By S Thayaparan in Malaysiakini - Feb 10, 2022
https://www.malaysiakini.com/columns/610156
"After I posted it on my social media, 20 cops came to my house, kicked a hole through my front door, forced themselves in, handcuffed me, and confiscated all my devices - my laptop, my phone and even my modem and router. They brought me to the police station and locked me up in the police lock-up for one day, where I was questioned and interrogated over the Spotify playlist."
– Fahmi Reza 2021
COMMENT | Today activist Fahmi Reza will be charged in Sessions Court for god knows what, but the reason why he will be charged, the reason for the persecution of this young artist is because he constantly reminds Malaysians that this government is a joke.
Fahmi (above) believes he follows in the tradition of a long line of visual disturbance activists who throughout history have reminded the people that the emperor has no clothes.
When you think about it, the government is so scared of folks like Fahmi that it would spend the manpower and resources to persecute him, while our state and federal coffers are being drained, the environment is going down the crapper because of political and corporate malfeasances, political operatives are causing disunity by slandering various communities, not to mention deaths in custody, human rights violations in migrant communities, the abuse of women and children, rampant gang violence in the heartland, the rise of religious extremism and a host of other issues that the state security apparatus think are low priority.
But when an artist doodles a few pictures that point to the dysfunction of the establishment, they bring out the big guns.
I know folks who have stolen millions who have not had the doors to their homes kicked down and carted away in handcuffs.
Obviously, Fahmi is such a dangerous fellow that precautions are needed. It was as if they had not handcuffed him, they were afraid that he might scribble something on a piece of paper and the whole government might come falling down around them.
You have to ask yourself, why is the state so afraid of Fahmi when there are so many other clear and present dangers for the current government. It is simple really. Fascists do not like to be laughed at.
The state can overlook and probably even withstand long cogent arguments about its corruption and failings but what it cannot stand are folks sniggering at drawings of their antics and these kinds of “visual disturbances” have throughout history been a bane to governments who are attempting to solemnise their failings through various propaganda channels.
With social media, the ease of these viral drawings spreads and it doesn't take much time or effort to digest before a conclusion can be made. And it brings laughter, so there is that.
Power that Fahmi wields
Folks forget that Fahmi is a non-partisan combatant in these political wars. Folks remember his work on the ruling establishment simply because they are the bigger more convenient target but as Fahmi told Vice World News:
“When it comes to Malaysian politics, I’ve always held on to the belief that you cannot trust politicians in general on all sides. [My art] doesn’t just feature ruling party politicians from the government. Even opposition figures get lampooned.”
Honestly, when Fahmi was fined and imprisoned for a month for his depiction of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak as a clown, you understand how far we have gone down the rabbit hole.
Mind you, there was so much ink spilled on how corrupt and ridiculous the former prime minister was but an edited clown picture was what really spooked the state, enough so that it thought making Fahmi an example would curb dissent.
Do not get me wrong. Fahmi has his detractors but as far as my research goes, never once has Fahmi asked for his critics to be silenced.
Indeed from all his social media posts, he seems to understand the value of free speech as an integral part of a vibrant democracy.
The state went ape manure when Fahmi reminded the rakyat that a cat can look at a queen. Remember that?
Fahmi curated numerous playlists on Spotify with the title “This is dengki ke?” which featured a picture of the Queen. The playlists were eventually taken down by Spotify, prompting the artist to move to Apple Music. The playlist appeared to mock Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, who is the Raja Permaisuri Agong, over a comment she made on her personal Instagram account.
Reading what is going on with Spotify at the moment, I do wonder why they chose to remove Fahmi’s playlist.
Now the case was dropped but really this was about optics and how it looked that the royal establishment was going after Fahmi when the queen's comment caused a great deal of dismay in the rakyat who were going through hard times, and who did not have the privileges of locking down in such luxury.
This is the power that Fahmi wields and the state desperately wants to curtail.
Fahmi does not have the resources of state propaganda organs. He does not have the support of the security establishment. He does not have the coin to employ propagandists to muddy the waters.
All he has, is a pen, a blank piece of paper (well a digital canvas and all that conveys), a little imagination, and of course, a social media account.
Hopefully, Fahmi continues with his visual disobedience because although he reminds us that this government is a joke, the objective of his satire is no laughing matter.
S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fiat justitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”
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