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          When we encounter a situation whereby we have different viewpoints or opinions towards something, we usually (but not always) will choose to argue with the opposing party in a peaceful way in order to achieve common agreement. Yet, when we are fed up or cannot stand someone or a party anymore, we will choose to criticize or even mock the person or the force in either direct or indirect way. Harsh and unkind words will be used  to denounce the things that we do not agree, as a direct sarcasm. On the other hand, some people (e.g. artists) will choose to use to talent to mock the things that they cannot stand, well, in a humorous and subtle way. This is what we call as 'satire'.

         Not long ago, an artist named Fahmi Reza downloaded a portrait of the Malaysia's prime minister, Najib Razak, from Razak's Facebook page. Then, he added clown makeup to it. Why clown? This is because to him, our country has become a huge joke owing to the 'absurdities' in Malaysia. He put the poster up on the street and posted it to his personal Facebook page. Being at the center of a widespread corruption scandal right now, it is not the first time for Razak to be mocked publicly. Those who are claimed to have made seditious statement will be given sentence, so does Reza (Leveille, 2016).

          He said only three hours after he tweeted the poster, the official Malaysian police Twitter account posted a notice that he was under surveillance, and he was warned to use his account 'lawfully'. Despite the action taken by the force, Reza did not give in. Instead, he redoubled his social media presence and retweeted the poster. Eventually, he was brought in for police questioning. He was told that if he is charged, he will be imprisoned for five years. Though, Reza said that the protest will only grow bigger and stronger if he is put in jail. Also, he said that he wished his action could inspire or at least give courage to other artists to do the same (Leveille, 2016).

        Another artist which worth mentioning is Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque (who goes by the name Zunar). Zunar is political cartoonist whose cartoons frequently target Prime Minister Najib Razak who is accused of taking millions of dollars from a state investment fund (Ives, 2016). On May 25 2010, the Home Ministry banned Zunar’s 1Funny Malaysia and Perak Darul Kartun which were published respectively by Malaysiakini and Zunar’s own company, Sepakat Efektif Sdn Bhd. Both Malaysiakini and Zunar were, for sure, unhappy with the ban. They said that the purpose of the government to do so is to halt the freedom of Malaysians to express their opinions and ideas, which is a hypocrisy in democratic country like Malaysia. Also, they were told that the books were banned because they were 'prejudicial to public order'. Though, the evidence which shows the disturbance caused by both books is still absent. Thus, Zunar thought that the ban is a reflection of power abuse by the government to stifle legitimate criticism towards the ruling government’s policies and the current Prime Minister' ("Banning of Zunar’s 1Funny Malaysia & Perak Darul Kartun. The appeal is on 15th July 2013", n.d.).    

       Yes, it is true that such controversial artworks and art pieces do have the potential to interrupt social order. Yet, artists who dare to voice out or even dare to use satire and sarcasm are very much needed nowadays. Why? Let's be honest. All of us do not even have the courage to do the things like what Fahmi Reza and Zunar did. We need this kind of artists to speak on behalf of us. Also, as a so-called 'democratic' country, we, Malaysians, should be given the freedom and right to express our very own ideas, thoughts and feelings (statements which purposely insult others without valid reason are exception, of course). Rational Malaysians will surely have the ability to differentiate meaningful argument from nonsense.  
     












References

Banning of Zunar’s 1Funny Malaysia & Perak Darul Kartun. The appeal is on 15th July
          2013. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.zunar.my/news/banning-of-zunars-1funny-
          malaysia-perak-darul-kartun-the-appeal-is-on-15th-july-2013/

Ives, M. (2016). A Malaysian political cartoonist on facing his fears, and prison, for art.
          Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/29/world/asia/malaysia-political-
          cartoonist-zunar-sedition- najib-razak.html

Leveille, D. (2016). Malaysian street artist makes a clown of prime minister. Retrieved    
          from https://www.pri.org/stories/2016-03-30/malaysian-street-artist-makes-clown-
          prime-minister

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          Let's get straight to the point. What is 'the arts'? 'The arts' is the beauty, idea, concept, and hidden message contained in a creation, let it be visual art, dance, music, film, drama or theater et cetera. Nothing happens without a reason. Likewise, artists will never produce their very own unique creation without purpose. Often, our ways of viewing and interpreting an art vary. Understanding and 'reading' an art are very subjective. There is no right and wrong; we all perceive an art based on our own brain schema, or in other words, past experience, knowledge and  belief.

          When trying to decipher an artwork, we must pay close attention to the following elements: reason for producing the artwork, message(s) behind it, the ways (e.g. materials for sculpture) of producing the artwork. By doing so, we can bring our understanding of the artwork to the next level and thus, instead of mocking, insulting or teasing an artwork, we will appreciate the artwork.

          Being able to learn to appreciate arts is without doubt vital. Why? It is because we can earn both short and long term benefits by learning to appreciate the arts. In term of short term benefit, we can understand and thus accept and appreciate the culture and background of the artist despite the existence of racial, ethnic and even country boundaries. In term of long term benefit, we will learn to be more open-minded and even more mature. This is because by learning to appreciate the arts, we also learn to appreciate a lot of things. For example, before simply judging the culture, beliefs, rituals, arts, or even behaviors of other people (from both same and different race, skin color and nation), we will first consider, think about and understand the purpose, message and reason behind it.

          It cannot be denied that it is extremely essential for all students to learn about Malaysian arts at UTAR. This is because just like stated above, by learning to appreciate the arts, we will learn to appreciate, well, not only the arts but everything. It is safe to say that there are countless benefits for students to lean about Malaysian arts, but the primary principle they will learn to hold is - 'Don't judge before you truly understand the meaning behind it'.