While the tweet above is a little over the top, the Malaysian Prime Minister certainly missed the mark in terms of political correctness by the use of the word ‘keling’ in the course of his address at the Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI). Anwar quickly aplogized to the Tamils of the nations whose offence is understandable, given that they have been assailed, in recent years, by the use of this term as a racist slur. In mitigation, however, he claimed that the sense in which he used the word is correct in the context of his literary reference. I for one, understand his assumption of intellectual privilege, his belief that he was rising above the slur to the respectful connotations evidenced by the etymology of the term. There is however no doubt that the Malay language displays both benign and derisory senses of the term and it is very revealing of the status of Indians in our nation, that our Malay Prime Ministers seem consistantly unable to keep this terminology out of their public utterances.
See: A Keling Lexicon A – J
See Also: Pantun Keling Kedah!
Tag: Anwar Ibrahim
Hantu Tinggi
The Koboi performances involve integrating themes that arise from the location of the event with the abiding themes of the Koboi Project – 1) the persona of the black hat cowboy, 2) the giant SUPERSTAR banner , and 3) the ritual offering. The SUPERSTAR banner brings a sense of scale, both immediate physical size and the more expansive sense of mass media projection. The first SUPERSTAR banner carried a representation of inimitable Kollywood giant Rajinikanth. It was initially raised at the Burning Man Festival 2017, and later presented in Tokyo 2018, Bangkok 2018, and Lisbon 2018 & 2019. For the Dari Pusat Tasek performance at Percha Artspace, Lumut, Perak in December 2019, the image of Rajinikanth was replaced by that of Malaysian political colossus, Anwar Ibrahim. This Anwar Banner was raised again at Kapallorek Artspace, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak in August 2023.
Bandar Seri Iskandar is a new university town, a recent development in an older area known as Bota. ‘Bota‘ derives from the Sanskrit bhūta (demon) and refers to a local ‘giant’. According to folklore, once upon a time, giants inhabited this area and the old place names of the surrounding areas – Bota Kanan, Bota Kiri and Ekor Bota, stem from layering the image of a fallen giant over a landscape shaped by the Perak river. If one were to understand this physical territory in terms of the ontology of the traditional Malay cosmos, one might see it as being contiguous with the area known as Padang Jauh dan Puncak Gunung.
With both SUPERSTARS and Botas in mind, a propitiation was made, at the start of the Pokok Pauh Janggi performance (see notes) to all the Hantu Tinggi. Struggling against the wind that arose at this time, I lit a red candle at the near the massive Gergasi Bota mural on the Kapallorek building, while calling out,
.
Aku minta’ ampun kapada sagala Hantu Tinggi!
I ask forgiveness of all Tall Ghosts (Giants)!
At this very moment, the SUPERSTAR banner, that had been previously raised, collapsed in a sudden gust of wind, as if to indicate the Hantu Tinggi did not quite approve! Having raised the banner again, and having secured it properly this time, I placed the lighted candle at its foot.
https://sangpengembaraalamkehidupan.blogspot.com/2017/03/lagenda-gergasi-bota-sebuah.html
SUPERSTARS!! 3
And there you have it! SUPERSTAR meets SUPERSTAR!
SUPERSTARS 2
What more can I say?!!!
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2023/09/953996/indian-actor-rajinikanth-visits-anwar-watch
SUPERSTARS!!
My two SUPERSTARS come together! What can I say!!!
Sponsor of the Giant Anwar Ibrahim Hoarding 2
Sponsor R Viriya with a section of his giant Anwar Ibrahim hoarding when it was down between Wisma Keringat (2008) and Dewan Orang Ramai, Kg Indian Settlement (2018) installations. This image of Anwar is represented in my SUPERSTAR flag which was presented at the Pokok Pauh Janggi exhibition (part of the Koboi Project) at the Kapallorek Artspace in Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak. Pokok Pauh Janggi runs from 5th Aug – 30th Sept 2023
Sponsor of the Giant Anwar Ibrahim Hoarding
In December 2019, I was happy to meet with R Viriya the sponsor of the giant Anwar Ibrahim hoarding at Kampung Indian Settlement Batu Caves. This hoarding was the subject of my new flag printed for the Dari Pusat Tasek exhibition at Percha Art Space in Lumut (Dec2019 – Jan 2020). The 12.2m hoarding was first erected in front of Wisma Keringat with council approval in 2008. The hoarding, which had been sponsored through community fundraising, met with accusations of wastage and idolatry from UMNO and PAS politicians. It was taken down at the end of the permit period and kept in storage to be put up again near the Dewan Orang Ramai, Kg Indian Settlement in 2018 for the GE14. According to Viriya the image was painted by a visiting Indian cinema hoarding painter and it certainly conveys the aura of an Indian media SUPERSTAR! I took my koboi photo in 2018 after the surprise Harapan win in GE14. This flag was presented again at the Pokok Pauh Janggi exhibition at the Kapallorek Artspace in Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak. Pokok Pauh Janggi runs from 5th Aug – 30th Sept 2023
Merdeka 3
Mariam Mokhtar makes a scathing criticism of Anwar Ibrahim’s Madani agenda. While I completely agree with her in terms of the ideals of the liberal democratic nation-state, I must point out that the liberal secular state is not the only legitimate outcome of the democratic process. Generally, a liberal democracy will exhibit the following characteristics – governance based on a constitution, universal suffrage, regular elections, multiple political parties, the separation of powers, the rule of law, the freedom of information, and the equal protection of human rights for all members of the nation. There is a further expectation of a liberal democracy to exhibit these additional traits, it should be a market economy, enshrine private property and practice secularism. While I believe that Malaysia must remain a democracy, and while I personally would prefer that we tend towards the ‘liberal’ form of governance, there are many variations of democracy in the world. These forms tend towards diverse poles including collectivism, ethnocentricity, and theocracy. We might wish for a more liberal democracy, but we must, nevertheless, acknowledge that even a less liberal democracy can still fulfill the essential requirements of that form of governance. Indeed, I believe that demographic trends and the consequential machinations of opportunistic party politics will likely conspire to take Malaysia towards more exotic forms of government in the future. However, in the meantime, Anwar should heed Mariam’s list of criticisms –
1. Non-Malays fear the Green Wave, so they will fully support Anwar Ibrahim but he has not bothered to hide his Islamic credentials.
2. Anwar claims he is a reformer but there have been no reforms, especially in the areas of the cost-of-living crisis and religious extremism.
3. Anwar will have been a disappointment if he delays reforms.
4. The Hadith Module will impinge on non-Muslim students and even Muslims will loose out in terms of time for science, technology an IT.
5. Anwar himself has said he would focus on needs-based rather than race-based quotas for University entrance and so he should be more respectful of those who raise questions on this matter.
6. The Malay population is badly divided in terms of access to the purported Malay privilege, particularly in the area of education.
7. Madani, Hadhari and all other forms of political Islam, particularly the more extreme versions of PAS and Perikatan Nasional are empty slogans that confuse the people and fail to further a true Islam.
8.Contrary to his purported liberal and multicultural agenda, Anwar has given more money to JAKIM and wants them to be involved in policy.
9. Anwar’s bid to harmonize sharia and civil law is troubling as constitutionally, Sharia law only relates to “family matters” for Muslims.
10 Freedom of speech is being restricted blatantly, as when the Minister of Communications issued a threat that the police would knock on our doors if we criticized the administration.
11. When a bumiputera company fails, taxpayers should not have to bail them out.
12. Anwar has been slow to criticize PAS for their outrageous claim that Muslims must vote for PAS, or else they will go to hell.
Merdeka 2
Taniah kepada Yang Amat Berhormat Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim sempena pertama kali menyambut Hari Merdeka sebagai Perdana Menteri Malaysia selepas perjuangan selama 25 tahun. Selamat menyambut 66 tahun Merdeka – 31hb Ogos 2023.
The Koboi Returns 2023
In December 2019, I did a Koboi Performance for Percha Art Space in Lumut, in which I raised a new SUPERSTAR banner depicting a giant hoarding of Anwar Ibrahim. I performed a cleansing ritual on the Lumut waterfront and left for Vancouver soon after. I will return to Malaysia in August this year (2023).
Since my performance, and after a long struggle, Anwar Ibrahim has become the 10th Prime Minister of the nation and holds on to this seat by the skin of his teeth. Anwar incredible return to power, after a quarter-century perjuangan, is an exemplary Hero’s journey – a striking display determination, endurance and a sense of destiny. To mark my own much less momentous return, I am working towards another Koboi Performance the details of which will be announced shortly.
The Koboi Project 
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