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©The Sun (Used by permission)
by Shanon Shah

This transcript was simultaneously generated from the proceedings of Prime Time with Sharmila Chong. RTM cannot guarantee absolute accuracy because of possible mishearing and difficulty in identifying individual speakers.

Sharmila Chong: You’re watching Prime Time with Sharmila Chong. My next guests are four twenty-something Malaysians who are this year’s Rainbow Foundation awardees. We have Sakinah Buri, Nazrul Yap, Jaya Fernando Masilamany and Rosa Ningkan-Gautam, who are the founders of Wholehearts Inc., a non-profit organisation committed to supporting young Malaysian human rights defenders. Guys, selamat datang (welcome) and salam muhibbah (warm greetings).

All: Thank you.

Sharmila: So, Nazrul, how does it feel receiving this year’s Rainbow Foundation award?

Nazrul: Syok tapi (It’s great but) surreal...

Sharmila: Because of the backlash against you?

Nazrul: Ya, I’m just shocked that so-called experts are scolding us, saying there’s no need for us to keep pushing the human rights agenda. Because we’ve finally signed the UN human rights treatieslah, abolished the ISA (Internal Security Act) lah, amended the Constitution to restore the judiciary to -

Jaya: Ya, the thing is, on the surface they seem like valid criticisms, but they’re not, because there’s like a resistance against all the gains Malaysia has made in human rights.

Nazrul: As if!

Sharmila: And certainly dwindling interest among young Malaysians.

Sakinah: Yeah, ‘cause like thirty years ago, during the Vision 2020 decade, students were really active. They were like so bersemangat (passionate) in forcing amendments to the Universities and University Colleges Act, and even supporting Maleha Mydin’s administration.

Sharmila: It’s ironic that you should mention this, because some of your critics charge that the four of you are too young to even remember Tun Maleha Mydin -

Rosa: Are you kidding me? The woman is our hero bah! First democratically elected woman Prime Minister of Malaysia -

Sakinah: Indian-Muslim some more -

Rosa: Without her, my Nepali father along with all the other migrant workers would still be treated like slaves! Thanks to her, he could get citizenship rights and marry my Kadazan mum!

Jaya: And as a Muslim she stood for religious pluralism ...

Nazrul: And she finally got Malaysia to sign all the UN human rights treaties. She even spoke up for gay rights! And then when Parliament passed our Anti-Discrimination Bill, Malaysia became the first Muslim country ever to include discrimination on the basis of sexual identity as a crime. Maleha Mydin is the reason why gay Muslims like myself can finally come out and don’t need to be scared of getting arrested or tortured or killed.

Rosa: She also knew how to accessorise lah.

Nazrul: Ya, those earrings! Very the dazzle!

Sharmila: But some say she went too far with the whole gay human rights thing. Remember the failed Saudi attempt to assassinate her and Deputy Prime Minister Vin-Joo Tan because of that? And backed by the CIA too?

Sakinah: Ya, but there you have it. It failed. Remember how Saudi really kena kutuk (was condemned) by Indonesia, Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, and even Iran as the OIC (Organisation of the Islamic Conference) chair? For the first time ever, there was dissension within the OIC where half of the Muslim member countries actually supported human rights for gay Muslims and they actually dared to speak up against Saudi Arabia! Not only that, almost half the world came out in support of Malaysia and condemned the US – the Philippines, New Zealand, Korea, Japan, South Africa, the South American countries, the European Union, you name it.

Sharmila: I sit here, and I’m amazed to hear this. You speak with such passion about a woman whose term as Prime Minister ended the year you were born. She’s seventy years older than you, you know?

Jaya: But that’s why this award means so much to us. Because she was the originator.

Rosa: And she had the vision to ensure that the money does not go to the initiators of the project, but to the communities that are being assisted by the project. This means that the four of us don’t get rich overnight from this award. Rather, it is the Wholehearts Inc. network that can actually self-sustain and grow even if – astaga! (God forbid!) – something happens to the four of us.

Nazrul: We all muka (the face of) glamour only.

Jaya: Speak for yourself, Naz.

Sakinah: No, but seriously kan, my grandpa tells me about the days when it felt as though Malaysians had very little avenues to defend their human rights. He says we’ve come a long way since then, but ... we must always look out for each other and ensure that we continue to celebrate each other’s humanity.

Sharmila: Very well put. Guys, thank you very much. I hope you go on to achieve even greater things. After the break, Johana Malik talks about her new historical novel on the Memali incident.

Note on transcript: The year is 2057. Sakinah is my granddaughter. This is my fantasy of Malaysia in 50 years.

Shanon Shah’s Malaysia is one that includes and loves all her citizens. He will therefore be part of the 50:44 Merdeka Celebrations to remember the people who have built the Malaysia that loves us all. Details at www.50-44.org.

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