01
Unearthing Histories:
Rasiah Halil,
A/P Hadijah Rahmat & Sa’eda Buang
Contained within the razor-sharp words and commentaries by three intellectuals—Rasiah Halil, Associate Professor (A/P) Hadijah Rahmat and Sa’eda Buang—is the precious promise of literature. It is not a simple functional tool to cut, observe, critique or even untangle the dilemmas of society. Through their words, literature and critical theory have the power to both unsettle and resolve the existential dilemmas that plague us.
Rasiah Halil
Rasiah Halil (1956-present) is an independent translator, editor and writer who was introduced into the world of literature as a teen. Her undergraduate years saw her publishing literary criticism and fiction to journals and magazines published by the National University of Singapore. Inspiring minds through her love of literature, she has collected several awards including the Anugerah Tun Sri Lanang Award by the Malay Language Council.
a/p Hadijah Rahmat
Associate Professor (A/P) Hadijah Rahmat (1958-present) has numerous publications under her belt, from fiction, to literary essays to academic research. Malay literary development in Singapore owes a lot of Hadijah’s leadership; her contributions have earned her numerous accolades including an appointment as a Justice of the Peace by President Halimah Yacob in 2018. She is currently an Associate Professor in the National Institute of Education.
Sa'eda Buang
Among the first published works by Sa’eda Buang (1957-present) was Seorang Pemuda Mahu Meniup Api Revolusi (A Young Man Wishes to Fan the Flame of Revolution) (1978), cementing Sa’eda’s reputation as a writer committed to social change. She was awarded Hadiah Sastera (Literary Award) for her poem, Pustakaku dalam Remang Senja (My Reading Room in Twilight) (2003) and short story, Ke Puncak pun Tidak (Not Even To The Summit) (2005). Currently a senior lecturer at NIE, Sa’eda’s commentaries often focus on the role of intellectuals and educators in society.
LITERARY HIGHLIGHTS
Explore the impressive portfolio of works that Rasiah, Hadijah and Sa’eda have produced.
02
Unpacking Complexities
Like many other writers, Rasiah, Hadijah and Sa’eda began writing from an early age, contributing their poetry and short stories to magazines and journals such as Jejak Kembara. But it was university life that cemented their fervour for the development of Malay literature and critical thought.
Lacing together the creative and the critical, these writers draw from their long-standing writing experiences, academic training at the National University of Singapore’s Department of Malay Studies, and inspiration from academic leaders like prominent sociologist, Syed Hussein Alatas. They grapple with homegrown values and sociological thought, captivating readers with their intellectual and community-centred contributions.
Being Malay in Singapore is a dissonant experience of marginalisation, kinship, deep loss and connection. With the cultural and political anxieties of their community at the forefront of their minds, Rasiah, Hadijah and Sa’eda write not to water down these experiences, but to unpack their complexities and do justice to them.
These writers gaze staunchly into places others refuse to look, exposing the tensions and contradictions between change and heritage, between the reclamation of a worldview and the futurity of a people.
03
Dissenting Voices
Sa’eda Buang’s story, Razi (2021), follows the tormenting ableism that stalks Razi, an autistic child, and his mother Nani in their everyday life. From the taxi, to their own home, nowhere is safe from abuse in the hands of a society that demands militant regulation, over one’s actions, expressions and body.
“…would you mind not coming to the party this weekend?
My friends will be bringing their children. And, what if Razi pulls down his pants again?”
“Grandpa was praying and Razi was dancing in front of him. When grandpa was prostrating, Razi suddenly ran into him. Grandpa fell over. He got mad and hit Razi with a towel.”
Sa’eda Buang, Razi (2021)
"...bolehkah awak tidak datang ke majlis pada hujung minggu ini? Kawan saya akan membawa anak-anak mereka. Dan, bagaimana jika Razi menarik seluarnya semula?"
"Atuk sedang solat dan Razi menari di hadapannya. Ketika atuk sedang sujud, Razi tiba-tiba terserempak dengannya. Atuk terjatuh. Dia mengamuk lalu memukul Razi dengan tuala."
Sa’eda Buang, Razi (2021)
In Rasiah Halil’s Monolog Pemandu Teksi (The Taxi Driver’s Monologue) (2013), we witness how the tentacles of progress, so revered by our nation, do not simply drag us along ruthlessly. They choke, forcing an imagination of unity and aspiration for material success, for the collective worship of the economy.
The taxi driver’s grievances—often the butt of the joke in Singapore—is revived here, a dissenting voice so often silenced in the humdrum of urban life. Modernity speeds ahead, too fast and wrapped up in its own momentum to slow down for those who have been deemed dispensable.
"How can we survive, Miss? What
do they know, these rich people.
We are the ones struggling, we feel like dying.
Who would want to just sit around, Miss?
Everything needs to be paid for. Our family
needs to eat. Who will provide the money?
I can't be begging for help. It's so difficult, miss.
No money, no opportunities, only suffering."
Rasiah Halil, The Taxi Driver’s Monologue (2013)
Macam mana mahu hidup, Cik? Mana
dia orang tahu, semua orang senang.
Kita yang susah, matilah sekarang.
Siapa nak duduk-duduk saja, Cik?
Semua mesti bayar. Anak bini nak
makan. Siapa nak kasi duit? Takkanlah
saya nak tadah tangan. Susah betul, Cik,
duit tak ada, langkah pendek, terseksa.
Rasiah Halil, Monolog Pemandu Teksi (2013)
04
Melayu Baru
The predatory nature of capitalism raises its head once again in Rasiah and Hadijah’s critiques around the popularisation of the idiomatic “Melayu Baru” (the “New Malay”) in Malaysia in the 1980s and 1990s. There, a generation driven by middle-class values of entrepreneurship was being built. Disillusioned by this call to materialism and wealth, Rasiah and Hadijah found alternatives in portraying Singaporean Malay perspectives and vision.
"Are we the new Malays
who are easily embarrassed
by our heritage & community
except those from foreign lands
forever entrenched
...
are we the new Malays
...
Confused in living the bourgeois life
ashamed of our tradition, heritage
and trapped by a captive mind?"
Rasiah Halil, The New Malay (2013)
"Kitakah orang Melayu baharu
yang sering terasa malu
masyarakat & warisan
kecuali nan di seberang
berpaksi anutan.
...
apakah kita orang Melayu baharu
...
Bercelaru menghidupi fahaman borjuis
aib pada khazanah, warisan,
dan bertingkah dengan minda tertawan?"
Rasiah Halil, Yang Baru Melayu (2013)
Together, they reject the post-colonial scramble to denounce Indigenous and non-Western traditions and worldviews as “backward”, in service of a capitalist dream. In the competitive drive for business, colonialism reemerges as a blight to be eradicated—this time from within our own nation, and the values we have internalised.
The predatory nature of capitalism raises its head once again in Rasiah and Hadijah’s critiques around the popularisation of the idiomatic “Melayu Baru” (the “New Malay”) in Malaysia in the 1980s and 1990s. There, a generation driven by middle-class values of entrepreneurship was being built. Disillusioned by this call to materialism and wealth, Rasiah and Hadijah found alternatives in portraying Singaporean Malay perspectives and vision.
"We,
are the New Malay youths
we are not the ungrateful Tanggang
nor are we the heinous Malin Kundang
we want to stop perpetuating these stories
Mat Jenin, Pak Pandir, Pak Kaduk and Lebai Malang
we have to create our own magnum opus
documenting and reflecting a struggle
unfurling steps towards excellence
getting rid of waywardness"
Hadijah Rahmat, At the Centre of the Universe (2000)
anak-anak Melayu baru
bukan Si Tanggang durhaka
bukan juga Si Malin Kundang durjana
kita mahu mengakhiri seloka
Mat Jenin, Pak Pandir, Pak Kaduk dan Lebai Malang
kita perlu cipta sebuah karya agung seni
rakaman dan cerminan sebuah perjuangan
mengorak langkah-langkah cemerlang
menghapus kesesatan"
Hadijah Rahmat, Di Tengah Alam (2000)
05
New Ways of Being
Readers may glean from some of Hadijah’s poems, such as Portret Pembangunan (A Portrait of Development) (2002), a stoic acceptance of the narrative of development. However, her poems also speak to the traumas of displacement, where loss has seeped into the Singaporean Malay experience, turned into bitter pills to swallow.
One appears to have little choice but to bear and navigate through these destructive cycles of loss. But it is in the depths of grief where new ways of being can grow. For Sa’eda, this growth can only emanate with the guidance of strong intellectual communities.
"The analysis carried out by these so-called intellectuals deviates from Islamic teachings in historical, social and political terms."
"How can you be so sure they are wrong? Have you already done a thorough study? At least they have made the pursuit of knowledge a tradition in their own society…isn't the pursuit of knowledge Islamic? You should analyse everything rationally, not emotionally."
Sa'eda Buang, (Not Even to the Summit) (2005)
"Analisis yang dilakukan oleh golongan intelektual ini menyimpang daripada ajaran Islam dari segi sejarah, sosial dan politik."
"Bagaimana anda boleh yakin bahawa mereka salah? Adakah anda sudah membuat kajian yang teliti? Sekurang-kurangnya mereka telah menjadikan menuntut ilmu sebagai tradisi dalam masyarakat mereka sendiri...bukankah menuntut ilmu itu Islam? Anda harus menganalisis segala-galanya secara rasional, bukan emosi."
Sa'eda Buang, (Ke Puncak Pun Tidak) (2005)
Rasiah restores the many possibilities that our memories still hold, despite the distortions of colonialism and oppression.
from history
changing empires, despotic rulers
those in cahoots are as unwavering
pawning their religion
pawning their dignity
pawning their identity
all for temporary pleasures
attracted by status, wealth and power
Will we ever listen to
the voices of the commoners
cucumbers which are often squashed*
because of greed
because of negligence
and those elites continually bark
regarded as honest champions, of pure heart."
* Malay proverb
Rasiah Halil, A Story of History (2021)
daripada sejarah
empayar bertukar, pembesar kacau
yang bersekongkol semakin tegar
menggadai agama
menggadai maruah
menggadai jati diri
demi kesenangan seketika
dipikat pangkat, harta, kuasa.
Akankah kita mendengar
suara-suara si marhaen
mentimun yang selalu dilenyek
kerana keserakahan
kerana kelekaan
yang hebat menyalak tanpa henti
dianggap pejuang jujur, berhati murni
A/P Hadijah Rahmat, Yang Baru Melayu
06
Unearthing Our Histories
We are often told white-washed stories of where theories, truth and power originate. But our Malay intellectuals stand firm on this land, deriving their power from our people, relationships, and histories, affirming knowledge as an intergenerational and traditional practice with deep roots here.
Scattered across their work is the power of Indigenous resistance, refusal and creativity. Rasiah, Sa’eda and Hadijah remind us that to plant seeds for future generations, we need to first unearth our histories and retell our stories.
07
Further Glimpses
Their Impact
It is impossible to do full justice to the impact Raja Aisyah Sulaiman, Kumpulan Bebas Melata, Adibah Amin, Sa’eda Buang, Rasiah Halil and Associate Professor (A/P) Hadijah Rahman have had on not only their fields of knowledge, but the wider cultural context of Malay literature. Their works do not stand alone: they are bound together with both the weight of history and clarity of foresight.
Collectively their words are invigorated by the same spirit for emancipation. Freedom is sought in different ways for our pioneers, but even in its most private and visceral form, politics, culture and society attempt to dictate the conditions of how it is exercised.
Our pioneering writers’ works must be understood not only through choice excerpts and quotes featured here, but as imprints that leave intergenerational marks. Rather than fading away with time, they crystallise.
"[A]re we the new Malays ... Confused in living the bourgeois life ashamed of our tradition, heritage and trapped by a captive mind?"
"[A]pakah kita orang
Melayu baharu
...
Bercelaru
menghidupi
fahaman borjuis
aib pada khazanah,
warisan, dan
bertingkah dengan
minda tertawan?"
Resistance begins when we interrogate what is taken for granted. What will you question?
