “just an empty slogan”. He points out that Najib “speaks with a forked tongue”.

He condemns Hishammuddin Hussein for defending the cow-head protesters and Mahathir Mohamad for aligning himself with Perkasa and sowing hatred among the races.

He asks the crucial question: “Can Umno change or cows fly?”

“No More Bullshit, Please, We’re All Malaysians” also includes Kee’s political poems, excerpts from his political plays and interviews done with him by other media.

He hopes this book will impress upon Malaysians the need to speak plainly and openly, without fear of reprisals and persecution. He himself exhibits plain and fearless speaking when he asks if Malaysians are stupid enough to fall for the Government’s deceptions.

He calls for the repeal of the Sedition Act and slams the forces that tried to suppress Bersih 2.0. He condemns racial politics and leaders who resort to racism. He champions academic freedom and electoral reform. He declares himself Malaysian First.

His book should be read by fence-sitters and people who get their news only from the mainstream media. It will give them an alternative perspective on what is happening in Malaysia and possibly help them to decide better when they vote at the coming general election.

“No More Bullshit, Please, We’re All Malaysians” is now available in all major bookstores.