Malaysia, a third-world country, has been developing well ever since its independence in 1957. No doubt it went through a lot of hardships before, during, and after British decided that Malaysia was good enough to stand on its own. It is undeniable that the colonization of British and Japanese Occupation did unite the plural society that Malaysia proudly possesses. However, Anthony Milner, author of Historians Writing Nations: Malaysian Contests, puts it, “Malaysia has no obvious single Great Tradition”, to actually unite its nation like the Philippines or Indonesia. Being set to achieve its Vision 2020, as well as being a country with first-class mentality, seems a bit too far-fetched as the main core problem - country’s unity has not been stabilized yet. People are still prejudiced when it comes to races – it would be a lie if someone said he/she is not biased or being prejudiced to anyone. We are human beings, it is just natural. People are still afraid to speak up things which are deemed ‘dangerous or not supposed to’ when it can actually help in making life better to live in. One word that is seemed sensitive will cause an uproar. Even leaders and politicians still argue in Parliament while debating when it is supposed to be a diplomatic meeting.
Milner also said that Malaysia has no anti-colonial revolution by any local heroes that can be a “common point of reference”. In a nutshell, Milner analyzes that Malaysia has no common ground or this so-called Great Tradition that can actually bind or unite its colourful and diverse society together. On the surface, Malaysians may seem united and happy living together, but the ugly truth is that they are still not really what they seem they are.
Anthony Milner’s analysis could be very much agreed by Liew Kung Yu, a wonderful Malaysian artist. Kung Yu’s latest, Cadangan-cadangan unutk Negara Ku (Proposals for My Nation) consists of four very huge three-dimensional photo collages that reconstitute and recast images taken of city spaces to create and construct colourful and aesthetic landscapes that portray the characters of Malaysia. Judging by the title of these works, Kung Yu probably wanted to let everyone know that Malaysia should be what it is to be, through these works. I personally think that Kung Yu felt Malaysians were blinded by the fact that Malaysia is slowly becoming a first-world country with so many prized structures like KL Twin Towers (which is now the 3rd highest in the world), the KL monorail, Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, so much so that we do not see the deeper problems the country is still facing. He wanted us to actually take a step back and look at the current situation, and give it a good thought, by looking at his works.
His first work, ‘Konkrit Jungle’ literally defines that Malaysia is slowly transforming itself to be a concrete jungle. Cities after cities in every state are developing to be on par with Kuala Lumpur, and sometimes these buildings and monuments do not even play a vital role in uniting the citizens of this country. Looking at this frame, buildings are replaced by animals. People are shown walking like they are walking on streets or in parks. At the top of the frame, there are a few orang utans where they are placed which somewhat represents our Tugu Negara (National Monument) – a national sculpture to commemorate those who died in struggle for Malaysia’s freedom from the Japanese Occupation and Malayan Emergency. It could also mean that these orang utans are a representation of our leaders/politicians, and how they have been restricting us from our freedom of speech and expression, yet, they are the ones who are creating all the commotion and causing disunity among the citizens of Malaysia. What Kung Yu is trying to propose here is to have a concrete jungle which shows development, but at the same time urged all of us to remember our natural jungle and its inhabitants. They play an important role in this country too.
‘Metropolis Warisan’ depicts the ‘city’ filled with famous landmarks, buildings and structures that can be found throughout Malaysia. These structures are all in batik-like prints; in which Kung Yu wants to portray that even though Malaysia is developing itself, it should not lose its heritage-touch and roots. It is actually the heritage touch and our roots that bind us, citizens, together.
In ‘Pantai Gelora Cahaya’, public decorations and sculptures that are meant to enhance the beauty of the country are put in this work of art. If looked upon clearly, this piece of work actually portrays images of public decorations that are taken from all over the country. Liew Kung Yu, in doing this art, wanted to portray viewers that these decorations which are being put up in different places are of no use, but should instead be put in a place altogether so that our plural society can come together and admire these decorated structures. At the same time, this particular place should be a place where everyone could go to relax, enjoy and share the beauty of this place with one another – which could promote unity.
In his last piece of all the four, this, I find it very unique – complicated, yet straight forward. This one is called ‘Bandar Sri Tiang Kolam’ where there are clusters of houses, buildings and pillars. These clusters are all carried or served by gold-platted trays – which mean to show that we should have a good and solid foundation before pursuing something further. In addition, there is one tray that carries the village houses – Kampung Kolam. Another tray carries the middle-class houses – Taman Sri Kolam. The third tray carries the rich houses, named Kolam Height. These trays literally speak out for themselves – that even though the rich, average, and poor are somewhat separated because of status, the tray represents the solid foundation that all of them have, which is Malaysia. Kung Yu then adds bridges linking every tray with one another to promote a sense of unity, and to tell us that we should be helping one another, treating each other like we are one big family. The fourth tray carries buildings that built in cities; not only that, it has public monuments and sculptures that are not even in Malaysia. What Kung Yu is trying to say in this particular set of tray is that we should actually participate and appreciate in the construction of important buildings and landmarks for Malaysia. The last tray carries pillars, all having this little ribbon on them. They look like trophies that Malaysia are constantly seeking – wanting to be a well-developed country in the eyes of the international community. However, the bridge bridging these tray with others shows that Kung Yu wants to tell us viewers that the government should not just be constantly seeking awards, or trying to build skyscrapers or monuments to show how developed are we; instead, focus the effort to building a strong bond between all the races in Malaysia.
If inspected closely, all four pieces are actually gold-framed. The pictures are all inside a frame – in which it represents Malaysia. As Malaysia’s fourth Prime Minister said, “The Petronas Twin Towers stand out prominently against the skyline of Kuala Lumpur to symbolize courage, ingenuity, initiative and determination, energy, confidence, optimism, advancement and zest of a nation that will bring worldwide recognition and respect to all Malaysia”. If the twin towers were completed in 1998, 11 years later and the world still see us as having third-class mentality, how are we to justify Dr. M’s statement then?
Milner also said that Malaysia has no anti-colonial revolution by any local heroes that can be a “common point of reference”. In a nutshell, Milner analyzes that Malaysia has no common ground or this so-called Great Tradition that can actually bind or unite its colourful and diverse society together. On the surface, Malaysians may seem united and happy living together, but the ugly truth is that they are still not really what they seem they are.
Anthony Milner’s analysis could be very much agreed by Liew Kung Yu, a wonderful Malaysian artist. Kung Yu’s latest, Cadangan-cadangan unutk Negara Ku (Proposals for My Nation) consists of four very huge three-dimensional photo collages that reconstitute and recast images taken of city spaces to create and construct colourful and aesthetic landscapes that portray the characters of Malaysia. Judging by the title of these works, Kung Yu probably wanted to let everyone know that Malaysia should be what it is to be, through these works. I personally think that Kung Yu felt Malaysians were blinded by the fact that Malaysia is slowly becoming a first-world country with so many prized structures like KL Twin Towers (which is now the 3rd highest in the world), the KL monorail, Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, so much so that we do not see the deeper problems the country is still facing. He wanted us to actually take a step back and look at the current situation, and give it a good thought, by looking at his works.
His first work, ‘Konkrit Jungle’ literally defines that Malaysia is slowly transforming itself to be a concrete jungle. Cities after cities in every state are developing to be on par with Kuala Lumpur, and sometimes these buildings and monuments do not even play a vital role in uniting the citizens of this country. Looking at this frame, buildings are replaced by animals. People are shown walking like they are walking on streets or in parks. At the top of the frame, there are a few orang utans where they are placed which somewhat represents our Tugu Negara (National Monument) – a national sculpture to commemorate those who died in struggle for Malaysia’s freedom from the Japanese Occupation and Malayan Emergency. It could also mean that these orang utans are a representation of our leaders/politicians, and how they have been restricting us from our freedom of speech and expression, yet, they are the ones who are creating all the commotion and causing disunity among the citizens of Malaysia. What Kung Yu is trying to propose here is to have a concrete jungle which shows development, but at the same time urged all of us to remember our natural jungle and its inhabitants. They play an important role in this country too.
‘Metropolis Warisan’ depicts the ‘city’ filled with famous landmarks, buildings and structures that can be found throughout Malaysia. These structures are all in batik-like prints; in which Kung Yu wants to portray that even though Malaysia is developing itself, it should not lose its heritage-touch and roots. It is actually the heritage touch and our roots that bind us, citizens, together.
In ‘Pantai Gelora Cahaya’, public decorations and sculptures that are meant to enhance the beauty of the country are put in this work of art. If looked upon clearly, this piece of work actually portrays images of public decorations that are taken from all over the country. Liew Kung Yu, in doing this art, wanted to portray viewers that these decorations which are being put up in different places are of no use, but should instead be put in a place altogether so that our plural society can come together and admire these decorated structures. At the same time, this particular place should be a place where everyone could go to relax, enjoy and share the beauty of this place with one another – which could promote unity.
In his last piece of all the four, this, I find it very unique – complicated, yet straight forward. This one is called ‘Bandar Sri Tiang Kolam’ where there are clusters of houses, buildings and pillars. These clusters are all carried or served by gold-platted trays – which mean to show that we should have a good and solid foundation before pursuing something further. In addition, there is one tray that carries the village houses – Kampung Kolam. Another tray carries the middle-class houses – Taman Sri Kolam. The third tray carries the rich houses, named Kolam Height. These trays literally speak out for themselves – that even though the rich, average, and poor are somewhat separated because of status, the tray represents the solid foundation that all of them have, which is Malaysia. Kung Yu then adds bridges linking every tray with one another to promote a sense of unity, and to tell us that we should be helping one another, treating each other like we are one big family. The fourth tray carries buildings that built in cities; not only that, it has public monuments and sculptures that are not even in Malaysia. What Kung Yu is trying to say in this particular set of tray is that we should actually participate and appreciate in the construction of important buildings and landmarks for Malaysia. The last tray carries pillars, all having this little ribbon on them. They look like trophies that Malaysia are constantly seeking – wanting to be a well-developed country in the eyes of the international community. However, the bridge bridging these tray with others shows that Kung Yu wants to tell us viewers that the government should not just be constantly seeking awards, or trying to build skyscrapers or monuments to show how developed are we; instead, focus the effort to building a strong bond between all the races in Malaysia.
If inspected closely, all four pieces are actually gold-framed. The pictures are all inside a frame – in which it represents Malaysia. As Malaysia’s fourth Prime Minister said, “The Petronas Twin Towers stand out prominently against the skyline of Kuala Lumpur to symbolize courage, ingenuity, initiative and determination, energy, confidence, optimism, advancement and zest of a nation that will bring worldwide recognition and respect to all Malaysia”. If the twin towers were completed in 1998, 11 years later and the world still see us as having third-class mentality, how are we to justify Dr. M’s statement then?
