SATIRE is not a crime, said political cartoonist Zunar.

“The government should know very well that we need to learn to laugh at ourselves,” he said

“What is happening in Malaysia now is that we like to laugh at other people but don’t want to be laughed at.”

His comments come in the wake of calls for a clampdown on parodies and satirical social media accounts.
 
Zunar, whose real name is Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque, said there is a growing tendency to report satirical and parody content to the police or the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

“We cannot blame these people. They are really sensitive about it,” he said when contacted.

However, he said the authorities should send a clear signal that satire and parody should be taken with a grain of salt and don’t waste time investigating such complaints.

Parodies and satires are a form of protest to which people resort for a good laugh instead of taking to the streets to vent their frustration, he said.

It has also become an avenue for the common man to take part in the affairs of the country.

“The root of the problem is that the government now is very distant from the people. When the government or the prime minister announces something, for instance, the budget or any policy related to the people, there is no venue for people to take part in or debate it,” said the cartoonist  who once faced nine charges of sedition for lampooning former prime minister Najib Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor.

“The current prime minister is not even talking to the media. He appears on TV but the media cannot ask questions.

“People want to be a part of this. There are so many weird statements that people might find funny but again they can’t express themselves on official media.”

Meanwhile, doctor turned stand-up comedian Dr Jason Leong said it is unfair for authorities to investigate parody and satirical content providers.

“This is purely intimidation and harassment. If you don’t like a joke, come up with a better joke, not jail the comedian,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

We need to learn how to appreciate parody/satire because ultimately what it does is speak truth to power for the betterment of, ironically, the very people who are urging the authorities to take action.”

Describing parody and satire as mirrors to society, he said the emergence of such social media accounts in politically robust Malaysia signals the appetite and demand for self-reflection among the people and leaders.

“Plus, parody and satire are all rooted in comedy and comedy is the ultimate tool to punch up and speak truth to power,” he said.

According to Leong, many Malaysians want more parody and satire because they are fed up with the inertia of development and the endless politicking by the powers that be.

“We are fighting a pandemic and economic meltdown, so one of the last things the rakyat should be concerned is with is parody accounts. In fact, I daresay most of us like the parody accounts because they say what we don’t dare to say, guised as comedy,” he added.

Tapir Times editor-in-chief, who wanted to be known as Adam, said his site was inspired by American satirical shows, such as Stephen Colbert’s The Colbert Report and The Daily Show which was previously presented by Jon Stewart and currently hosted by Trevor Noah.

“Tapir Times is an attempt to apply that form of topical satire to the Malaysian news cycle,” he said.

“There’s a trend now of making a satirical account look like a well-known Malaysian news source. We can’t speak for others, but to us good satire should be entertaining not confusing.

“We don’t want to fool our readers for more than a few seconds before they (hopefully) get the joke and find it amusing. In our opinion, the funniest news satire is clearly fictional but contains a deeper truth.

“Today, anyone can set up a website or Twitter account which looks like the mainstream news equivalent but we all need to be responsible for what we post.” 

“If the intention behind the satire is humour even if it’s not in great taste then we think it’s OK, but there’s a clear line between comedy satire, and cybertrooper trolling,” he added.

He said people who enjoy this form of entertainment will follow such accounts while those who are not inclined to such content will block it from their feed.

Academic Gayathry Venkiteswaran said it is disappointing to see calls for criminal investigation against satirical and parodical accounts as there is no indication that they have crossed the line by promoting or inciting dangerous speech or manipulation. 

“Equally problematic is if and when the authorities initiate investigations over what I consider are flimsy reasons. Just because you disagree or dislike something, it doesn’t mean you should report to the police but that unfortunately shows the weakness of our laws which are so broadly defined and give the authorities reasons to investigate complaints,” she said.

The assistant professor at the School of Media Languages and Cultures at the University of Nottingham Malaysia said people should be entertained and be provoked as that is what satire and parody are all about. 

“If only we held politicians to account as much as we did these parody and satire sites, we might have a much more robust political engagement process,” she said.

Prof James Chin of University of Tasmania’s Asia Institute said Malaysians lack the political maturity to handle a lot of issues.

“Even the professional class is not mature, they can’t tell the difference between professional satire and personal satire. They don’t like what you write, read or broadcast, yes they will immediately tag you to MCMC or PDRM,” the political analyst said.

MCMC chairman Dr Fadhlullah Suhaimi Abdul Malek recently said legal action could be taken against parody or fake accounts by those affected by the content.

He said parody accounts are not only a problem in Malaysia but elsewhere in the world.

“A parody account is a social media account, especially Twitter, with a name or brand or logo that is almost similar to a well-known body or organisation or dignitaries. It is a new trend in delivering false news, to mock or insult,” he said.

One such parody account is Bermana, which is a spoof of national news agency Bernama. – October 12, 2020.