Karina Robles Bahrin
The Accidental Malay
Epigram Books: 2022
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Karina Robles Bahrin’s debut novel, The Accidental Malay, is an exercise in intent. The question here is whether the intent—or perhaps conceit would be a better word—is enough to justify a rather sloppy execution.
Only a Malaysian would understand just how charged the title is, and that might well be why the publisher is not Malaysian but Singaporean. Malays are the predominant race in Malaysia with special rights and status as defined under Article 153 of the Constitution. The question of Malay status and rights in the country is a charged one, with any attempt at discussion considered an attack on these rights, so it is not a topic to be broached lightly.
Also in the Constitution is Article 160, which explains just who is entitled to said rights—essentially, who gets to say they are Malay. How then, does someone become ‘accidentally Malay’?
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- Tags: Erna Mahyuni, Issue 30, Karina Robles Bahrin, Malaysia