books
Book Review – Can we save Malaysia, please!
Halfway through reading this book you’ll want to take up a placard, march down Kuala Lumpur and stage a protest. Oh, the drama.
The book’s titled “Can we save Malaysia, please!” and that’s just what it exudes. Drama. But grounded in reality, of course.
It’s the latest by Kee Thuan Chye. Yep, that zealous veteran newsman-playwright with a penchant for being straight as a die in commenting about the Malaysian political scene.
Take his two running blogs for example: Bull Bashing on Yahoo! News and Shame the Devil on MSN Malaysia.
Heck, even his previous book titles exude that zeal: “We Could **** You, Mr Birch” (2004), “No More Bullshit, Please, We're All Malaysians” (2012), “Ask for No Bullshit, Get Some More!” (2013).
So, it’s on that note that “Can we save Malaysia, please!” makes its debut. It’s a compilation of articles from both blogs, grouped under nine sections.
Each section highlights a certain theme with topics ranging from the prime minister to the politicisation of race and religion.
The book is comparable to S Thayaparan’s “No Country for Righteous Men”. Both are pessimistic about the country’s situation, but the difference definitely has to be Kee’s prose and angle, which makes it a more engaging read.
The positive bit about Kee is that he doesn’t sacrifice facts for flair. He gives you the total rundown about a certain issue, loaded with quotes and facts, interspersed with posers and comments.
And structurally, there’s a progression that makes the book easy to follow. It also acts as a reference book as readers can approach the sections independently, meaning you can just flip open any of them and be schooled in some aspect of Malaysian politics.
That makes “Can we save Malaysia, please!” an easy and informative read for the average Malaysian.
Also commendable are his critiques that not only focus on the ruling coalition but also the opposition and the media.
The last chapter of the book is also unique as the brawler bears his soul to his readers, talking about his fears and hopes and aspirations. It’s a good play by Kee, after all it is identifying with your audience that makes you a sensible commenter.
If there’s any room for criticism on content – and this is not reflective of Kee’s ability as a writer – it would be for deeper analyses on interfaith issues.
Kee does cover them – “God Almighty!” is a section entirely dedicated to that – but it would have been more refreshing to read on, say, the effectiveness of interfaith dialogue.
Beyond the book’s content, design remains a nagging issue. The book’s cover has to go. A sharper design would have been better as opposed to the author’s face with the wayang kulit at the background.
That said, “Can we save Malaysia, please!” deserves some space on the bookshelf. Kee is a reminder that work still has to be done, and perhaps one has to take the lead in being brash, honest and even ballsy about ranting and commenting about the Malaysian situation.
This we have in Kee Thuan Chye. Now, where was that placard again?
Kee Thuan Chye’s “Can we save Malaysia, please!” is priced at RM44.90 and is available at all major bookstores except MPH. – June 25, 2014.
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