Malaysian politics can often be described as messy, morally grey and even downright filthy! One thing that cannot be denied is that it is highly engaging and entertaining in a sick, twisted sort of way. Since Pakatan Harapan (PH) took over power in 2018, Malaysian politics has seen upheavals that could easily be found in HBO’s “Game of Thrones”. Old rivals teaming up to take down a greater threat. Secret coups and the power struggles that threaten to bring down whole administrations. A political prisoner who would rise to take the throne after waiting for over 20 years!
Man, this is the stuff of legends. With “Anwar: The Untold Story” making its way into local theatres, we figured that our dear Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim shouldn’t be the only politician to get the limelight. These are some of Malaysia’s most famous (or infamous) politicians that we think deserve their very own film!
1. Lim Guan Eng & Mohamad Sabu
During the controversial Operation Lalang under the Mahathir administration, over a hundred political critics and detractors were rounded up and detained. With no due process or formal trial, these political prisoners lost years of their lives thanks to the Internal Security Act (ISA). On the bright side, the time away in the slammer gave way to some wonderful bonds and friendships from all different walks of life. To this day, the most adorable and memorable bromance in Malaysian politics is the one between the Democratic Action Party’s (DAP) Lim Guan Eng and the National Trust Party’s (Amanah) Mohammad “Mat” Sabu!
Imagine a prison buddy comedy film with a similar dynamic between Kevin Hart and Will Ferrell from “Get Hard”, now that would be hilarious! The film would of course follow their journey out of prison and their eventual rise to power within the PH coalition. Mat Sabu has always had a big, boisterous personality to Guan Eng’s more dry, stoic demeanour, so we think a film exploring their friendship would be a great bit of fun.
2. Muhyiddin Yassin
Look, look, look! Clearly, Malaysians are divided about the whole Sheraton Move incident in which the leader of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Bersatu) and Malaysia’s former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin essentially overthrew the PH government through a covert alliance. You have the right to be angry about that. You have the right to think it’s justified. Regardless of what aisle of the political spectrum you’re from, you have to admit…that was some “House of Cards” level manoeuvring on his part and it has all the makings of a potentially awesome political drama!
The film could follow right after the events of the Pakatan Harapan victory in 2018. Then from there, we see Muhyiddin and his party slowly but surely become disillusioned. He begins to plot one of the most ambitious takeovers in Malaysian history. We could see him meeting secretly with members of the other parties as he gathers support. Then, the climax of the film has PH scrambling to counter the new coalition but it all falls apart. It’s too late, the rise of Perikatan Nasional (PN) has come. The film ends with Muhyiddin entering the office and sitting comfortably.
3. Hannah Yeoh
When you think of famous female Malaysian politicians, there’s little doubt that the first name that comes to mind is probably YB Hannah Yeoh. Hailing from Subang Jaya, Yeoh has spent her life fighting an uphill battle to win the hearts and minds of Malaysians. In spite of her prominent status within the world of national politics, we don’t really know much about what drives her from her background. What was her childhood like? Was there any particular event during her days in high school that would later influence her path towards politics?
Too many times, politicians are marked by their achievements and blunders, so it would be nice to take a different approach in handling Hannah’s story. Perhaps, an origin story that has her growing up in Subang Jaya while going through the trials and tribulations of a regular high school student. Politicians are people too and a film about that truth might help ground us a little more in reality.
4. Karpal Singh
A fighter. That’s exactly how we’d describe Karpal Singh in life. Life has never been easy for the Tiger of Jelutong but he never stopped fighting. His life has been marked by landmark trials and debates as he fought for a vision of a free, democratic, fair and multiracial Malaysia. He fought against the death penalty and for more humane treatment of criminals. He fought for Anwar during the infamous sodomy trial and perhaps even uncovered a possible conspiracy to have the future prime minister poisoned! He was greatly loved by the people and deeply hated by his enemies. He was the Atticus Finch of our nation.
We would love nothing more than to see an epic legal drama film following Karpal Singh’s greatest hits. We would of course need an actor capable of capturing his firebrand personality and his righteous indignation. We also wouldn’t be opposed to having an intense shouting match a’la “A Few Good Men”. Insert the Malay version of “You can’t handle the truth!”.
5. Dr Mahathir Mohammad
Seriously, if someone were to make a TV show for him, it’d be running nearly as long as “The Simpsons”. Best known as Bapa Pemodenan (Malaysia’s Father of Modernisation), Mahathir has left his great mark upon this land…for better or for worse. He was the one that fought to propel the Malay people of this nation forward away from systemic poverty. Yet at the same time, he had arguably done this to the detriment of others around him. He was a visionary for the future but those who disagreed with his plan were dealt with severely.
Dr M. is a complicated man, and for such a titanic figure, we’re thinking maybe we split the film into two parts. Part 1 will cover his early days in politics and his rise to power in Barisan Nasional and have it conclude with the end of his first term as PM. Part 2 will see him come out of retirement for the 2018 elections and will cover the fall of the PH administration under his leadership. Like it or not, the man created the current political reality of Malaysia and his influence will last long after he’s gone.
If you liked this piece, be sure to check out our breakdown of which Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) character best suits our prime ministers!
