theSun | THURSDAY NOVEMBER 27 2008
INTERVIEWS VIEWS CONVERSATIONS
in economics. You left on
your last semester. Why?
I think it is an ego thing. I felt
I was much better than the
lecturers (laughs). I have a big
problem with our education
system. There was a Reformasi
movement going on and some
of the economic theories
were outdated. The quest of
knowledge was static. You
are not encouraged to have a
discussion. The lecturers want
you to read and follow. To an
extent you were becoming
the voice of the government.
University should be a place
where you have discussions
about everything. But that was
not happening. At that time,
my extracurricular activities
were more interesting. I was
involved in UBU (University
Bangsar Utama). It is not
a real university. We had
forums, discussions and
demonstrations. We even
conducted free education
classes for poor urban
children. We did theatre. I
also read many books. One
book that changed my life was
Syed Husin Ali’s Dua Wajah,
tahanan tanpa bicara. It talked
about ISA, student movements
and changes. So one day, I just
stopped going for my classes.
Looking back, seven years
later, do you have any regrets
not getting your degree?
For the first two years, the
university kept sending me
letters, asking me to continue
my last semester and get my
bachelor’s degree. But I didn’t
take up the offer. I could not
stand my life there. I was
Dare to imagine ...
Rahmat wants to
give power back
to the people
becoming disillusioned. I felt I
was becoming an alien. I was
young. It should have been an
interesting period in my life
but the university didn’t offer
me that. Without me going
through this kind of process, I
would not have become what I
am today. If I had followed the
“common road”, I would have
become a boring person. I have
no regrets.
There are many people who
do not get a chance to enter
university. But you wasted
your opportunity. What is
your comment?
I got into the university
on merit. I didn’t get any
supporting letter from people
in power. So it is my choice if I
wanted to stop my studies.
What did your family say?
Obviously they did not like it.
They wanted me to have the
same dream the majority have
– you study hard, you get a
good education, you get a good
job with a good salary, and you
get a wife and start a family.
When you live a comfortable
life, your life will be contented
and you live happily ever after.
But I do not think that is how
things work in life.
Some people feel you are
not Muslim enough because
you have tattoos and draw
portraits.
Then we should not follow the
modern economy that the non-
Muslims have created. Then
we should not have cars and
buildings too. Religion should
be a personal relationship
between you and your maker.
Do not let politics creep into
religion.
Who is the one great
influence in your life?
My mother. She was a single
mother who had raised
ten children. She was an
industrialist – she was one of
the earliest factory workers
(laughs). She was tough and
independent. My parents
divorced a long time ago, and
then my father died. I didn’t
know much about him.
When you left the university,
your mother must have been
disappointed. Did you feel
bad, breaking her heart?
Yes, I contributed to her
sadness and disappointment.
Me stopping my studies was
not the worst thing to happen
in her life. She had faced far
worst sadness.
Tell me something about
your early years?
I was naughty in school.
Nearing the SPM examinations,
I was expelled from school.
I went to work in a market,
If the helping a butcher. I thought
govern- that would be my world.
ment can Later a friend convinced
spend millions me to resume my studies.
Surprisingly, I passed my
on weapons, exams. I even went on to
then the Form Six and passed my
government STPM with distinction. Then
can certainly I applied to Universiti Malaya
invest in and did Economics. I thought
I would be working in a bank.
education and I was ready to change from
give it free to a naughty teen to a working
everyone. This class urban male. But that
can be done if didn’t take place
there is a will. Did you ever get into trouble
This can be over your art?
done if there May be the authorities didn’t
is honesty.” know what was going on in the
art world. But if they wanted
to give me trouble, they could
17
have. The worst trouble I ever
got was when a Malay tabloid
carried a front-page story
attacking a Malay artist with
tattoos and who was free in his
thinking. Of course the paper
did not mention my name. I am
lucky in the sense that I have
not really got into any trouble
with the authorities.
You like to call yourself
anak semua bangsa di bumi
manusia. Why?
My favourite author is
Pramoedya Ananta Toer (the
famous Indonesian novelist).
Among his many books are
Anak Semua Bangsa and Bumi
Manusia. I combined both
titles.
A big problem in this
country is people define
themselves by looking at
another person’s race. One
will define himself as Malay
by looking at the Chinese, one
will define himself as Chinese
by looking at the Malay, one
will define himself as Indian
by looking at other races and
the list goes on. But that should
not be the way how we define
our existence. We all are anak
semua bangsa.
What is the biggest obstacle
you face as an artist?
Artists should not be restricted
by obstacles. Pramoedya wrote
some of his best novels in
prison. Fyodor Dostoevsky (a
Russian novelist) spent four
years in a prison camp in
Siberia doing hard labour and
yet he produced some of the
best works in the literature
world.