Content Questions

1. What common issues are highlighted in MLIE?
Gender Bias
The Marginalization Of English Writer
The Clash Between Modern Thinking And Traditional Thinking
Political Problem

2. How are the issues related to the past and the present?
It is related between the past and the present on the issue of gender bias. In the play, women are seen as a slave who needs to obey their husband. This is shown in the character of Mastura played by one of the actor in the story. Mastura want to be more than just a girl waiting to be married off to men. She wants to be a chief just like her father. However this ambitious dream of Mastura could not happen at that particular time due to invisible barriers. Dato Maharajalela (her father) restricted her from doing that. It will bring disgrace to their family. At that time it is considered as a custom for married women to serve their husband. This phenomenon still being practice now even time is changing.
Kee Thuan Chye also makes a comparison between the leader from the past and the future. In the story, Kee Thuan Chye related the mindset of most of the leader during the incident of Pasir Salak and the present leader. In Singapore, there are incident about the most powerful politician in a state who was alleged to have committed statutory rape of an under aged girl but was not prosecuted. While in the character of Dato Sagor the writer shows the similarities of the past and present leader. As in the story, Dato Sagor tries to take advantages of his slave, Kuntum who already married. Accoording to Kee, “if you think some aspects of the past are bad, think again. The present is no better. The identities of the power brokers will change, situations will differ but the power play for the advancement of self-interest does not. History repeats itself. Nothing is new except what is forgotten.”

3. How are the issues relevant to the future?
These issues are relevant to the future as it is with the person who will over the country. Hence, the future generations play important roles in creating a better country. He wants the future people make a good lesson in above issues and did not repeat the history. For your information, this play is dedicated to all Malaysians, especially the young in whom lie the hopes for the present and the future, and his children. He hopes that the future generations did not make the same mistakes as the people from the past did.

4. What issues are typical to a particular race?
Some issues in the play are seen typical to a particular race. As in the play the writer’s idea about the Chinese being a stereotypical is portrayed by the character of Tan Kim Cheng. In the play Tan Kim Cheng is seen as an indispensable middle-man, the fixer who shrewdly befriends both the British and the Malays to enrich himself. In the rehearse Tan said that, “I worked closely with the British and continue to prosper. My children and their children benefitted from my fortune”.
The issues of women cannot do other things but to serve her husband is typical to the Malays. This is shown by the character of Lela when he said to Mastura, “You will fulfill yourself by fulfilling your husband”. The typical Malays are also being shown in the play when women have limit in their talk. In the play, Mastura was being scolded by her father for giving her opinion on the morality of slavery. Women cannot become a leader and cannot give their own opinion.

5. Why are some issues common to a particular race?
These issues are common to Malay people and Chinese people as both races are differ in their thinking, their culture and their religion.
For the Malays, their culture and religion forbid the wives to disobey their husband. It will be a sin if a wife did not listen to his husband and try to disobey them. Children also cannot disobey their father’s words. As in the play, Mastura had argued with her father over the slavery issue. But some Malays had misunderstood this and make anything as they wish. In the case of Mastura and his father, religion is used to question Lela’s perception on the moral values of slavery. This proves that Lela is mixing the custom and the religion. Meaning that he supports the slavery claiming that it is approved by the religion.
As for the Chinese, working for a prosperous life is typical for a Chinese man. Although time change this way of thinking still being practice as now we can see a lot of Chinese men and women who involve themselves in business and make big profits out of it. Maybe their culture encourages them to make their live more prosperous.

6. What does the future hold for MLIE?

From our perspective, the MLIE is growing positively according to the growth of English language in our country. The more people learning to accept English as the global language, slowly people will accept MLIE. It can be seen in the ways of developing of English language. When people start to learn the English language properly, they will be introducing to this MLIE. Thus, our MLIE will develop as good as the other country such as India, however just like being discussed before it will take a long time.
In future, maybe there will be a specific syllabus that will teach about MLIE subject in secondary school in our country. During that time, English have been accepted and use widely without ignoring our own language. So is MLIE. There will more writers that wrote in English as a result of the acceptation our people to the MLIE. There will be less alienation of the MLIE works and their works start to be recognized by people from other country. It will be good if this situation happen because it shows that our country is not left behind.