The curious case of comedian Sharul Channa

Singaporean comedian Sharul Channa was supposed to perform in Petaling Jaya on May 18. The organisers had obtained the requisite permits from the authorities, including Puspal, the ministry of communication’s department that approves foreign artistes. Tickets were sold, and the stage was set.

But abruptly, two days before the performance, Sharul’s permit was revoked, and she was not allowed to perform. Luckily, local Malaysian comedians stepped in to save the day. The “show must go on” as the saying goes.

Sharul is what I’d call a cerebral female comedian who peppers her set with some colourful language. But, she’s accomplished, polished, and understands the local landscape, both in Singapore and Malaysia.

Apparently, the organiser of the show was notified that a number of police reports were made against Sharul’s comedy for a 2017/2018 Comedy Central Asia television show that she was featured in. The show aired on Unify TV in Malaysia.

Here’s the irony, the show and Sharul’s performance from 2017/2018 was “approved” by the government. Nothing airs on Malaysian television without being vetted by the authorities, and Unify TV belongs to Telekom Malaysia.

It is astonishing that the authorities allowed her on national television with the said “offending” joke in 2017/2018, but in 2024, they canceled her show for a small 430-seater theatre. The disparity, and sheer lack of common sense is dumbfounding.

Have we, as a nation, become more “sensitive” in the past six years? Has our society become more “woke” in the last few years? Or, are there just more “snowflakes” in town now?

Stand-up comedy is a strange artform. Comedians polarise audiences with their brand and style of humour and presentation. Some are brainy, others are observational, and there are those who are just old-school slapstick merchants. But in 2024, we expect Malaysian audiences to choose their cup of tea, and go for shows with comedians that appeal to them.

By no means is Sharul Channa everyone’s favourite comedian. But that’s the deal with stand-up comedy. Every comedian is different. In Malaysia, it is drummed into comedians that the sacred three “Rs” cannot be ridiculed. People in the industry know that race, religion, and royalty are non-negotiable “no fly zones.”

Many, including business owners like me, have suffered in the past when errant comedians crossed this line, and we had to pay the price. Let me be clear, I have no sympathy for comedians who want to perform in Malaysia, and cross that sacred threshold.

The authorities shut down Malaysia’s only dedicated stand-up comedy club that I was an investor in, after seven years of slogging hard to make it a world-renowned entity.

So, I have no qualms about saying that errant and recalcitrant comedians are free to do what they want, but they also need to be prepared for the consequences from the authorities.

But for this instance, with Sharul, the so called “police-report-worthy” clip was approved by the authorities in the first place for national consumption on a popular Asia-wide comedy television programme. But now, she gets banned for the very same clip.

Surely if it is offensive today, it was also offensive in 2017/2018?

These sorts of anomalies and irregularities induce an incredible amount of confusion in performers. It stifles a burgeoning artform and dissuades people from trying it. To perform as a stand-up comedian takes a tremendous amount of courage, and a large dose of intelligence. Dumbing down our people by scaring them off pursuits like this, makes us less competitive as a nation in the global marketplace.

More importantly, actions like this embolden the moral policing by ultra parochial groups. Some groups in our country get noticed immediately when they report something offensive. But others don’t get a look in, no matter how many police reports they make.

Many minority communities will say that hate-preachers in Malaysia get away with saying all sorts of offensive things about people from different faiths, but they get let-off scot-free. They don’t get banned or cancelled. And, they are allowed to continue to preach their brand of narrowmindedness.

We hear so much publicity about how the current Madani unity government wants to create a more inclusive and just society for our country. Our prime minister proclaims regularly that minority communities have nothing to fear, and this government will look after everyone.

But his communications ministry makes anomalous and inconsistent rulings when it comes to stand-up comedians. Yet, it seems to turn a blind eye against those who truly sow hatred, and spew bile against our delicately balanced multiracial society.

Let’s hope Singapore doesn’t start banning all our top stand-up comedians now. Our guys make big money there, and come home to spend their earnings and generate our economy.

Stand-up comedians form a tiny community in Malaysia. But they are also part of our national fabric. The curious case of Sharul Channa simply brings to fore the selective persecution that some “minority” communities face. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.