The Sheila Majid in all of us

I was first introduced to Sheila Majid’s music when I was 12.

My father played me “Sinaran” and “Lagenda”, and told me that Malay artistes have a “bigger” vocal cord - they are able to belt higher musical keys.  Indeed, Sheila Majid was the legend in her genre, the “Queen of Jazz”.

I renewed my interest in her last year when she appeared for an interview on BFM, in which her larger-than-life personality shone through. Her straight-talking character and her latent rebellion reminded me of activist and writer Marina Mahathir, whom I deeply adore.

She will always be special to me.

In some sense, it was inevitable that she would provide a concise summary of her general concern towards this country in a widely-shared tweet. With 280 characters, she pointed to the pressing economic conditions of Malaysia - a situation surely experienced by many.

But there were dissenters. Not chiefly on the content of her tweet; instead, on her right to have a say on issues outside of singing.

The critics admonished her in two ways: first, by saying she had no right to comment on socio-economic issues; second, that she had no expertise to comment on anything of that sort.

‘No right to comment’ 

The flamboyant TV personality Mohamed Azwan Ali (photo) said that Sheila had no right to comment on issues regarding cost of living, because she is who she is today because of the government.

Her wealth, success, “Datuk” title, and millions of followers were all contributed by the Umno government, and thus Sheila loses her right to publicly comment on the state of the country.

With due respect, this argument is hard to sustain. It grossly underestimates the musical talents of Sheila Majid and the vast Malaysian population who supported her in more ways than one.

Sheila has never received formal vocational training and instead taught herself to sing; her fans kept her going in the good times and the bad. These are the true reasons for her success.

While the government might have contributed financially to the entertainment industry, these are at best a fulfilment of governmental responsibility using taxpayers’ money rather than an act of Umno generosity.

Umno would have a hard time proving that Sheila Majid wouldn’t have succeeded if Umno was not there to assist her.

Additionally, receiving government support does not come with an attached condition of silence. Government funding does not displace a citizen’s fundamental constitutional right to freedom of expression, even if that criticism is against the government.

In fact, holding the government to account is the right and responsibility of a citizen, and it continues regardless of which political party governs the country and regardless of how well they do.

It is precisely because a government’s decision affects the largest segment of the population that they should never be granted immunity from criticism.

And since Sheila Majid is as much a citizen of this land as anyone else, she should never lose that right simply because she has (supposedly) succeeded with the help of the government.  

‘No expertise to comment’ 

Umno information chief Annuar Musa (photo) and many others have said that singers like Sheila Majid should never comment on socio-economic issues because they have no expertise in doing so, and that they should stick to singing.

Again, this is another unsustainable argument. First of all, it assumes that commenting publicly on issues like cost of living, low wages, unemployment, and debt levels somehow requires a specific expertise.

This is surely untrue since everyone who has a stake in this country should be accorded the space to speak his or her mind, and the open market of dialectical discussions should resolve any untruths.

But more important, the statement of “no expertise” also assumes that somehow members of Parliament and ministers have greater expertise in running the country.

If anything, the elite position of politicians puts them out of touch with the common man and daily realities; their internal politicking, posturing, and powerplay often serve no benefit to the general welfare of the people.

The declining status of the country today, in real and perceived terms, should be evidence enough that politicians are not the ones with the greatest expertise in running the country.

I am not suggesting that Sheila Majid has great expertise on socio-economic issues. But there is something that must be acknowledged: singers and songwriters do not live in a vacuum. They too are daughters, sisters, and mothers who have concerns, just like the rest of us.

You do not need to be an economist or a political scientist to have a conscientious and empathetic view of the plight of the nation. And you certainly do not need any expertise to earn that right to speak up on the things you care about.

An artiste’s success is often owed to a greater sensitivity to humanity - of expressing what we otherwise fail to express in resonant melodies. Hellfire won't rise for a songbird who cares. 

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JAMES CHAI works at a law firm. His voyage in life is made less lonely with a family of deep love, friends of good humour and teachers of selfless giving. This affirms his conviction in the common goodness of people: the better angels of our nature. He tweets at @JamesJSChai.- Mkini