e-ISSN 2785-9444 VOL 1, NO 1 (JUNE) 2021: 39-48 Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM) Malaysian Journal of Islamic Movements and Muslim Societies مجلة ماليزية للحركات والمجتمعات اإلسالمية
Submission Date: 18/04/2021 Accepted Date: 3/05/2021 Publication Date: 30/06/2021
THE IDEAS OF COSMOPOLITAN ISLAM IN FILMS: AN ANALYSIS OF ALI BABA BUJANG LAPOK AND TIGA ABDUL
Idea Kosmopolitan Islam di dalam Filem: Sebuah Analisis Terhadap Filem Ali Baba Bujang Lapok dan Tiga Abdul
Mohammad Syazwannuddin Bin Shaharuddin1 International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC)
Abstract
This paper aims to examine the notion of cosmopolitan Islam in the selected P. Ramlee films, Ali Baba Bujang Lapok (1960) and Tiga Abdul (1964). These films were chosen since it contained the theme of familial relationship and wealth by telling the story using the fantasy setting that had similarity to the city of Baghdad or Istanbul. By analyzing the main themes of each film, it had been found that his films contained ideas related to the changing family values in Malaya and Singapore, the effect of modernity and globalization to Malay language and the influences of Arab, Persian, and Turkish culture in the modern Malay society. As a man of his time, P. Ramlee’s film helps us to understand the aspirations and concerns of the Muslims at the onset of Malayan independence and Malaysia formations.
Keywords: film, P. Ramlee, cosmopolitan, modernity, globalization
Abstrak
Artikel ini ditulis untuk mengkaji tanggapan mengenai Islam kosmpolitan di dalam filem-filem P. Ramlee yang terpilih iaitu Ali Baba Bujang Lapok (1960) dan Tiga Abdul (1964). Filem ini dipilih kerana mengandungi tema perhubungan keluarga dan kekayaan serta kaedah penceritaan filem menggunakan ruang fantasi yang mempunyai persamaan dengan Baghdad dan Istanbul. Dengan menggunakan menganalisis tema-tema utama filem-filem tersebut, penulis telah menemui idea-idea mengenai perubahan nilai keluarga di Malaya dan Singapura, kesan kemodenan dan globalisasi ke atas Bahasa Melayu dan pengaruh Arab, Parsi dan Turki di dalam masyarakat Melayu moden. Sebagai seorang yang berpengaruh pada zamannya, filem-filem P. Ramlee membantu kita memahami aspirasi dan kebimbangan umat Islam di Malaysia pada era kemerdekaan Malaya dan pembentukan negara Malaysia.
Katakunci: filem, P. Ramlee, kosmpolitan, kemodenan, globalisasi
1 The writer is completing his Master of Arts in Islamic Thought and Civilization at ISTAC-IIUM.
Malaysian Journal of Islamic Movements and Muslim Societies Vol. 1, No. 1, 2021
INTRODUCTION The period after 1948 was considered a turbulent time for Malaysia and Singapore history. The nation at the time was just recently coming out from the Japanese occupation and the entire nation was being put under the British military administration. The peace was yet to be achieved since the Communist launched the insurgency. Their intention was to overrun the British from Malaya because of the formation of the Malayan Federation of 1948 that was considered a British agenda to keep a grip on Malayan administration. The British were also determined to grant independence to their colonies in accordance with the new international norms created by the United Nations who believed in the right of a nation for self-rules. After India had been granted independence, Malaya was a probable next. Independence also came comes with certain conditions such as that the new nation would not fall into the hands of the Communists. The period of the 1950s was to become a turbulent period for many groups to achieves independence and self-ruled government based on their preference and ideologies. The prospect of independence had allowed more Malays and Malayan political activists to form their own groups and political parties to fill the vacuum when the British left. Several prominent political parties were formed such as UMNO, PAS, PKMM and MCA. These parties were formed either based on ideologies or based on ethnicities, since Malaya was a nation that featured a multiracial composition among the citizens, especially Malay, Chinese and Indians. The political activities in Singapore also reached their height with the rivalry between PAP and Workers Party to control the city council. There was also the question on whether Singapore should continue to become a British colony or achieve independence with Malaya. With this background, the Malay film industry centered in Singapore was becoming an important historical document for understanding the notions of nation-building and political ideologies of the Malays and the Malayan people in general. While films made in Singapore at the time was mainly for Malay audiences, it was directed by Indians and bankrolled by the Chinese through companies such as Shaw Brothers and Cathay-Keris. P. Ramlee become a prominent director during the turbulent period of Malaysian history. He directed and starred in almost 30 films during his time in Singapore. Islam had been an important element for Malay national awakening and continued to play a role in the new nation. By understanding the main themes of P. Ramlee’s selected films, this study identified the idea of cosmopolitan Islam subsisted in his film and this idea should be studied in relation to how people in Malaya and Singapore saw their position after being ruled by colonial British for hundreds of years.
COSMPOLITANISM AND MODERNITY AS THE MAIN THEME OF THE FILM The idea of cosmopolitan and modernity in relations to the family values was prominent in P. Ramlee films’ Seniman Bujang Lapok (1960) and Tiga Abdul (1964). Cosmopolitan in the context of the Malay World is creating a society that is more inclusive, fairer, and pluralistic without having to compromise the basic precepts of Islam2. The idea of Muslim cosmopolitanism is embracing everyone as part of humanity and receptive to the universal values. A Muslim that embraces cosmopolitanism will be at ease with his or her own identity, while maintaining tolerant attitude toward people of other backgrounds3. The cosmopolitan setting was at the forefront in P. Ramlee films where the Malay language was infused in the Arabs, Persian and Turkish setting. The confluence of many languages and cultures creates a sense of a contemporary world that was modernized and advanced in the form of cities and societies, but with certain aspects such as familial relationship still underdeveloped. Modernity in the Malay World means separation of colonial people in Malaya from existing social, economic, and religious communities to re-embedding the diverse inhabitants of Malaya to colonial capitalism and modern state. This colonial construct later inherited by the nationalist government in Malaysia as a response to restore proper Malay society, while purposely leaving
2 Syed Muhd Khairudin Aljunied. (2018). Hamka and Islam: Cosmopolitan Reform in the Malay World. Singapore: ISEAS, 5-7. 3 Syed Muhd Khairudin Aljunied. (2017). Muslim Cosmopolitanism: Southeast Asian Islam in Comparative Perspective. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, xix.
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The Ideas of Cosmopolitan Islam in Films: An Analysis of Ali Baba Bujang Lapok and Tiga Abdul
elements that did not favor their mission.4 The modern political institution created by the nation-state measured modernity based on Western precepts such as political hegemony, civil society, and liberal democracy5. This idea of modernity would be in confluence with Muslim cosmopolitanism that strived to re-examine traditional family values. To understand Muslim cosmopolitanism in P. Ramlee film, a synopsis of the story of Ali Baba Bujang Lapok film was needed. The film was released in 1961, written and directed by P. Ramlee. In this film, P. Ramlee played a villain character called “Ketua Penyamun” (Leader of the 40 Thieves) or affectionately called “Chief” by his followers. The main character of Ali Baba was played by Aziz Sattar, while his brother, Kassim Baba, played by S. Shamsuddin. Other supporting characters were Norsiah, the wife of Ali Baba, Aloyah, the wife of Kassim Baba, and Marjina, the house helper of Kassim Baba, played by Sarimah. The story starts with Ali Baba sending his wife to his rich brother, Kassim Baba to ask for money and food material to cook. Their family was poor because Ali Baba did not do any work and this resulted in his wife complaining to his brother, Kassim Baba. After being scolded by his family, Ali Baba relented and went to the woods to gather firewood. While cutting the woods, he stumbled upon a band of thieves who emerged from a hidden cave that was filled with stolen treasures. Ali Baba pretends to be a reporter and manages to trick the Chief to give him the password to the cave. When the band of thieves leaves, Ali Baba goes inside the cave and takes only one box of gold coins. Ali Baba emerges in the city as a rich man and pays off his debt to his brother. Kassim Baba is curious and asks for the secret of his instant riches. Ali Baba relents due to his brother persuasion and reveals the secret about the cave of stolen treasures and Kassim Baba greedily steals the entire treasure in the cave by fitting it into a truck. He is caught by the thieves while stealing the treasures after they return to the cave because Kassim Baba took a long time. The Chief executes Kassim Baba and sends back his head to his house in the city. His house helper, Marjina seeks help from a nearby Chinese tailor to stitch back Kassim Baba’s head. The Chief hears about the richness of Ali Baba and plans to raid his house next. He sends his underlings to mark the house, but Marjina thwarts their plan by putting up a false mark. The Chief eventually decides to disguise himself as a trader to meet Ali Baba and brought 40 barrels hidden with his underlings to be stored at Ali Baba house. He was planning to raid Ali Baba house at night but fails when Marjina fills the barrels with hot oils and kills the 40 thieves that were hiding in the barrels. The main theme found in this film is that greediness can be the reason for downfall, as proven by Kassim Baba’s character who was already rich but still wanted to steal a lot of treasure. Meanwhile Ali Baba, a poor man only takes one box of gold coin, enough to make him rich and is still left with enough treasures to give away the riches to the poor. Modernity creates a society that only emphasizes on material wealth and happiness in this world. Another theme found is that laypersons such as Ali Baba and Marjina should not be looked down upon by the society, especially by those from the upper class. Kassim Baba and his wife’s sympathy to for Ali Baba family is not honest, and eventually it was the poor family that was willing to help them when they were in need. The third theme is that being smart is better than being wealthy. As depicted by Marjina, although working as a housekeeper, she is smarter than her master, either in thwarting the Chief’s plan, or in leading the Chinese tailor from his house to avoid being tailed. Complex relationships between family members and material pursuit in the city are features of cosmopolitanism in the Muslim society. There is a need for balancing both the healthy familial relations with living in the city that rewards affluence and luxury. Another P. Ramlee film that had touched on the ideas of modernity is Tiga Abdul. This film is situated at the fictional city of Isketambola, which bears similarity with Istanbul in the 19th century. It was released in 1964, written and directed by P. Ramlee. The story starts with a rich businessman named Ismet Ulam Raja living with his 3 sons, Abdul Wahab played by Haji Mahadi, Abdul Wahib played by S. Kadarisman
4 Joel S. Kahn. (2006). Other Malays: Nationalism and Cosmopolitanism in the Modern Malay World. Singapore: National University of Singapore Press, 138-144. 5 Wendy Mee & Joel S. Kahn. (2012). Introduction in Wendy Mee & Joel S. Kahn (ed). Questioning Modernity in Indonesia and Malaysia, 4-7. Singapore: NUS Press and Kyoto University Press.
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and Abdul Wahub, the youngest son, played by P. Ramlee. Ismet Ulam Raja collapses because of heart attack while celebrating his birthday, and shortly after speaking with his sons, he was pronounced dead by the doctor. The death of their rich father sends two of his sons, Abdul Wahab and Abdul Wahib, to splits the wealth between them while Abdul Wahub ignores them and continues with his business. Sadiq Sigaraga, a businessman who was also an old friend of Ismet Ulam Raja, played by Ahmad Nisfu wants Ismet’s inherited wealth. He asks his three daughters to seduce the sons of Ismet into marriage. This marriage is a sham whereby he and his adviser, Kassim Patalon will use tricks by putting ridiculous rule in the contract to take over their wealth. Their plan is a success when they manage to seize assets and sell the two brothers into slavery. Abdul Wahub is spared the trick since Ghasidah, played by Sarimah fails to seduce him. Abdul Wahub saves his brothers from slavery and starts devising a plan to punish Sadiq Sigaraga by agreeing to marry Ghasidah, in exchange that Sadiq and Kassim also sign a contract with Abdul Wahub. Sadiq agrees when he knows that Abdul Wahub had inherited much more of Ismet’s wealth. Sadiq uses the same tactics to on Abdul Wahub but it backfires when he himself gets angry with Abdul Wahub. Sadiq, his two daughters and Kassim Patalon were eventually sold into slavery. Abdul Wahub buys them back and punishes them to work at his house. After persuasion by Ghasidah, Abdul Wahub agrees to reunite his brothers with their wives and reinstates Sadiq Sigaraga’s wealth. All his family members apologize to Abdul Wahub because of their greediness and the family is back together again. The main theme discovered in the film is revolves around family and wealth. The first is that family relationship should be valued more than wealth. Abdul Wahub’s brothers were willing to sever the ties of family just because their brother did not want to follow their scheme of things. Like Ali Baba Bujang Lapok’s version of Baghdad, the modern city portrayed by Isketambola emphasizes on wealth and position instead of their honesty and integrity. The second theme is that one should accumulated wealth through honest and honorable ways instead of through fraud and sham marriages. Sadiq Sigaraga is willing to risk his own daughter’s marriage and future family happiness just to amass more wealth. Greed and avarice can ruin lives and destroys families6. This is related to third theme which is that family relationship can be toxic and harmful for oneself, and if possible, it is better to distance away. This is shown by Abdul Wahub’s decision to distance away from his own brothers after their decision to accumulate all their father’s wealth. He feels that their action was dishonest and smears the reputation of their father. While modernization had corrupted the Isketambola society, there are were still small groups of people exemplified by Abdul Wahub who stood by his principles even with the lures of wealth and luxury.
MODERNIZING MALAY LANGUAGE The first aspect that is unique in these two films are the languages used by the characters. It employed an anachronistic approach to language where urban and modern Malay language was spoken but the environment was in the historical setting. In Ali Baba Bujang Lapok, it appears that several characters speak using a combination of the Malay and Arabic words. This can be perceived as a way for P. Ramlee to ridicule those who like to use Arabic words in their speech to sound clever and religious. The usage of modern lingos in historical setting created films that looks modern on the surface but still clinging to the past. The Malay literature movement after the second world war was moving from a classical structure of the Malay language that had been used since the 17th century as one can read in “Sejarah Melayu” or Hikayat Raja Pasai” to modern Malay language as used today popularized by writers such as Munshi Abdullah in the 19th century to the contemporary linguist such as Zainal Abidin Ahmad (or Za’ba). Za’ba writes on the importance of the Malay language and the religion of Islam as the sign of a strong identity of the Malays. It is only through proper usage of the language that one can eloquently speak his ideas7. Understanding this idea in the context of the Ali Baba Bujang Lapok film, the society had been degenerated because the usage of the language had been corrupted with foreign elements. The development of the modern Malay language
6 James Harding & Ahmad Sarji. (2011). P. Ramlee: The Bright Star. Petaling Jaya: MPH Group Publishing Sdn. Bhd, 151. 7 Siti Zamrah Isa & Che Ibrahim Hj Salleh. (2014). Pemikiran Za’ba dalam membentuk jati diri Melayu. Jurnal Antarabangsa Alam dan Tamadun Melayu (IMAN), 2(2), 26.
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was also driven by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), an institution formed by the Malayan government in 1956 to coordinate the usage of Malay language and promoting Malay literature. The creation of DBP is the culmination of the struggles by the Malays thinkers and nationalist activists starting from the Sultan Idris Teaching College (SITC) in the 1920 to 1930s. The principle of Malay nationalism was not just to free the Malays from the political and economic constraints of the British colonialism, but also in terms of the language, thought, education and culture. Several “Kongres Bahasa dan Persuratan Melayu” were organized since the 1952 to 1954 and in the third congress, the establishment of DBP was proposed.8 The decades of the 1960s and the 1970s also saw the promotion among Malaysian citizens of the usage of the Roman Alphabet instead of Jawi, an alphabet based on the Arabic script. This was done to allow easier learning by the non-Malays and fears that Jawi will be unable to translate scientific terms and the Malays would be left behind on the findings of recent scientific research. In the 1960s, English had become more prominent in Malaya and Singapore and the ability to speak the language was considered a bonus in hiring. This aspect also compelled the modernization of the Malay language, especially on that usage of Roman alphabet, so with the intention that the hold of English language in the intellectual arena and civil service will be reduced. To strengthen the role of Malay language as a medium of communication in public institutions, the Malay language was declared as the official language of Malaysia in 1967. The sudden conversion of Jawi to Roman Alphabet (or Rumi) attracted criticism from the scholars who believed that it ruined the language and considered it as “degraded Malay language”. Za’ba retaliated that it become degraded when a writer did not learn the language properly and blindly follows the grammar and structures of foreign languages such as English or Arabic. This happens if writer rarely reads books in Malay language and their system of thought had become influenced by foreign elements.9 Islamic thought and Arabic language had for centuries influenced the development of Malay civilization and literature and it would be unwise to replace the Jawi script that had rooted in the Malay thought with Rumi script that had been infused with Western secularism. The Malays will be more inclined to Western thought instead of Islam if there is no limit of using the alphabets and translating the words from English to Malay carelessly.10 Mana Sikana writes on the influence of Western literature upon contemporary Malay literature. Modern literature mediums such as short story, poetry, novel, and drama were yet to develops in the classical era of Malays literature, which only had “hikayat” as the medium. Any attempts to de-Westernize Malay literature should reflects the fact that many Malay literati still uses Western mediums. For example, post-war Malay literature featured stories from the time of Japanese occupation and stories about magical realism that were primarily inspired from Western literature.11 Ali Baba Bujang Lapok also reveals that even with the corrupted elements, the Malay language still survives as a medium of communication. But there must be a limit for modernizing language to avoid the next generation becomes obscured from the past knowledge. This had happened in modern Turkey where in 1928 the government forced the Turkish people to use Latin script instead of Arabic script, resulting to in many of the younger generations who cannot read the older manuscripts in Uthmaniyyah archives and become detached from the past heritage.
THE ARAB-PERSIAN-TURKISH INFLUENCES Cosmopolitan ideas had been prominent in the Malay world since the time of Melaka when the sultanate’s port became the entrepôt for traders from China, India, and Arab Peninsula. Their arrival made Melaka rich with many languages and cultures and the rule of law between traders were enforced with “Hukum Kanun
8 Awang Sariyan. (2010, February 25). Pemartabatan bahasa kebangsaan dalam pembinaan negara bangsa [Conference Presentation]. Syarahan Bahasa DBP Wilayah Timur & IPG Tengku Ampuan Afzan, Kuala Lipis, Pahang. 9 Za’ba. (2019). Bahasa Melayu: Kelebihan dan Kekurangannya. Kuala Lumpur: Akademi Jawi Malaysia, 14-15. 10 Syed Muhammad Naguib Al-Attas (1972). Islam dalam Sejarah dan Kebudayaan Melayu. Petaling Jaya: ABIM, 29-31. 11 Mana Sikana. (1983). Pemikiran Islam dalam Sastera Melayu. Kuala Lumpur: Penerbitan Tratra, 31-40.
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Melaka” and “Undang-Undang Laut Melaka”. While Melaka was not the first Malay polities to embrace Islam since that honor went to Pasai, Melaka’s wide trading network and political influence helped disseminate Islam throughout the Archipelago. Islam continued to be rooted in the society and political system long after the Sultanate of Melaka had diminished. The system of thought of the Malays had undergone changes and was influenced by the Quran and the Arabic language when the Malays converted to Islam. The Malays also imported stories from the Middle East and repurposed it for their own benefits, such as the stories of “Hikayat Amir Hamzah”, which was to teach the importance of good character. Islam also helped the Malays to connect to the wider part of Islamic civilization such as to the Arabs, Persian, Indian, African, and the Turkish people. The Arab and Persian influences in the Malay cultures were interrelated since the Persian cultures had been the principles source of Islamic art since the 8th century when the Persian civilization was subdued under Islamic influence. The art created by Muslims was considered sacred and contributed to spirituality enhancement. Persian love of beauty was not just inherited from the time of Achaemenids, Parthians, and Sassanids, but managed to absorb Islamic revelation and the Prophet’s teaching which provided enormous and rich Islamic arts and culture.12 The Turkish influence in the Malay peninsula and Sumatra was apparent with close relationship between the rulers especially with the Acehnese rulers.13 The coming of the Portuguese in the 16th century and subsequently the Dutch and the British would become the prelude to the era of stagnation of Malays intellectual and political development. But certain Malay rulers such as Johor would use their political connection with the Uthmaniyyah dynasty and familial connection with the Hadrami Arab network to control the growing influence of colonial power.14 Colonialism had brought the idea of nationalism in the Malay world and the partitioning of the archipelago between British, Dutch, Spain, and Portugal had shaped the modern nation-states in Southeast Asia. These partitions had resulted in the loss of regional unity and identity. With the establishment of cities that were outside the traditional power such as Singapore and Batavia, resulted in the loss of trade networks by the previous powerful Sultanate. These partitions also become a hindrance to any attempt of for cultural unity in the Malay world and each Sultanate become less dependent on each other and became more dependent on the colonials. The divide and rule policy contributed to the fragmentation of the Malay-Islamic polity with inter-ethnic conflicts. This inter-ethnic consciousness was fueled with the settlers from India and China who traded and worked in the Malay world to serve the colonial economic interest. The cosmopolitan image in the past as projected by Melaka in the 15th century was filled with political power and cultural confidence, but the cosmopolitan image that projected in colonial settlements such as Singapore and Batavia existed in fragmentations and molded by European political supremacy and Western culture.15 The important cities of the Malay Archipelago in the late 19th century were consequently also important colonial cities such as Singapore, Pulau Pinang, Batavia and Melaka. These cities like Istanbul were a bustling port crowded with traders and labors coming to the cities for jobs and business opportunities. The modern city and society of Isketambola as depicted in Tiga Abdul was akin to the development of Uthmaniyyah modernization effort that was created in the late 19th century. The modernization effort in the Islamic world started with a political movement in 1860s which criticized broad adoption of Western institutions under “tanzimat”, which began from 1839 to 1876. They believed that constitution-based state would be more compatible with the spirit of Islam and the citizens should have the right to consult their rulers through the “shura” method. With pressure from young Uthmaniyyah and the Europeans, Sultan Abdulhamid II created a new constitution that was put into effect from 1876. The constitution was only in effect for one year because the caliphate lost in the Russo-Turko war and to ensure state stability, the Sultan proclaimed himself as an absolute ruler. Under his rule, the modernization effort was pursued through bettering education and communication networks in the caliphate. The effort popularized the cries of the
12 Seyyed Hossein Nasr. (1987). Islamic Art and Spirituality. Lahore: Suhail Academy. 13 Saim Kayadibi. (2011). Ottoman Connections to the Malay World. Petaling Jaya: The Other Press. 14 Ibid. 15 Osman Bakar. (2014). Islam as a shaping force of cultural identity in Islamic Civilisation and the Modern World: Thematic Essays, 270-271. Bandar Seri Begawan: UBD Press.
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reform among the citizens, where before it was only circulating among the bureaucrats and the elites. The students of the modern Hamidian school would later be instrumental in the Young Turks movement emerging in Istanbul in 1899 and being active until the caliphate’s dissolution. This movement while it still wanted a constitutional based state, also believed in the role of technocratic and militaristic government inspired by the Germans and the French. The intellectual ideologues of the Young Turks such as Ahmet Riza were influenced by French thinkers who believed that reform and modernity could be molded in the caliphate, without the hassles of French revolutionary era that destroyed the state and economy.16 This modernization would lead to the abolishment of caliphate in 1924, but it also helped build the foundation of modern Republic of Turkey. The Malays nationalist and Islamic Reformist groups in Malaya believed in emulating the ideas of the republic as an inspiration for nation-building. The modern Republic had suffered from the lack of professionals that could run industries after the Armenian and Greeks were either expelled or left Anatolia and new industries needed to be rebuilt from scratch. The economic hardship forced leaders to promote the idea of a Turkish nation to restore the pride. The Balkan movement of independence against the Uthmaniyyah that were instigated by Serbian and Bulgarian nationalists, had also influenced Turkish nationalism since Turkish people who was were rooted in Balkan states for centuries had to move away and be relocated inside the borders of the new Republic. The Malays also closely followed the Balkan wars in 1912 through newspapers such as “Neracha” and “Tunas Melayu” and were reminded that if Uthmaniyyah lost the war, it was also a loss to Muslims around the world. The abolishment of the caliphate did not deter the Malays from revering to revere the Turkish people, in fact the new republic became the aspiration of the Malays to create a new independent state. Za’aba praised the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and lamented that there was no one among the Malays that had the same stature.17
MODERNITY AND FAMILY VALUES There is a downside to embracing modernity for the nation. Modernity projects in the West were aimed to be fully secularized, with a claim to the universality of rationality and bureaucratization of economic, political, and military. Joel S. Kan saw this definition of modernity as ignoring the history of colonialism, patriarchy and racism that had existed in pre-independence nations.18 Modernity had also diminished the familial relationship and values as ss depicted in Tiga Abdul, where Sadiq Sigaraga was willing to use marriage to accumulate riches. He saw marriage merely as a tool to gain economic status. It is recorded in history that some Malays had abused the marriage of their daughters and aspired to find a match among affluent families to raise their family position. But for the wealthy family, there was a tendency for to arranged marriages with those close to the family to prevent the inheritance passing over to other families. Wealth plays an important factor in fracturing familial relations. The sons of Ismet Ulam Raja were bickering among themselves about their father’s wealth instead of their father’s health. The family unit was an important element in nation-building and if it was disrupted, the society will be in disarray. The urban living depicted in the film had made the focus of society on wealth, where even orphans had been left on the street to beg for a new orphanage before Abdul Wahub saved them by giving them a new place, courtesy of Sadiq Sigaraga’s empty office. P. Ramlee had created the images of urban Malays that were manipulative and untrustworthy. This resulted from the ordinary men and women caught between the realities of the city and their roots in the traditional rural life. P. Ramlee’s idea of a model Malay is too idealistic, but he believes that ordinary Malays can survive the city if their attitude changes while embracing progress.19 The negative impact of modernity in Malaysia was imported from Western colonial precepts on the East and should not
16 Stefano Taglia. (2015). Intellectuals and Reform in the Ottoman Empire: The Young Turks on the Challenges of Modernity. London: Routledge. 17 Mohammad Redzuan Othman. (2015). Merentasi Sempadan yang Melewati Zaman: Timur Tengah, Islam dan Masyarakat Melayu. Kuala Lumpur: Universiti Malaya, 25-27. 18 Wendy Mee & Joel S. Khan. (2012). Introduction in Wendy Mee & Joel S. Kahn (ed). Questioning Modernity in Indonesia and Malaysia, 4-7. Singapore: NUS Press and Kyoto University Press. 19 Hassan Abd. Muthalib. (2009). ‘Winning hearts and minds': representations of Malays and their milieu in the films of British Malaya. Southeast Asia Research, 17(1), 53.
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be dismissed as just another manifestation of premodern survivals. Understanding our own modernity means we need to reject the assumptions of superiority of the Western, liberal, or techno-instrumental modernity.20 The Malay films in the 1950s and the 1960s are modern films that promoted a break from the past precepts. The story they were telling could be inspired from old “hikayat” and contemporary observation of the society, but the films presented ideas from various filmmakers suggesting that clinging on tradition that is not relevant anymore.21 Another popular term that used to refer to modernity and cosmopolitanism was globalization. It was mainly referring to the impact of Western colonization and economic grip of the Western nations on their former colonies. It could also mean the hegemony of American economic and political supremacy after the end of the Cold War and the rise of communication technology, especially the internet. But globalization had long been a staple in Southeast Asia before the times of colonization with the waves of Islamic religion to the archipelago from the 10th century onward. This globalization wave while it did not create strong political dominance like the British and the Dutch, it had created a cultural and economic interconnectedness between different parts of region. There are four elements that help us understand features of globalization; the first are common trends and processes to the human activity in the global scale; common forces that shape this activity; common objects associated with the trends and finally common goals that sought to be achieved. The first waves of globalization in Southeast Asia were the Islamic globalization from 10th century to the fall of Melaka in 1511; Western colonialism starting with Portugal and continued with the Dutch, Spain, British and America until the second world war; and the struggle for modern nation building in the 1940s until 1960s, all of which matches these globalization features.22 The brilliance of Marjina in repelling the band of thieves in Ali Baba Bujang Lapok and Ghasidah turning down his father requests in Tiga Abdul should be considered as expressions of a modern Malay women. Women in the Malay world had been missing out from education because their parents believed that the function of women is to only become wives and mothers.23 Women became more active after independence with the involvement in political parties and had also helped organized demonstrations against the Malayan Union. Leaders like Aishah Ghani and Khadijah Sidek had become the icons of women political participation early in nation-building. But their participation does not neglect their duty to their family and their determination had put the shame upon the male members of society to step up and do more. Malay women experiences different phenomenon compared to a more patriarchal society in the West since Malay women had been more involved in the economic activities and trade and were considered equal to men. But modernization and industrialization had reduced the role of women to function only in the households and pressuring them to choose between self-fulfillment or serving their family.24 The Malay world was surged with ideas of cosmopolitan reform, either from outside elements such as European ideas of modernity and the elements within such as Muslim cosmopolitanism derived from the Middle East and the concerns of the future of Malays after the independence, the importance of embracing non-Malay aspirations especially in the context of human rights and building a nation guided by reason and law. But there was still the question of whether it was possible for Malaya to be governed as a multiracial nation after the British had left. The advocates of the nationalists among the Malays political leaders believed that the non-Malays need to be absorbed themselves to the Malay culture to be regarded as citizens. Although they were contented to work with other political parties based on ethnicity to achieve power
20 Wendy Mee & Joel S. Khan. (2012). Introduction in Wendy Mee & Joel S. Kahn (ed). Questioning Modernity in Indonesia and Malaysia, 9. Singapore: NUS Press and Kyoto University Press. 21 Timothy P. Barnard. (2009). Decolonization and the nation in Malay film, 1955–1965. Southeast Asia Research, Vol. 17(1), 79-80. 22 Osman Bakar. (2014). Islam and the three waves of globalization in Islamic Civilisation and the Modern World: Thematic Essays, 237-241. Bandar Seri Begawan: UBD Press. 23 Syed Muhd Khairudin Aljunied. (2018). Hamka and Islam: Cosmopolitan Reform in the Malay World. Singapore: ISEAS, 69. 24 Charles Hirschman. (2016). Gender, the status of women, and family structure in Malaysia. Malaysian Journal of Economic Studies, 53(1), 44-45.
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The Ideas of Cosmopolitan Islam in Films: An Analysis of Ali Baba Bujang Lapok and Tiga Abdul
through democratic processes. Since the Malayan society was still divided according to racial lines, any party that championed the rights of their ethnicity would win the vote. A party that was based on ideologies and promoted multiracial cooperation was having a hard time to amass popular support. The idea that the Chinese was just a recent migrant was commented upon P. Ramlee in Ali Baba Bujang Lapok where it was revealed that the Chinese tailor was indeed a citizen because he was born there since the time of his parents. Although the film depicted the city as Baghdad, we should consider it as a metaphor for Malaya. Some posits that racial division in Malaya will look different if we consider the inequality between the upper class, the middle class, and the lower class.25 In the film Ali Baba Bujang Lapok, Ali Baba is one of the rich persons that is willing to help the poor, since he used to be poor and knows the gravity of poverty that stricken the city of Baghdad. This strengthens the ideas on how P. Ramlee perceived the Malay upper class at the time who overlooked the poor Malays who needed their help.26 While the portrayals of Malays in many films in the 1950s and 1960s were ranging from dramatic to comedy, the portrayal of non-Malays characters often were very stereotypical and for comedic relief. Ironically, some of these films were directed by the Indian themselves. The existence of non-Malay characters had double-edged swords. On one side, it reflects the presence of different ethnics in Malaya, but at the same time the appearance in the film is very much superficial and shows the lack of depth in understanding other ethnics especially by the Malays.27 Although P. Ramlee films did lacked the representation of non-Malays, it did not deter non-Malays from enjoying them. A study done on P. Ramlee films from the perspective of Malaysian Indians shows that his films was were appreciated because of his comedy and his music. Since the music in P. Ramlee films was inspired by Indian films, it is no surprised that it also resonated with Indians. They also did not perceive comedic representation of non-Malays in P. Ramlee as too offensive, and his films were regularly viewed by the entire family for entertainment and leisure.28 Since the local elections introduced in Malaya in 1951 and general election in 1955, the Malays were introduced to democratic principles as a modern way to appoint leaders and form the government. While this in theory allows all citizens to be involved in the democratic process, it was the elites and the rich who have had more knowledge and advantages to ensure the elections were favorable to them. As depicted by Abdul Wahab and Abdul Wahib discussion on “Demokrasi Terpimpin” or Guided Democracy, with money and power, you can bend the principle of democracy to your own preferences. There was a figure in Indonesia, K.H. Wahib Wahab, who was a minister of religion from 1959 to 1962 who supported Sukarno ideas of Guided Democracy. But P. Ramlee had foresaw that the democracy was not enough to reduce the grip of political establishment since the colonial times and gives citizens more rights and power. In another aspect, the Malays should feel proud that they had embraced democracy fully by allowing the non-Malays and women to vote and stand in elections. This privilege was not given to many non-whites and women in the Western countries even though the West claimed that their country was more democratic.
CONCLUSION This article discussed many aspects in the film Ali Baba Bujang Lapok and Tiga Abdul such as the modernization of Malay language, the influence of Arabic, Persian and Turkish in various aspect of Muslim cosmopolitanism and the ideas of modernity, Western colonialism, and globalization to the traditional family values, women roles, and inter-ethnic relations. Apart from these two films, there are many P. Ramlee films and Malay films in the 1950s to 1960s that portrays the many aspects of modernity and cosmopolitanism. The ideas presented in this film show that the Malays and Muslims were aware of the changes in the political order and society in Malaya and Singapore.
25 Syed Husin Ali. (2008). The Malays: Their Problems and Future. Kuala Lumpur: The Other Press, 168-169. 26 James Harding & Ahmad Sarji (2011). P. Ramlee: The Bright Star. Petaling Jaya: MPH Group Publishing Sdn. Bhd, p. 232. 27 Angeline Wong Wei Wei, Shanthini Pillai & Ong Puay Liu. (2018). The golden era of the Malaysian film industry: Cross-cultural dialogue and negotiations of ethnicity in a budding nation. Kajian Malaysia 36(1): 6-7. 28 Uthaya Sankar SB. (2005). P. Ramlee di Kaca Mata Etnik India: Satu Perbandingan in Awang Azman Awang Pawi & Khor Chooi Lian (ed). P. Ramlee di Cakera Nusantara, 89-90. Kuching: UNIMAS.
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Malaysian Journal of Islamic Movements and Muslim Societies Vol. 1, No. 1, 2021
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