Malaysian Sikhs Through a Cartoonist’s Lens 241

13

PERCEPTION OF SIKHS INMALAYSIA THROUGH A

MALAYSIAN CARTOONIST’S LENS

Kiranjit Kaur

Sikhs in multi-ethnic Southeast Asia have been undergoing an identitytransformation ever since the first Sikh migrants arrived in the region abouttwo centuries ago. In Malaysia Sikh migrants have assimilated and adjustedto the host society and culture and been involved in nation building innumerous ways. Although they are a minority group, they have madesignificant contributions to the social, cultural, economic, and political lifeof the country.

In Malaysia Sikhs form less than one per cent of the population, and itis estimated that there are approximately 120,000 Sikhs in the country.Malaysian Sikhs have managed to retain their distinctive identity against thebackdrop of a multi-ethnic and multi-religious Malaysia. Sikh men are visiblyrecognizable by their beards and turbans, while most Sikh women have kepttheir salwar kameez style of dressing. The Sikhs have been and are accordedspecific rights under the constitution to maintain and observe their religiouspractices.

In the late nineteenth century, Sikh men were recruited principally asauxiliary forces (police and military) to help the British maintain law andorder in the colony. Apart from this occupation, they also worked as dairyfarmers (the earliest “milkmen” were those who did not qualify for theauxiliary forces) and subsequently became the main suppliers of fresh milk

241

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242 Kiranjit Kaur

until the 1930s. They were also involved in numerous other occupations:bullock-cart drivers, private security guards, and, by the second decade of thetwentieth century, in subordinate government positions as technicians, prisonwarders, and the like. Since they settled mainly in the urban areas, they hadaccess to the educational facilities in the towns and their children were thebeneficiaries of English-medium instruction. Sikh children were able tobranch out into occupations/professions such as teaching, law, and medicine.Today, Sikhs are represented in all the major professions in the country andtheir contributions to the development of Malaysia has been acknowledgednationwide. Sikhs have also come to be the subject of some Malaysianliterature and poetry. They have been viewed humorously by cartoonists,including Malaysia’s renowned cartoonist Mohamed Nor Khalid, aka Lat.

This chapter looks at the Sikhs in Malaysia through the lens of Lat, thecartoonist. It also discusses the framing of the Sikhs and their cultural normsin Lat’s cartoons, as well as the perceptions/impressions of the Sikhs by otherMalaysians.

CARTOONS AS A FORM OF COMMUNICATION

The word “cartoon” has several meanings, based on different forms of visual artand illustration. Often it is humorous in intent, although the editorial cartoonsfound in news publications are more serious in tone — using irony and satire— and act as a visual metaphor to illustrate a point of view on current social orpolitical discussions. Cartoons are important in that they can influence theperceptions of audiences. Through the “framing” of people or events in cartoons,specific images are formed. This art genre, including through Lat’s cartoons inMalaysia, has contributed to the image of the“big, strong, and friendly” Sikh.

Although ethnic and nationalistic stereotyping is not a new phenomenon(Lent 1999), most cartoonists generally draw their basic inspiration from theexperiences of contemporary daily life (Provencher 1999). In the years sinceMalaysian independence, all the major daily Malay and English languagenewspapers have employed humour writers and cartoonists (Provencher 1999)who have indulged in humorous commentaries through cartoons. Also, Asiancomic art has found receptive audiences internationally (Lent 1999). However,the cartoonists are seen more as artists rather than educators or propagatorsof moral or ethnic studies.

The question of how seriously the audience receives messages throughcomic art has hardly been explored. There is also the question of whethercartoons contribute to stereotypes through the images portrayed about differentgroups. Messages in the media, whether through news stories or other formsof images, contribute to the understanding or perception of the subject

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Malaysian Sikhs Through a Cartoonist’s Lens 243

matter. In the same light, cartoons may also frame a subject matter or peopleto create perceptions about them in the minds of readers.

Stereotypical media images persist, partly as a result of socialization.Stereotypes inevitably become durable features of the media, acting like codesto give audiences a quick, common understanding of a person or group ofpeople — usually relating to their class, ethnicity or race, gender, sexualorientation, social role, or occupation. But as has been pointed out by severalscholars, stereotypes can be problematic. They narrow the wide range ofdifferences in people down to simplistic categorizations, transform assumptionsabout particular groups of people into “realities”, justify the position of thosein power, and perpetuate social prejudice and inequality. Groups beingstereotyped have little to say about how they are represented (Rhodebeck1998). However, stereotyping does not carry negative or positive values. It isonly when a stereotype is imbued with a pejorative meaning that it becomesnegative. In addition, the repetition of a stereotype naturalizes it and makesit seem like reality (Frith 2004).

However, as pointed out by comic book creators, they do not do theirwork out of any feeling of social responsibility, or because they feel theyneed to promote respect for diversity, or even because they feel an obligationto fans. They do it for themselves. The comic book writers who are themost popular writers with fans, and the writers who are most respected bycritics and peers, are those who are most likely to include overtly religiouscharacters and themes in their work. This does not mean that these writersall have the same viewpoint. Successful writers run the gamut from devoutlyreligious to ardently secular. But the best writers acknowledge the existenceof religiously diverse characters, and utilize the inherent dramatic interestthat such diversity creates.

This chapter, however, reiterates Lat’s assertion that he draws with noplanned intention to create stereotypes, including that of the Sikh. Nevertheless,his cartoons represent popular portrayals of individuals and everyday events.

LAT THE CARTOONIST

Lat, Malaysia’s foremost cartoonist over the last four decades, has capturedthe humorous side of Sikh identity in his highly popular cartoons thatappeared in the New Straits Times, a Malaysian English daily, in the 1970s–80s. Lat’s depictions of his Sikh school headmaster, his Sikh schoolmate, theSikh young woman of marriageable age, and the Sikh wedding in his cartoonsare examples of his creative ability to frame the distinctive Malaysianmulticultural flavour of its people. His ability to capture Malaysian reality hasencouraged people of all races to identify readily with Lat’s cartoons and

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244 Kiranjit Kaur

comic books and laugh with him. A Malaysian icon, Lat drew refreshingportrayals of modern, multicultural Malaysian life that were free from malice,as commented by Redza Piyadasa (Lat 30 Years Later, 1994).

Mohamed Nor Khalid, who was born in Perak in Malaysia, started drawingcomics from the young age of nine. He wrote his first children’s book in Malay,titled Tiga Sekawan, while still studying in primary school. Lat has done severaltypes of cartooning: political, social, and gag cartoons; comic strips,commercials, and animation, in both English and Malay. He is most popularlyknown for his autobiographical comic books, Kampung Boy and Town Boy,which are accounts of his own childhood and those of his family and friends,including fond memories of the relaxed pace of traditional kampong life.

He started contributing comic strips for publication in local newspaperssuch as Berita Minggu, Pemimpin, and Dewan Pelajar from 1968, while stillstudying in school. Lat began his career in Berita Harian as a crime reporterin 1970 at the age of nineteen. He began contributing cartoons on thecharacter Mamat, based on the life and times of his younger brother. Then in1974, he joined the New Straits Times, a Malaysian English daily, where histalent for drawing cartoons was recognized and he was given a cartooncolumn to showcase this.

Since then his cartoons have been, and continue to be, published on theeditorial and other pages of the New Straits Times. A brilliant storyteller, Latoften mixes social commentaries depicting the various facets of Malaysia’smulticultural society, with polite humour in his generally candid, thoughtprovoking, and unpretentious drawings. He manages to treat sensitive andhot issues, including racial stereotypes and heated social debates, in a non-objectionable and humorous way, capturing minute details that the ordinaryMalaysian can empathize with readily.

Lat is also one of the better known cartoonists in Southeast Asia and hasgained worldwide fame with the continued and widespread reprinting andtranslating of his cartoons. The annual compilations of his cartoon strips intobooks have also been hugely successful. A few of his books have beentranslated into French, Japanese, and Portuguese. Kampung Boy has also beenmade into a television animation serial. He was a recipient of the 1998Eisenhower Exchange Fellowship and the 13th Fukuoka Asian Cultural Prize2002, an indication of the international recognition of his work.

LAT CARTOONS AND THE SIKHS —AN INTERVIEW WITH LAT

This section discusses cartoon illustrations portraying Sikhs and theiridiosyncrasies as well as characteristics in Lat’s published comic books and the

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Malaysian Sikhs Through a Cartoonist’s Lens 245

newspapers. Lat’s scenes of crowds sketch various Malaysians in which a Sikh(usually a male) is included. He has a regular cast of actors that he includesin most of his cartoons who usually form part of the background. Sikhs areeasy to draw and they have a distinctive look (which is probably a good thingfor comics). Sikhs have their own visually unique style — religiously significantapparel such as bracelets and, most of all, the turban. However, non-Sikhsalso wear turbans (including Muslims and Hindus), but when the turban iscoupled with a surname such as “Singh” or “Kaur”, it signifies a Sikh person.

Often the Sikh man is depicted in the cartoons through a variety ofexpressions such as a stern character or a person holding a position associatedwith authority, a stern parent, or a passive and demure woman — a daughterpreparing for her wedding, observer in the crowd, a background character,holding a menial job, or a lawyer, teacher, police officer. Generally, the Sikhsare characterized as supporting actors, and there are no Sikh superheroes.

In a telephone interview with the author, Lat shared his thoughts on howand why he has often included a Sikh in his cartoons and how this may havehad an impact on perceptions some Malaysians have of Sikhs.1 He revealedthat he has not intentionally used his cartoons to make any specific ortargeted statement about Sikhs, or used his cartoons to educate Malaysiansabout Sikhs.

He remembers first drawing a Sikh man in the crowd in his cartoon onthe general election in 1974 in the New Straits Times. He related that peoplelaughed at this inclusion. According to him, Malaysians were curious as towhy he drew a bhai?2 To him, it was just a case of wanting to include everyonein a crowd. Lat revealed that people frequently question him on why it wasthat whenever he drew a crowd, there would be a Sikh man present depictedwith his turban. “I don’t know why they asked that. To me, I was simplyincluding everyone in a crowd” (Lat 30 Years Later, 1994, p. 25). In thisinterview, he said, “I liked the bhai in the crowd and was amazed why peopleasked me that question.” He felt he was only doing something natural.

Early in his career with the news daily, Lat ran a column regarding themulticultural social events in Malaysia entitled “Scenes of a Malaysian Life”.One of his first subjects for this column included illustrating events centredaround a Sikh wedding. One day while at a coffee shop in Malay Street, hesaw a photograph of a Sikh married couple on the wall. He asked the shopowner several questions about a Sikh wedding and mentioned to him that hewanted to portray a Sikh wedding in a cartoon series. According to Lat, theshopkeeper was offended and informed him that the Sikh wedding was nota “funny” event. Later, the shop owner relented and gave him details on anupcoming wedding which was to be solemnized at the Kampung PandanGurdwara (temple) that weekend.

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246 Kiranjit Kaur

Lat went to the gurdwara on the scheduled day by himself and enjoyedthe ceremony even though he knew no one there. He observed all the variousaspects of the ceremony at the temple, including the meeting and hugging(milni) between the parents and families of the couple and received a detailedexplanation about the ceremony from a teenager present at the ceremony. Latsaid he was very happy with the whole event and returned to his residence atBangsar to work on his cartoon series on the Sikh wedding immediately (Lat30 Years Later, 1994, pp. 98–100).

This became a highly popular cartoon series, which was a conversationpiece and much awaited by readers from all ethnic groups during the courseof its publication which ran over several days (Lat 30 Years Later, 1994). Infact, according to Lat, the Sikh wedding was one of the most popularcartoons at that time. Although there were a few popular Malaysian illustratorsin the 1950s and 1960s, Malaysian English language cartoonists wereinsignificant in the 1970s and Lat admitted that “my cartoons became verypopular because Malaysians were hungry for local humour, especially inEnglish … and I shot to fame in 1974–75.” In 1979, he reached the heightof his career when he did his series on Kampong Boy. In the 1980s he beganto focus more on editorial cartoons and social commentaries.

Over the years, several of his cartoons portrayed everyday events and ashe said, “I include people in my drawings. That’s my nature.” (The Portable

Cartoon 13.1Sikh in a Crowd

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Malaysian Sikhs Through a Cartoonist’s Lens 247C

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Malaysian Sikhs Through a Cartoonist’s Lens 249C

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Lat, 1998, p. 74). Even in his Malay cartoons he sometimes included a Sikhman. His Sikh principal (from Anderson School, a Taga Singh), and teachersfrom both primary and secondary schools, including Bhagat Singh, BhagwanSingh, and Waryam Singh, have all been featured in his cartoons. They havebeen portrayed as strict disciplinarians.

Generally there has been no negative reaction to Lat’s cartoons thatinclude Sikhs, either from the Sikhs themselves or the other communities.Lat believes that people on the whole are happy with his cartoons. He said hehas not met anyone who has objected to them. One of his objectives in hiscartoons has been to depict different cultures and customs in an attempt toeducate Malaysians on them. However, he only focuses on Malay traditions,and sometimes on Muslim religious practices, but avoids drawing cartoonsrelated to sensitive issues of other religions.

When asked why almost all the Sikh characters in his cartoons were men,Lat responded that the Sikh friends and people he knew were men and hehardly knew any Sikh women, although he reminisced about the very prettydaughter of one of his Sikh school teachers who consulted with him on theschool newsletter and made him feel like the “luckiest boy in school”. Also,the Sikh man with his turban and beard had a comparatively more distinctvisual appearance for cartoon illustrations.

Lat thought that his depiction of the Sikhs made some impact onMalaysian society. According to him, after he had depicted Sikhs in hiscartoons, he noticed a growing trend in Malaysia to include Sikhs inadvertisements in newspapers, television, and billboards in the late 1970s andin the 1980s. Before that the Chinese, Malay or Indian in the sari wasfeatured, but seldom the Sikh character. He said, “I felt I was one of the firstto do it in my cartoons and it probably influenced others to do it too.”Nevertheless, he admitted that generally the Sikh had no obvious purpose inhis cartoons, but was in the wider backdrop or its equivalent.

Most of the representations of the Sikh characters (largely male), havebeen based on what Lat personally experienced. He portrayed the Sikh manon the bullock cart as that was what he witnessed in Kampung Simi in Perakwhen he was young, and, in fact, he took rides on the bullock cart. He alsodepicted the different faces of the Sikh man, although it was frequently thatof the tough, stern or authoritative figure in the form of a policeman (Lat WasHere, 1995, p. 66), a teacher (Lat Gets Lost, 1996, p. 34), or a schoolprincipal. When he once did a cartoon strip for the New Straits Timesportraying Malaysians in various occupations, the lawyer was portrayed as aSikh. Asked why he had chosen to use a Sikh man for that occupation, hereplied that as a budding journalist he used to have his daily coffee in the

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Malaysian Sikhs Through a Cartoonist’s Lens 251

same store that Karpal Singh, the well known Malaysian lawyer, used tofrequent in Bangsar in Kuala Lumpur.3 Thus, as Lat chose people in hiseveryday life to be his cartoon characters, Karpal Singh’s character stood outas the lawyer in his mind.

In addition, Lat also shared that he had been influenced in some smallway by Hindi movies in his caricature of the Sikhs, although the movies hesaw as a young man seldom had Sikh characters during the 1960s and 1970s.Nevertheless, the Bollywood influence is not visible in Lat’s cartoons.

PERCEPTION SURVEY ON SIKHS

Despite Lat’s creative effort at including Sikhs in some of his drawings, therearises the question of how the Malaysian public receives messages that Latmay have conveyed about the Sikhs through his cartoons. The findings of anexploratory survey carried out with a sample to find out what the Malaysianpublic thought about the Sikhs, and whether Lat’s cartoons had influencedtheir perceptions on this subject in any way, are discussed in this section.

Cartoon 13.5The Sikh Policeman

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252 Kiranjit Kaur

Cartoon 13.7The Sikh Teacher

Cartoon 13.6Karpal Singh

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Malaysian Sikhs Through a Cartoonist’s Lens 253

Methodology

A combined open- and closed-ended questionnaire was used to elicitperceptions about the Sikhs in Malaysia through the exploratory survey. Fourhundred questionnaires were distributed mainly in the Klang Valley area, aswell as some selected towns in Malaysia. Questions on the perceived ethnicgroup, religion, language, and occupations of the Sikhs were asked to examinethe first research question of how Sikhs are perceived. The second researchquestion examined key terms that best described the identity of Sikh men andwomen. The third research question in the survey attempted to examine theinfluence that Lat’s depiction of Sikhs in his cartoons may have had onMalaysian perceptions about Sikhs.

Responses were received from 361 Malaysians of different gender, ethnicity,and age on how they perceive the Sikh individual, what key terms andadjectives they use to associate the Sikhs with, and what they think theimpact of Lat’s cartoons had been on their perception of Sikhs.

Respondents for the perception survey were selected through an availableand convenient sample, which comprised approximately 34 per cent Malays,31 per cent Chinese, 19 per cent Indians (excluding Punjabis), 13 per centPunjabis, and three per cent other ethnic group (including Melanau, Bidayuh,and Kadazans). Fifty-five per cent males and 45 per cent females shared theirperceptions on Sikhs (see Figure 13.1).

As also shown in Figure 13.2, there were 38.8 per cent Muslims, 18.8 percent Buddhists, 17.7 per cent Christians, 15.5 per cent Hindus, 8.3 per centSikhs, and 0.9 per cent of other faiths in this sample. The respondents werefrom four age groups: 40 per cent of respondents aged 16–25 years, 28 percent aged 26–35 years, 24 per cent aged 36–45 years, and 8 per cent agedmore than 45 years (see Figure 13.3).

Research Question 1: How Malaysians Perceive Sikhs

Having a Sikh Friend

The majority of the respondents from the different ethnic groups in thesurvey had a Sikh friend except for the Malay and Chinese males as shownin Table 13.1 and Figure 13.4. Twenty-five per cent of the Malay men hada male Sikh friend, while 65 per cent said they had no Sikh friends.However, 27 per cent of Malay women said they knew a male Sikh friendand 25 per cent had a female Sikh friend, while 39 per cent knew none.Even among the Chinese men, 42 per cent knew a male Sikh friend while56 per cent knew none. On the other hand, 47 per cent of female Chinese

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254 Kiranjit Kaur

34%

31%

19%

13%3%

Malay 34%Chinese 31%Indian 19%Punjabi 13%

Other 3%

Figure 13.1Percentage of Respondents by Race

*Other: Melanau, Bidayuh, KadazanN = 361

Figure 13.2Percentage of Respondents by Religion

N = 361

38.8%

18.8%

17.7%

15.5%

8.3%

0.3%

0.6%

M uslim 38.8%Buddhist 18.8%C hristian 17.7%Hindu 15.5%Sikh 8.3%Taoist 0.3%O ther 0.6%

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Malaysian Sikhs Through a Cartoonist’s Lens 255

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256 Kiranjit Kaur

Table 13.1Percentage of Respondents with Male and Female Sikh Friends

by Race and Gender

RACEGENDER OF SIKH FRIEND (%)

Male Female Both None Total

Malay Malen=79 25.3 5.06 5.06 64.6 100

Femalen=44 27.3 25 9.1 38.6 100

Chinese Malen=52 42.3 3.8 3.8 56 100

Femalen=58 10.3 46.6 15.5 27.6 100

Indian Malen=36 61.1 5.6 22.2 11.1 100

Femalen=33 12.1 42.4 24.2 21.2 100

Punjabi Malen=25 8 0 84 8 100

Femalen=22 4.5 9.1 72.7 13.6 100

Others Malen=6 50 16.7 0 33.3 100

Femalen=6 16.7 16.7 16.7 50 100

N= 361

knew a female Sikh friend, 15 per cent had both male and female Sikhfriends, 10 per cent knew a male Sikh friend, while 28 per cent knew none.Among the Indian respondents, 61 per cent of male Indians had a maleSikh friend, while 22 per cent had both male and female Sikh friends.Forty-two per cent of female Indians had female Sikh friends, and 24 percent had both male and female Sikh friends. Among the Punjabi male andfemale respondents, the majority — 84 per cent and 73 per cent respectively— had both male and female Sikh friends.

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Malaysian Sikhs Through a Cartoonist’s Lens 257Fi

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258 Kiranjit Kaur

Perceived Race/Ethnic Group and Language of Sikhs

In the survey, only about 48 per cent (from 253 respondents) said they knewthe ethnic group of the Sikhs. However, only 59 out of the total 361respondents actually identified Sikhs to be Punjabis. Another 41 respondentssaid they were Indians.

When respondents were asked what was the language spoken by Sikhs,35 per cent said it was English, 25 per cent said Punjabi, and 11 per cent saidit was both English and Punjabi. Nine respondents (8 per cent) appeared tohave no idea what language the Sikhs spoke. In addition, at least tworespondents (0.6 per cent) thought that Sikh was a language and it wasspoken by Sikhs (See Figure 13.5). Generally, there appears to be limitedrecognition in Malaysia of who the Sikhs are and their identity.

Perceived Occupation of Sikhs by Race

Perceptions about the main occupations of the Sikhs differed between theSikhs and the other ethnic groups as shown in Table 13.2. The 47 Punjabirespondents perceived the main occupations held by Sikhs to be lawyers (83per cent), lecturers or teachers (75 per cent), government workers (47 percent), doctors (43 per cent), blue collar workers such as taxi drivers, farmers,etc. (40 per cent), businessmen (38 per cent), other professionals such asengineers, dentist, scientist, etc. (30 per cent).

However, the 123 Malay respondents perceived the main occupations ofthe Sikhs to be lecturers/teachers (77 per cent), lawyers (72 per cent), doctors(62 per cent), businessmen (54 per cent), and blue collar workers (43 percent). The 110 Chinese respondents saw the Sikhs as government workers(56 per cent), lawyers (54 per cent), businessmen (46 per cent), blue collarworkers (38 per cent), and doctors (37 per cent). The 69 Indian respondents(excluding Punjabis) saw the Sikhs as lecturers/teachers (74 per cent), doctors(62 per cent), lawyers (61 per cent), blue collar workers (48 per cent), otherprofessionals (46 per cent), and businessmen (45 per cent). The other ethnicgroups also saw Sikhs to be mainly doctors, lawyers, businessmen, governmentemployees, and teachers or lecturers. There were other occupations associatedwith Sikhs, but on a lesser scale, such as media professionals, small businessowners, flight attendants, chefs, and promoters.

Sikhs have been commonly associated with the legal and medicalprofessions and the business sector in Malaysia. This corresponds with theresults of the survey. However, except for the Chinese, a high percentage ofthe other ethnic groups also perceived Sikhs to be lecturers and teachers —

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Malaysian Sikhs Through a Cartoonist’s Lens 259

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Percentage (%)

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260 Kiranjit Kaur

Table 13.2Percentage of Perception of Main Occupations Associated with

Sikhs by Race

ProfessionRace (%)

TotalMalay Chinese Indian Punjabi Other

Doctors 61.8 37.3 62.3 42.6 66.7 52.1

Lawyers 71.5 53.6 60.9 83.0 66.7 65.4

Other professionals(dentists, vets, pilots,engineers, pharmacists,scientists, etc.) 12.2 19.1 46.4 29.8 16.7 23.3

Lecturers/teachers 77.2 18.2 73.9 74.5 50.0 57.3

Business sector 53.7 45.5 44.9 38.3 66.7 47.9

Government sector 4.1 55.5 29.0 46.8 75.0 32.4

Media industry (models,actresses/actors, PR,newscasters, journalists, etc.) 9.8 20.9 4.3 19.1 8.3 13.3

Small business (carpetsellers, shopkeepers,vendors, hawkers) 5.7 19.1 4.3 4.3 16.7 9.7

Blue collar workers (taxidrivers, farmers, cleaners,waiters) 43.1 38.2 47.8 40.4 16.7 41.3

Others (chefs, stewards,flight attendants,promoters) 20.3 15.5 13.0 31.9 25.0 19.1

N = 361 (Malays = 123; Chinese = 110; Indian = 69; Punjabis = 47; Others = 12)

second to lawyers, and above doctors. It is also interesting to note that all theethnic groups, except for the Malays, also preceived Sikhs as governmentworkers.

Research Question 2: Perceived Identity Features of Sikhs

Respondents commonly identified Sikhs with wearing a turban, headscarf, ordhoti (72 per cent), the Punjabi outfit (31 per cent), being fair-skinned,

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Malaysian Sikhs Through a Cartoonist’s Lens 261

mixed-looking and having a Hindustani look (probably a Bollywood influence)(19 per cent), and being hairy with beard or long hair or thick eyebrows(12 per cent) as shown in Table 13.3. Other features identified with Sikhsinclude the wearing of the steel bangle, being tall and large, having loyalty toculture and religion, dancing the bhangra, having a sharp-pointed nose, usingthe name Kaur and Singh for Sikh women and men respectively, and theirlanguage and jargon.

Perceived Attributes of the Sikh Man and Woman

Sikh men were most commonly described in terms of their dressing (62 percent of the respondents), large size (35 per cent), long hair (47 per cent),complexion and looks (21 per cent), behaviour (16 per cent), and otherfeatures (14 per cent) by the respondents (see Table 13.4).

The respondents also identified Sikh women most commonly throughtheir dressing (59 per cent), complexion and looks (58 per cent), behaviour(20 per cent), size (14 per cent), and long hair (11 per cent) as shown inTable 13.4. Most of the adjectives used to describe the men and women weremore about their looks than their characteristics.

Respondents held these perceptions about the Sikh men and womenbecause that was how they saw them in appearance (65 per cent), or from

Table 13.3Perceived Identity Features of a Sikh

Identity n %

Wearing turban, head scarf, dhoti 258 71.5Punjabi outfit 110 30.5Fair skin/mixed-looking/Hindustani look 67 18.6Hairy/beard/long hair/thick eyebrows 44 12.2Wearing steel bracelet on their right wrist 35 9.7Tall/large 24 6.6Loyal to their culture and religion/practice Sikhism 21 5.8Dance the Banghra 21 5.8Sharp-pointed nose 20 5.5Their name (man – Singh, woman – Kaur) 19 5.3Language/slang 13 3.6

N= 361

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262 Kiranjit Kaur

Table 13.4Perceived Attributes that Best Describe a Sikh Man and Woman

Adjectives Sikh man Sikh woman

n % n %

Dressing/accessories 222 61.5 213 59.0Size/built – tall, fat, large 198 54.8 51 14.1Hair 168 46.5 39 10.8Complexion/looks 76 21.1 210 58.2Behaviour 56 15.5 72 19.9Features 49 13.6 89 24.7Others 40 11.1 55 15.2Total 361 100 361 100

N= 361

media images (13 per cent), or as friends, relatives, neighbours, and lecturers(10 per cent) or because of other influences.

Research Question 3: Exposure to Lat’s Cartoons on Sikhs

The majority of the respondents in the survey (66 per cent) remembered Lat’scartoons depicting a Sikh. The majority of the Chinese (70 per cent), Indians(87 per cent), Punjabis (84 per cent), and others remembered how the Sikhwas depicted in the cartoons, but only 46 per cent of the Malays rememberedLat’s images of the Sikhs. Most remembered Lat’s caricatures of the Sikhs ina particular occupation, or at an activity, or with a style of dressing, and theirlooks and build. The majority of the respondents (76 per cent) considered thedepiction to be positive rather than negative. However, more Indians (excludingPunjabis) and Punjabis thought the depiction of the Sikhs to be negativecompared with other ethnic groups as shown in Figure 13.6.

Also, 57 per cent of the respondents thought that Lat’s cartoons may haveinfluenced their perceptions of Sikhs. However, a majority (88 per cent) ofthe Indians (excluding Punjabis) said Lat’s cartoons did not influence theirperceptions of the Sikhs.

In addition, the respondents thought that some of the aspects Lat hadtried to portray about the Sikhs include the Sikh culture, awareness abouttheir character, their humour, their being straightforward in their duties, theirrole as an onlooker (observer in the crowd), and as a problem solver.

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Malaysian Sikhs Through a Cartoonist’s Lens 263

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264 Kiranjit Kaur

Other Sources of Information that Helped RespondentsForm Perceptions of the Identity of Sikhs

The respondents also thought that there were various sources that contributedto their perceptions about Sikhs. These included: friends (according to 35 percent of 361 respondents), television and films (24 per cent), Internet (20 percent), magazines (16 per cent), relatives and family (15 per cent), festivals(13 per cent), public and societies or associations (12 per cent), schools(10 per cent), as well as experience and observation (9 per cent), books andcomics (8 per cent), documentaries (3 per cent), and advertisements portrayingSikhs (1 per cent) (see Table 13.5).

CONCLUSION

Cartoons are said to have the effect of creating two-dimensional images ofpeople and events. Nevertheless the identity of the Malaysian Sikh may havebeen negotiated through cartoons, particularly cartoons by Lat. The humorousside of the Sikh spirit has to some extent been captured by the highly popularLat in his caricatures of this small but distinctive group of Malaysians.

Lat’s depiction of his Sikh school headmaster, the Sikh police officer, theSikh lawyer, the Sikh young woman of marriageable age, and the Sikh

Table 13.5Perceptions of the Identity of Sikhs through Various Sources

Sources of information on Sikhs n % of N

Friends 126 34.9Television/films 87 24.1Internet 72 19.9Magazine 56 15.5Relatives/families 55 15.2Through festival 45 12.5Public/societies 42 11.6At school (lecturer and other academician) 36 10.0Real live experience/observation 32 8.9Books/comic 29 8.0Documentary 10 2.8Advertisement that portrays Sikh 4 1.1

N=361

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Malaysian Sikhs Through a Cartoonist’s Lens 265

wedding in his cartoons are examples of his creative ability to frame thisvisually distinctive group of Malaysians. His cartoons make no specific ortargeted statement about Sikhs or attempt to educate readers about Sikhs.However, images seen in the media, especially those created by respectedtalent such as Lat, will have an impact on perceptions of the charactersportrayed. Within this context, the Sikhs are depicted as supporting charactersin Malaysian life, and there are no Sikh superheroes.

Lat’s portrayal of the Sikhs relates to the Sikh culture, the character of aSikh, or the Sikh as part of a Malaysian crowd as an onlooker. Lat’s popularityand his practice of including images of people are closely associated with hispersonal experiences, such as his Sikh teacher who was a disciplinarian.Messages that were inadvertently conveyed through his cartoons, whichsomewhat influenced Malaysians’ perceptions of the Sikh, produced an imageof the Sikhs being big, strong, masculine (hairy) gentlemen, in the authoritarianrole as the teacher, police officer, or lawyer, and of the demure and obedientSikh woman being “fair” complexioned. However, there appears to be limitedrecognition of who the Sikhs are in Malaysia. And as the perception survey onSikhs conducted in this study indicates, there still persists a lack of awarenessof the Sikh and his/her identity despite Lat’s contribution in depicting Sikhsartistically in his cartoons.

Notes1 Telephone interview with Lat on 29 November 2008.2 Bhai is a colloquial word used by non-Punjabis to refer to a Sikh man in

Malaysia. Although it means “brother” in Hindi, the context in which it is usedby non-Punjabi Malaysians is often considered to be rude by the Punjabicommunity.

3 Bangsar is where the New Straits Times office, where Lat works, is located.

References

Lent, J.A. (ed.). Themes and Issues in Asian Cartooning: Cute, Cheap, Mad, and Sexy.Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1999.

Provencher, R. “An Overview of Malay Humor Magazines: Significance, Origins,Contexts, Texts, and Audiences”. In Themes and Issues in Asian Cartooning: Cute,Cheap, Mad, and Sexy, edited by J.A. Lent. Bowling Green, Ohio: BowlingGreen State University Popular Press, 1999, p. 11.

Rhodebeck, L. A. “Women, Media, and Politics (Review)”. The American PoliticalScience Review 92, no. 3 (1998): 712–13.

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266 Kiranjit Kaur

Cartoons extracted from books by Lat and republished bycourtesy of Mohamed Nor Khalid or LatLat 30 Years Later. Petaling Jaya, Malaysia: Kampung Boy Sdn. Bhd. 1994.

Cartoon 13.1: p. 49; Sikh in a crowdCartoons 13.2–13.4: pp. 98–100; At a Sikh Wedding

The Portable Lat. Kuala Lumpur: Berita Publishing Sdn. Bhd. 1998.Cartoon 13.5: p. 47; The Sikh policemanCartoon 13.7: p. 74; The Sikh teacher

Lat Gets Lost, p. 34, Kuala Lumpur: Berita Publishing Sdn. Bhd. 1996, p. 34.Cartoon 13.6: p. 29; Karpal Singh

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