The Malaysian Insight

FREEDOM of artistic expression in Malaysia remains under threat even after a change of government, playwright and director Fa Abdul said after the cancellation of her play following a protest by Islamist hardliners last week.

On Valentine’s Day, a group from Jaringan Muslimin Pulau Pinang staged a protest outside the Penang Performing Arts Centre (penangpac) at Straits Quay against Fa’s play, which was originally titled Sex in Georgetown City.

Even after apologising for the oversight and renaming the play Love in Georgetown City, her detractors were not satisfied. They wanted the whole play cancelled, saying it was a “dirty film” and accusing the parties involved of using art to push other “agendas”.

The group launched attacks, not only against Fa and penangpac, but also against religious authorities, the state mufti and police, accusing them of failing to keep “those who disrespected Islam” in check.

The emotionally charged protest, which was aired live on Facebook and made the news, led police to advise Fa and penangpac to cancel the play, which was supposed to have run until last Sunday.

Threat on artistic freedom

Fa said even with the change of government, the whole episode showed that those who reject different ideas end up having the last word.

“It is so unfortunate that regardless of the parties running the government, we always seem to appease this group of people,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

Fa, who was also panned by the protesters for her liberal views, said she felt angry, disheartened and disappointed over the accusations hurled against her.

She said she is worried about future plays by Big Nose Productions, although the unpleasant experience will not stop her from writing and the production house from producing more plays.

Their only agenda is to produce entertaining plays for society to enjoy and reflect upon, she said.

“We put more emphasis on the satisfaction of hundreds of our audiences rather than the dismay of a handful, who have not even stepped into a performing arts theatre hall.”

Thinking Muslim

Fa’s detractors have made all sorts of accusations against her and the play without having seen it.

They accused the production house and theatre of promoting free sex and the LGBT, or lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, lifestyle through art, even claiming that Fa advocates unnatural sex.

The comedy, comprising 10 eight-minute skits, is aimed at educating the public on social issues. The topics include interracial relationships, racism, paedophilia and infidelity, reflecting local challenges and cultural idiosyncrasies.

“Different people have different mindsets and ideas about their religious beliefs, whatever that may be,” said Fa.

“It is my personal opinion that people like the detractors prefer to approach most issues the easy way rather than dealing with matters heads-on, especially when they are not empowered to think, analyse and rationalise issues that are beyond their comprehension… ignorance is bliss.”

On being criticised for being liberal, she said the term means different things to different people, with some viewing it as living without boundaries and others seeing it as a mindset whereby they think, analyse and rationalise the bigger picture before making decisions.

She said she believes Islam encourages Muslims to be “liberal” in the sense of thinking broadly.

“There is a big misconception whereby ‘liberal’ is seen as the opposite of conservatism. This is wrong. A person who is liberal does not necessarily mean he or she is not conservative. 

“I believe in Islam, we are encouraged to think, analyse and open our minds for a healthy discussion, instead of accepting matters blindly. In this sense, I believe Islam encourages Muslims to be liberal.”

Title inspired by TV show

On the name of the play, Fa admitted that the original title, containing the word “sex”, and the corresponding publicity behind it were “ill advised”.

She did not think it would upset some “sensitive quarters”.

Fa said it was inspired by a popular TV series from the 1990s revolving around love and relationships, and she wanted to present it in a Malaysian context.

Sex and the City was a popular American romantic-comedy drama on the social lives of four women. The series, which ran from 1998 to 2004, was aired on HBO by Astro for Malaysian audiences.

“In any presentation of the arts, the artist would like to grab the attention of the masses. The publicity must be in such a way that it gets people’s interest.

“We decided on the title, visuals and publicity to cater to our target audience – those sensitive quarters were not our target audience, and we did not foresee the backlash.

“However, in this particular case, we have to admit that the title and the corresponding publicity behind it were ill-advised. A more subdued publicity would have prevented this issue from turning into a controversy.”

She said she would have chosen a different title from the start had she known this would happen.

Love in Georgetown City premiered on Valentine’s before it was cancelled “in the best interest of public safety, as advised by the authorities”.

Fa said losses were incurred due to the cancellation, but did not specify how much. Penangpac, in a statement, informed theatre-goers on how to get their refunds.

Asked if she will take the play elsewhere, Fa said Big Nose Productions is always open to ideas and opportunities to stage and restage any of its shows. – February 23, 2019.