Can anything be done about the trajectory of the nation? One local author has suggested that the country’s future can be predicted by looking back on an important period in its past.
In his debut novel “Once Upon a Time in Malaysia”, Murale Pillai tells of the events that led to the fall of Melaka sultanate in 1511.
The first-time novelist warns that the factors behind its ruination are very much present in modern-day Malaysia and, similarly, threaten the country’s future.
At the launch held on Saturday at Gerakbudaya in Petaling Jaya, he shed some insight into why he was driven to write his book.
During its heyday, he said, Melaka was a bustling trade hub where people of all races lived and worked.
“It was the only sultanate that was multiracial and multireligious from the beginning”, he claimed, pointing, for example, to the size of the Bukit Cina cemetery as an indicator of the strong presence of the Chinese community back then.
“I see parallels between the fall of Melaka to the Portuguese and the direction Malaysia is taking,” Murale told FMT, “including the breakdown of multiracialism and religious faith, and the rise of autocratic elitism.”
A failed state, he asserted, is at risk of colonisation by other powers – a fate that befell Melaka. It was this concern over Malaysia’s current direction that spurred him to put pen to paper.
That and the pandemic: “When Covid-19 hit, I realised it was time to write.”
Murale further stated that Tunku Abdul Rahman’s decision to announce Malaya’s future independence in Melaka was a calculated one. “Why there? It’s because Melaka had been colonised the longest, for over 400 years.”
Murale is a hobbyist writer whose short stories and opinion pieces have regularly appeared in local newspapers. With his book being historical fiction, he carried out research and collated his material for over a decade.
Putting it all together into a novel was no easy feat, especially while running a logistics business, but he managed to pull it off.
In “Once Upon a Time in Malaysia”, he makes it a point to tell the story from the perspectives of both Melakans and the Portuguese.
“It is a clash between two civilisations. On one side, you have the elites such as Sultan Mahmud Shah and Tun Mutahir. On the other, you have adventurers like Admiral de Sequeira and Alfonso de Alburqueque.”
Curiously, Murale has praise for the Portuguese, especially Alfonso, saying his ingenuity and boldness was worth respecting. “The Portuguese didn’t take a bus to Melaka! They had to use science and technology to get there, and that’s what made them successful.”
Of note, he said the Portuguese would never have succeeded had Melaka’s rulers demonstrated initiative and intelligence, rather than complacency.
He is not worried that people will take offence to his political satire. “I’m 68. They can do whatever they like,” he said nonchalantly.
More importantly, can Malaysians do anything to help reverse the country’s decline? Murale believes they can.
“First, vote. Whether you like it or not, you have to.
“Second, Malaysian artists need to leave an impact on society,” he said, explaining that writers, poets, cartoonists and the like have the power to influence society through their works and call for change, and they must, therefore, be brave enough to do so.
“There is hope, but the window for change is narrowing. If Malaysia doesn’t take the necessary steps in the next 10 years, we will be past the tipping point.
“And any hope will be – just like the Melaka sultanate – gone forever.”
‘Once Upon a Time in Malaysia’ can be ordered from Gerakbudaya by clicking here. Alternatively, visit its outlet to pick up a copy.
Gerakbudaya
2, Jalan Bukit 11/2,
Seksyen 11 Petaling Jaya, Selangor