Amid racial discord and religious spats that have marred the outlook for Malaysia, a young filmmaker has taken up the issue in a light-hearted movie named for an iconic rice dish said to be symbolic of the Southeast Asian nation.
“Nasi Lemak 2.0,” by 28-year-old Namewee (picture), is a comedy that parodies ethnic stereotypes about Malaysia‘s three main races, sparking national debate about a usually taboo subject.
The film follows a brash young ethnic Chinese chef who is forced to rethink his racial prejudices after he falls on hard times. After losing his restaurant, he is forced to ask for help from a Malay nasi lemak seller he had previously scorned and is sent on a journey to learn how to make the dish.
Nasi lemak is made up of several components such as rice and spicy sambal, each from a different culture. The dish, not tossed into one, is said to reflect how the different races live together in Malaysia but maintain their identities.
“The most serious problem in Malaysia is the racial policy,” Namewee, a second-generation Malaysian ethnic Chinese, said in an interview.
“This policy can still be maintained but it shouldn’t be separated by what colour you are. It should be defined by how poor you are.”
Racial harmony is a common theme in Namewee’s films and music, which argue that a decades-old policy favouring ethnic Malays has bred a culture of inertia among Malays and widespread resentment among the country’s minorities.
