ISA strikes terror in Malaysians, in London

'Bilik Sulit' captured the emotional and psychological torture which detainees and their families are subjected to

COMMENT

The draconian Internal Security Act (ISA) was a handy tool used by the government to control its critics, to detain them without trial, to subject them to humiliation, and degrading treatment.

With their spirits broken, confessions were readily signed. It was easy policing.

Our leaders, principally Dr Mahathir Mohamad, used the ISA liberally like someone who likes to sprinkle monosodium glutamate (msg) on his food. It is not healthy but makes him think the food tastes better.

Last Saturday writer, playwright and activist Hishamuddin Rais and his travelling theatre troupe, “Teater Bukan Teater”, brought the horrors of the ISA to London.

The troupe currently on tour in England made their debut performance with their play “Bilik Sulit” at the JZ Young Lecture Theatre, at University College London.

This may not have been the ideal venue to stage a play but in some ways it was perfect. In a confined space with the audience just a few feet from the players it was easy to feel that one was part of the interrogation process.

When the protagonist’s head was forcibly jerked back, when he was kicked over by his handlers, or when the interrogator came within inches of the protagonist’s face and shouted at him, the pain etched on the captive’s face, and the humiliation he felt, was all the more palpable.

The set was simple. Just a few flats depicting the bars of a prison cell, a table, three chairs, a spotlight and screen. This was the interrogation room; stark and dim, exuding an air of gloom.

The atmosphere left much to the imagination. Hisham’s setting captured the audience’s sentiments and sense of intrigue. Elaborate sets, special effects like those found in modern films and other fanciful adornments are a distraction and may detract from the message of the play.

“Bilik Sulit” started when the lights were dimmed and a long silence followed. Banging and shouting off-stage, created the first point of drama. At this climax there were loud objections from the protagonist to indicate that he had been detained in the middle of the night and that he was being taken to an undisclosed location.

His wife’s voice is heard protesting his innocence and pleading with his captors not to intimidate other members of the household, to stop barging into the childrens’ bedrooms or treating her house with disrespect by traipsing through every room in their dirty boots.

Throughout the play she narrates her inner thoughts and feelings from the wings. She is a voice of calm and of reason especially as we observe the brutality of the treatment meted out to her husband.

The austere set together with the performance of the young actors captured the audience’s attention and held it. The techniques used to engage them were simple but effective. The main thrust of the ISA interrogation is to “turn the detainee around”.

Patient rakyat

There were moments of hilarity to counter the sombre, chilling depictions of the interrogation techniques. The Special Branch interrogators were depicted as men with limited education whose task appeared to please their political masters who themselves were portrayed as devious people who could be bribed to secure the early release of a detainee.

Behind the scenes the most junior interrogator rains blows on the detainee. In time, he will fill the shoes of his superiors.

The players who were young Malaysian students and recent graduates performed admirably. The protagonist dressed in orange prison clothes is also the perfect metaphor for the Malaysian rakyat.

His eerie silence as he is repeatedly questioned, rebuked and humiliated, is synonymous of the patient Malaysian rakyat which accepts the punishment meted out by the government without any retaliation.

The play ended in a dramatic and symbolic manner which caught some people in the audience by surprise. For many in the audience, it signified the explosion of a repressed anger, especially when the protagonist proclaimed “Ini bukan Islam. Ini bukan Melayu”.

The cast together with Hisham received rousing applause. Many in the audience appeared to be shocked by the revelations from the true accounts of previous detainees, including Hisham’s own experience at Taiping’s infamous Kamunting detention centre.

“Bilik Sulit” was performed entirely in Malay. Members of the audience who expressed reservations feared that the language barrier would stop them from enjoying the play. After the performance a number of them agreed that Malay was the perfect medium for expression, and for change.

When quizzed the non-Malay speakers said that they were able to follow the issues and conflicts from the tension created by the characters.

“Bilik Sulit” captured the emotional and psychological torture which detainees and their families are subjected to.

It exposed many unknown issues of the ISA; Lack of family contact. Beatings. Being blindfolded. Confinement. Debagging. Humiliation. Mental torture. Sensory deprivation. Slaps, punches and kicks. Sleep deprivation. Stress positions.

One frequent theater goer said that the pace could have been quicker. Others disagreed and said that the pace was sufficient and the duration was perfect. Another said he enjoyed the concept of the Special Branch interrogators introducing current political issues which kept the play topical.

Timely reminder

Hisham maintained the interest of his audience throughout the play. They were able to empathise with the protagonist and the despair of the situation he was trapped in.

The complications faced by the characters created high points in the play. The climax of “Bilik Sulit” and its resolution was symbolic and for some people, thoroughly unexpected.

“Bilik Sulit” is a good reminder of the oppressive methods our government uses on the rakyat and their families.

Many in the audience agreed that the play reached them in many ways which lectures and books could not.

One former detainee said he would not wish the ISA on his worst enemy, even Mahathir!

We must not allow the government to replace the ISA with the equally draconian Security Offences Special Measures Act (SOSMA).

(Footnote: The final performance of “Bilik Sulit” will be in Nottingham, on Saturday, April 5. Don’t miss the opportunity to see this enthralling play. Please note that this play is not suitable for young children.)

Mariam Mokhtar is a FMT columnist.