Avoid drawing offensive cartoons, says Lat on monkey cartoon fiasco

Cartoonist Mohammad Nor Khalid, better known as Lat, believes that there is a limit when it comes to drawing cartoons.

This, he said, is because the people and society at large can be slighted when a particular cartoon is offensive.

“We must avoid offensive materials or those that touch upon race relations,” he told Malaysiakini when met on the sidelines of the book launch of historian Khoo Kay Khim’s autobiography in Kuala Lumpur today.

He was responding to the Home Ministry issuing a show-cause letter to Chinese daily Nanyang Siang Pau over its cartoon depicting Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang as monkeys.

Commenting further on the issue, Lat pointed out how he had drawn cartoons for English daily the New Straits Times for 40 years without a problem.

“No one complained why I did that or this. In the 1970s, when I drew a Sikh wedding, or about Indians or Indian films that I liked, although there was some stereotyping, the people did not get angry because I did not offend or insult.

“Back then, we never wanted to offend or insult, especially if we are from different races,” he said.

Drawings, he stressed, should lead to closer ties among the people and not the opposite.

“The intention must be good,” he added.

Asked further on the usage of monkeys to depict Pandikar and Abdul Hadi, Lat said: “If it was me, I wouldn’t do it”.

Most cartoonists today, he added, have received religious guidance, as well as guidance from their parents and their teachers.

“They know what to do and what not to do. Their knowledge is vast.

“They don’t need advice from me. So think first before doing something. Let us unite people and make them smile instead of offending or insulting them,” he said.

Meanwhile, political cartoonist Zunar, whose real name is Zulkiflee SM Anwar Ulhaque, slammed the Home Ministry for taking action against the Chinese daily.

"Withdraw the show cause letter, this is total nonsense," he told Malaysiakini.

Citing South African President Jacob Zuma who sued a cartoonist and a media outlet over a cartoon depicting him with trousers undone, Zunar said, other countries only viewed such issues as a matter between the politician and the cartoonist.

But in Malaysia, he said, the Home Ministry and the inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar have waded into the issue.

"Nanyang had apologised, the Home Ministry should accept the apology and stop there," he said, adding the whole event was just to serve the political agenda of certain quarters and to prolong the issue between Muslims and non-Muslims as the general election looms.

"If apologising is not enough, what else (do they want), what type of country are we ?" he said.

"If the Home Ministry is so serious about journalism ethics, why not issue show-cause letter against Utusan Malaysia over the mistakes it had made? This is double standards," he added.

To Zunar, the action against the daily is the government clamping down on media as the election approaches. 

He also pointed out that monkey "is just another animal", as opposed to animals deemed offensive to Muslims, like a pig or a dog.

Meanwhile, the Animation Society of Malaysia (Animas) urged Nanyang Siang Pau to be more responsible in publishing cartoons involving sensitive religious and ethnic issues.

The NGOs urged the daily not to blame the cartoonist alone as the editor-in-chief of the daily had approved the carricature's publication.

"Thus, punishing the artist without giving a space (for the cartoonist) to explain and apologise, will impact art activities," said Animas.

Home Ministry chief secretary Alwi Ibrahim yesterday said the cartoon in question could “disrupt public order, encourage ill intentions, enmity, hate, and ill-conceived notions towards people or other races”.

This, as it had purportedly appeared to be making fun of the Parliament and Islam as the motion to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act (Act 355) as pictured in the caricature is linked to Islamic affairs, Alwi had said.

The cartoon was published on Saturday, two days after Abdul Hadi read out a motion in Parliament, proposing to amend Act 355.

Pandikar then deferred the debate on the motion to the next House meeting in July, causing an uproar among Pakatan Harapan lawmakers.

The cartoon sparked protests yesterday, with PAS Youth calling for the Chinese daily to be shut down.

Nanyang has since apologised over the cartoon and removed it from its website.- Mkini