Catch this drama

Professor Tan Sri Dato' Dzulkifli Abdul Razak
My View - The Sun Daily
February 17, 2016

I LOVE festivities. They are a time to rejoice and are the few occasions that we can really be "multicultural" in practice even though the food is often the main attraction. I cannot imagine an open house without food. And wonder if the turnout would be just as good. I can still recall reports of those who brought plastic bags to "tapau" some food home!

This time around I discovered another reason. It revolves around a telemovie by T. S. Jeffry (actor and director) entitled Cheongsam untuk Ibu (Cheongsam for Mom). It featured on TV2 on the second day of the Year of the Monkey. The theme touches the heart of "multicultural" Malaysia. Though not a drama critic, I would not hesitate to say what I felt at that very moment.

The actors and actresses were "multicultural" – beyond the usual tokenism. They were fluent in the national language and delivered their lines casually without any accent or hint of dialects. At the appropriate moment they switched to their mother tongue, or even English without hesitation. The transition from one language to another was natural and blended well with the acting.

The setting was not pretentious, depicting the life of ordinary Malaysians in a rural "multicultural" village – with the hard working residents preoccupied with their day-to-day routine. Life is mostly serene and harmonious. Although there is no shortage of local crooks who make their presence felt, the overall cohesive "multicultural" relationships seem to rule.

This is well presented when two Malaysian families of different cultural origins are able to build a close rapport and friendship. It gets more personal over time when advice is extended on family matters during festivities where bonding needs to be strengthened and renewed with parents and immediate family members.

This is when the cheongsam comes into being as a symbol of ties that bind between an only son and a single mother who has been longing to see him since he left home for a better job. Unfortunately, this is not to be when the local louses spoil the plan. The "son" is robbed on his way home and the cheongsam taken away.

At this point the cohesive social relationship draws on the "emotional bank account" to use the analogy by Stephen Covey. The story ends with a specially tailored cheongsam being made as a surprise to replace what was stolen. It is the result of sincere handy work by the daughter from the other family as their relationship begins to blossom.

In all, the story narrates how "multicultural" Malaysia ought to work beyond just the open houses and the attraction of mouth-watering food. In this case the tear-jerking drama opens the hearts of caring Malaysians to look at themselves and reflect on the future.

Those who have been investing in the "multicultural" emotional bank accounts know what this means. That cross cultural understanding remains one of the most effective ways to ensure that this beloved country continues to prosper equitably once the "multicultural" bridge is sincerely transversed.

No amount of goodwill messages and pronouncements can replace this especially when the emotional bank accounts are fast running dry as it is very visible today. This is poorly masked by media events with grandstanding individuals spewing some kind of empty cliché. The reality is that as soon as the festive message fades into the background, the squabbling – even intraculturally – surfaces unashamedly once again in full view of the nation. The hypocrisy cannot be more glaring.

Hence, Malaysians must look for other ways to be inspired. For one there should be more of such dramas to illustrate what "multicultural" Malaysia is really all about and how it has been played out in reality – not make-believe propaganda. While the media are busy picking up the negative side of "multiracialism" (hate messages, stereotypes, etc), or overplaying the good side that "all is well", honest, creative talents like that of T. S. Jeffry must keep our optimism burning that this nation still has a bright future.

Kudos to TV2 for airing Cheongsam untuk Ibu, I hope other channels will be inspired in the same way and more. It is time for more research to promote dramas with more "multicultural" themes, with "multicultural" casts and settings. We have lost so much time that we need to be reminded what it used to be like during better days when life was much simpler, sincere and more caring. Hopefully, the sceptics and the "lost" generations can be convinced that it is reproducible and liveable when sincerely attempted.