Here is a story Seputeh MP Teresa Kok's detractors may balk to hear.
Kok was walking in Gombak, Selangor one day when she heard loud honking and someone yelling her name.
After having fresh chicken blood smeared onto her photograph by angry men who offered cash as a reward to assault her, one would forgive Kok if she had taken flight.
“He said, 'Teresa Kok, your video clip, ‘bagus’ (is great)!',” she told KiniTV on Wednesday, making animated hand gestures.
“I didn't expect this (Malay) audience. They (her detractors) have indirectly promoted my (video) to a larger audience.”
Kok is referring to her Chinese New Year video greeting 'Onederful Malaysia', a political satire in the form of a mock talk show where three 'fengshui masters' poke fun at a slew of national issues.
One of the fengshui masters is a luxury handbag and diamond-loving character called Mrs Jit, whom many Malaysians would readily claim is a parody of the prime minister's wife, Rosmah Mansor.
Kok, herself, preferred to let the viewers to decide for themselves as to the identity of the personalities who are lampooned in the DAP vice-chairperson's video.
“Until now, they (Rosmah and her son, Riza Aziz) have not owned up, right? So it is better I don't say anything. I take the stand that if you think this is so, then let it be,” she said.
A self-confessed fan of political satire, Kok said her attempt is rather tame compared to ‘The Effing Show’ or ‘Comedy Court’ - shows which usually openly identify those they are lampooning.
Malays 'stupid', 'sial'?
Beyond the Rosmah issue however, those upset with the video have claimed that the dialogue maligns Malays in the most sinister ways.
They claim the Cantonese and Mandarin words uttered in the video 'ma-lai-sai-lei-ah' was Kok's way to say that Malays are “stupid”, “sial (damned)” or that Malays should “go die”.
“There are five words - 'ma', which means horse, 'lai', which means 'mari' or 'come here'. So 'kuda mari' (horse is here) refers to the Year of the Horse,” she explained to Malaysiakini after the KiniTV interview.
“‘Sai lei’ is Cantonese, meaning 'hebat' (great). So this means the horse comes in a great way. And 'ah' is just like how we say ‘lah’ at the end (of a sentence).”
Apart from twisting her words - Kok refused to name her co-writers, saying she will bear full responsibility for the script - she said her critics have also twisted her intentions for the video.
Have fun , don't be boring Mary!
True to her spontaneous nature, Kok said she only wanted to “have fun” in welcoming the Chinese New Year season and the video was aimed to portray the light side of politicians.
Before the interview, KiniTV had invited its viewers to pose questions to Kok, and among them PBS deputy minister Mary Yap had asked why didn’t Kok simply wish everyone a good new year without the need for a contentious video clip.
“That is boring!” she exclaimed, exasperated that her colleague was so fuddy-duddy.
“As politicians, people see us as always scolding people in Parliament. We scold people in ceramah, scold BN, scold this and that. Come on, let's take away the rigid image!
“Let's have some fun and let people see the other side of politicians and let's have a laugh over certain things that happen in our country,” she said, advising her critics to have a sense of humour.
Not Kok's first video
In 2008, Kok, herself was the subject of a political satire through the fictional short story 'YBJ' published in Utusan Malaysia.
Why hadn't Kok laughed at that, her critics ask, instead of taking the Umno-owned daily and writer Chamil Warya to court?
“At the end of the story, I (the character in the story) was shot dead. That is a threat - a death threat...
“On my side, people are just talking about issues faced by the nation - all the issues people talk about in coffee shops. They just make jokes about it.”
But she denied that she was making the deaths of soldiers in Lahad Datu a laughing matter, saying that what the video was actually raising the very serious issues of security and safety.
A graduate of communications school majoring in TV production, Kok said she finds video a medium to drive home a message.
Indeed, 'Onederful Malaysia' is the second Chinese New Year political satire she has made.
“One writer in Sin Chew Daily asked why I did not produce something like (the late) Yasmin Ahmad's work, like Petronas (advertisement) where the whole family comes together to have dinner.
“Eh, that one, leave it to the government and Petronas to do, lah! For me, in my position from DAP and Pakatan Rakyat, of course if I produce a video, it must carry political and social messages. Otherwise I (may as well) not do it.”
Produced for the urban Chinese audience who understand both Cantonese and Mandarin (with English translation), Kok's video has now garnered more than 560,000 views on YouTube and it is reaching out to other ethnic groups.
“I went to Mid Valley Megamall and young people from Sabah and Sarawak come to take photos with me... People can see clearly there is no racial or religious slur (in the video).” - Mkini
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