Malaysian Politics

A Great Theatre Spectacle

抄録

This paper describes the interplay between the performative aspects of theatre and the contemporary scenario of Malaysian politics. It narrates the theatrical dynamics of political actors and their constructs of political narratives complete with [political] stage settings and spaces involving the peoples of Malaysia who have become the unwitting audience of these political entanglements. As they witness the engagements/disengagements and the intertwined web of political parties and political leaders, who are engaged and obsessed in their inherent quest for legitimacy to secure power and maintain control of their leadership, Malaysians not only unravel the intricate web of Malaysian politics, they in fact become the audience of real political theatre unmatched by the fictional theatricalization of political reality. This paper will also explore the propagandization of race, religion, culture and identities of the actors and audiences of Malaysia’s political scene as theatrical representation. Focussing on the 2018 and 2022 General Elections as backdrops of contemporary political theatre, this paper explores how politics impacts governance, policy-making, and public discourse which in turn has become a unique spectacle of theatrical representation. The juxtapositions and contestations of theatrical elements and Malaysian politics form the core of this paper's exploration. By analysing the performative nature of political processes, the myriad roles of key political actors, the narratology of political constructions presented to sway, persuade, or completely change public perceptions, this paper exhibits the intriguing parallels between political manoeuvres and the dynamics of a theatre spectacle. Seen through the lens of political events, especially of the 2018 and 2022 General Elections, this paper showcases the twists and turns of Malaysian politics as a compelling real-life drama even better than the fictionalized plays created by dramatists. Nowhere is the adage “truth is stranger than fiction” more relevant than in the current Malaysian political scene/theatre. This will be proven by the history of theatrical representations both traditional and modern which has always reflected and refracted multi (-racial, cultural, religious) Malaysia. The paper focusses on two playwrights; Fasyaly Fadzly and Mohd Khairi Anwar bin Jailani with a brief mention on Mark The and his performance/ participatory, non-text theatre presentations. The paper concludes by analysing the mismatch of political reality and theatrical representation and posits the notion of new theatre mediums and the coping mechanisms of playwrights to compete with a new generation of social media savvy audiences and traditional audiences rooted in their tastes of old theatre forms even as they yearn for new trajectories in theatre.