Malaysian Twitter has gone into a bit of a tailspin over a video posted to locally known YouTuber Haikal Idris’s Twitter account, where he and co-creator Muzakir Xynll, a writer/comedian, have either taken two minutes to dissect the social ills facing the Malay community to the tune of Lil Wayne’s A Milli, or they’ve spent that time wallowing in self-hate.
Here. You decide:
https://twitter.com/haikalclassic/status/1003839406598324224
It’s a lot to take in: In just over two minutes I’m Malay manages to cover topics ranging from Bumiputera policies that favor Malays, lack of sex education, skin-whitening politics, fear of non-Malays being appointed to high-ranking government posts, misappropriation of funds intended for poor Malays going to affluent ones, to low purchasing power, university bans on non-Malay students, religious intolerance, black magic, and the kind of sensationalism that has the masses scared to drink root beer for fear of being drunk. Phew. And that was literally just a quick summary.
Haikal has also chosen some pretty iconic video clips from the past year to accompany the critique – from Jamal Yunos’ beer-smashing antics, to dangerous biker “tricks” on public roads that narrowly miss surrounding vehicles, to the slipper-throwing woman who was angered over not being given a car space as she made her way to her local Ramadan market.
They are images that speak to many Malaysians: You don’t need any words to cringe at parking lot rage during a sacred time of year meant for good deeds and atonement.
As you can imagine, the internet is hotly divided on the matter. Some have called Haikal a man guilty of the kind privilege that allows for you to study abroad, become “enlightened,” and return home to espouse the values your first year uni semiotics professor taught you; others say he’s simply holding up a mirror to wider Malay society as it stands now, and asking it to look at itself and laugh at the truths behind his rap.
For the record, Haikal has taken to Twitter to explain that his family is by no means well-off. His father works in construction, his mother, a freelance ballet teacher to children, with no government nor royal connections. He’s still paying back his student loan to the local, private university where he studied.
However, the internet cares very little about fact, and it goes without saying that one person’s “home truths” were another’s parang to the heart.
One called it hate speech.
Another just hated the flow.
Others thought that speaking out on the issues would trigger discord among Malaysians.
Some went even as far as to predict that this kind of ushering in of “liberalism” (a relative term) would only end in a 15th General Election where the rural Malays would feel alienated, and turn to elect a Trump-like bogey-man (vivid imagination, not unheard of).
For every dislike, there was an equally vociferous supporter, saying that Haikal had done an incredible job of summarizing the issues with the time and format given.
Perhaps the most interesting comment came from one user, who, while offended at the attack on his countrymen, also derided the comedy as not being up to snuff by Western standards, where apparently no one makes fun of themselves.
Please, no one tell this guy about TV, YouTube, Netflix, or DVDs, k? It might be too much to take in.
Controversial? Yes. Will it divide people? Of course. However, this kind of comedy is a step forward, to another level that allows for introspection and asks you to take off the kiddie gloves. Is Malaysia ready for it? Will they have a choice?
One of our favorite Twitter luminaries (a thing?) @Iqbal2606 likened this moment to Chris Rock’s seminal late ’90s comedy special Bigger and Blacker.
While @haikalclassic is getting bashed, I'll just leave this OG self-deprecating racial stand up routine here to see whether this counts as self-hate. pic.twitter.com/RkDje7szAm
— Iqbal (@Iqtodabal) June 6, 2018
Were Americans ready to hear some of his view on the racial politics at the time? Oh hell, no. But it opened up a platform, moved the discourse forward, and nobody died of hurt feelings.
The special also propelled Rock from niche comedian to internationally known star who hosted the Oscars and blessed maker of Pootie Tang. What will it do for Haikal? Guess we’ll find out.
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