First Lady of Malaysia Rosmah Mansor may be trembling slightly and it would all be due to her compatriot Zunar, the country's top political cartoonist who will next month hold a month-long exhibition in London, partially in her honour!
Not only will Zunar's To Fight Through Cartoons exhibition showcase the 60-year-old Rosmah, who has been widely caricatured for her huge hair-do and iron-like grip over her timid husband, her alleged rival for Prime Minister Najib Razak's affections - the murdered 28-year-old Mongolian beauty Altantuya Shaariibuu- will also go on show!
So too will the corruption scandal dogging the first couple over Najib's purchase of 2 overpriced, second-hand Scorpene submarines; the various sexual conspiracies against Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim; including the most recent Umno debacle - the RM250 million National Feedlot Corporation fiasco involving the family of Women's minister Shahrziat Jalil.
"I will be displaying 80 of my works that touch on issues such as politics, corruption, abuse of power and violations of human rights in Malaysia. The focus would on the conspiracy against Anwar Ibrahim, the corruption in the Scorpene Scandal, the murder of Altantuya, the National Feedlot Corporation (NFL), issues surrounding the Prime Minister’s wife, BERSIH, Sarawak, to mention a few," Zunar said in a statement out on Tuesday.
Poetic justice
The London show will be Zunar's first solo exhibition in a 30-year career, and it is indeed poetic justice.
Refusing to bow to government oppression and forced to look for new avenues to get his work seen, Zunar has made a name for himself in the international human rights community with his efforts.
"The theme Fighting Through Cartoons was selected based on the restraints and pressure from the Malaysian government that have been imposed on me and my political cartoons," said a still defiant Zunar.
The Najib administration had in July 2010 banned seven of his cartoon books on the grounds that they were detrimental to public order. Apart from that, his office in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur was often raided by the authorities and his books seized.
According to Zunar, printers were also threatened by the BN government to not print his books, or risk losing their license. Similarly, bookshops across the country were warned not to sell his cartoons. On September 24, 2010, Zunar was finally arrested and locked-up under the Sedition Act. Due to the huge public uproar that followed, he was acquitted and freed. But he is still upset at the gross violation of his civil rights.
"I am suing the government for what was in my view an unlawful arrest. The hearing of the case will be on the 18th January 2012 at the Kuala Lumpur court," said Zunar.
Organized by an international NGO and officiated by Gordon Brown's sister in law
The exhibition, to be launched on February 15, is organized by Article 19, which is an international NGO that fights for the freedom of expression and information.
It is assisted by Malaysians in the United Kingdom who are affiliated under the Friends of Pakatan Rakyat. The venue will be at the Free Word Centre, 60 Farringdon Road.
Inaugurating the event will be the founder of Radio Free Sarawak and Sarawak Report, Clare Rewcastle Brown who is also the sister-in-law of former UK premier Gordon Brown.
Malik Imtiaz, the president of the National Association of Human Rights (Hakam), will also be giving a speech.
Malaysia Chronicle
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