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Kee Thuan Chye (born May 25, 1954; aged 70) is a prominent Malaysian actor, dramatist, poet and journalist. Acting in theatre, films, and on television for more than 30 years, he continues to do so. In 1981, Kee co-founded the theatre group, KAMI, in Kuala Lumpur. A noted civil rights activist, he would express in his plays whatever he could not express through the newspapers under Malaysia's repressive Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA). For speaking out without fear or favor, Kee was among the first recipients of The Annexe Heroes Freedom of Expression Awards when it was launched in 2008. In 2010, he was also voted the 34th Most Trusted Malaysian in a poll conducted by Reader's Digest.

Although social reengineering under the New Economic Policy had already begun after the May 13 Incident of 1969, it became more pronounced after Mahathir bin Mohamad became Prime Minister in 1981. At the New Straits Times, Kee Thuan Chye received numerous memos from his editor-in-chief for trying to push the parameters and opening up public discourse on what was deemed 'sensitive' issues. Firmly believing that the responsibility of a journalist to the public is to inform them of the truth, he had to battle with his superiors and as a consequence, he was often punished, marginalized, and shut out. In 1988, Kee received his Master's degree in drama from the University of Essex, after being awarded a British Council Fellowship for postgraduate studies in England.

In 2001, Kee Thuan Chye became the Associate Editor of The Star in Kuala Lumpur, creating and editing the English column, Mind Our English, until retirement in May 2009. His Sunday Star column, Playing The Fool, which he began in April 2001, ran for only two installments before it was cancelled. In his inaugural article, Kee had written that he would be speaking out frankly on social and political issues, without fear or favor. His second article, hitting out at racial discrimination in Malaysia, was published but when it came to his third article, the editors got jittery and suppressed it. The Star finally decided to terminate the column after Kee submitted his fourth article.

Civil rights advocacy

Kee Thuan Chye's political awakening began when he could not afford to pursue his Masters degree unless he had a tutor's position. He applied for the post at Universiti Sains Malaysia, his alma mater, and although he was the top student in his class, the job was given to someone else. Kee then joined the now-defunct National Echo as a literary editor where he wrote scathingly about political matters. Moving from Penang to Kuala Lumpur to join the New Straits Times in the late 1970s, he saw more clearly how race had been politicized to divide the people. Mahathir bin Mohamad who had become the Prime Minister in 1981 was becoming increasingly dictatorial and would tolerate no criticism of him and his government in the media.

What Kee Thuan Chye could not express through the newspaper, he eventually expressed in his plays. 1984 Here and Now which spoke out frankly against Big Brother and institutionalized racial discrimination, played to full houses in 1985, followed, amongst others, by The Big Purge which brazenly satirizes Mahathir and Operation Lalang.

In the aftermath of the 2008 general elections, Kee Thuan Chye rushed out his book March 8: The Day Malaysia Woke Up in a record three months, due to the topicality of the subject matter. This was followed by March 8: Time for Real Change in 2010. For speaking out without fear or favor, Kee was among the first recipients of The Annexe Heroes Freedom of Expression Awards when it was launched by The Annexe Gallery at Central Market in Kuala Lumpur in 2008 to recognize Malaysians who have done outstanding work in championing freedom of expression in the previous year. In 2010, he was also voted the 34th Most Trusted Malaysian in a poll conducted by Reader's Digest.

Filmography

Films

Television

Kee Thuan Chye has appeared in more than 20 television dramas, including but not limited to:

Plays

Kee Thuan Chye has written, directed, and acted in numerous plays, including but not limited to:

Scriptwriting for television

• 2009: Writing storylines for Auntie English, produced by Astro
• 2004: Co-writing the script for one episode of Singapore Shakes! with Remesh Panicker, followed by another episode, singly
• 1998–1999: Writing storylines for the 150-episode Idaman II
• 1997-1998: Writing storylines for the 150-episode Idaman

Major book publications

Apart from publishing numerous articles, Kee Thuan Chye has authored several books, including:

• Ask for No Bullshit, Get Some More! (Marshall Cavendish, 2013)
• No More Bullshit, Please, We're All Malaysians (Marshall Cavendish, 2012)
• March 8: Time for Real Change (Marshall Cavendish, 2010)
• March 8: The Day Malaysia Woke Up (Marshall Cavendish, 2008)
• 1984 Here and Now (Marshall Cavendish, 2004)
• The Big Purge (Marshall Cavendish, 2004)
• We Could **** You, Mr Birch (Marshall Cavendish, 2004)
• Old Doctors Never Fade Away, a biography (Teks Publishing, 1988)
• Just In So Many Words, a collection of selected writings in the press (Heinemann, 1992, reprinted 1993)
• Haunting the Tiger and Other Stories, edited (Berita Publishing, 1991)

Fellowships/Grants/Awards/Prizes

• 2010: Voted 34th Most Trusted Malaysian in poll conducted by Reader's Digest
• 2009: Won the 3rd Prize in the Popular-The Star Readers' Choice Awards for his book, March 8: The Day Malaysia Woke Up
• 2009: Awarded The Annexe Hero together with four others, including Irene Fernandez and Shanon Shah, for speaking up without fear in the previous year (2008)
• 2007: Won the Consolation Prize in the inaugural Kakiscript Playwriting Competition, organised by kakiseni.com
• 2001: Received the Fulbright Award to be first Scholar-in-Residence at University of West Virginia in the United States, but was unable to accept, due to work commitments
• 1994: Received the Australian Cultural Award for a 3-week cultural tour of Australia
• 1987: Received the British Council Fellowship for postgraduate studies in England
• 1986: Received the Harry Brittain Fellowship for Commonwealth journalists for a 3-month study tour of Great Britain
• 1984: Received the United States Information Service grant for a month-long cultural visit to America
• 1976: Received a Fellowship to participate in a 3-week creative writers' workshop at Silliman University, Philippines

References

1. ^ Cite error: The named reference hero was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
2. ^ Lim Kit Siang.com: Kee Thuan Chye unmasked
3. "Goodbye and thank you". The Star. 22 May 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
4. Loyarburok: LoyarBurokkers Receive ANNEXE HEROES Freedom Of Expression Awards 2010 (11 Dec, 12pm)

External links

• Kee Thuan Chye at IMDb
• Interview in The Sun
• Part 1 of interview with Malaysiakini columnist Helen Ang
• Part 2 of Malaysiakini interview
• Lim Kit Siang.com: Kee Thuan Chye unmasked

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• 1954 births
• English-language writers
• Malaysian Chinese people
• Malaysian writers
• Malaysian actors
• Malaysian television personalities
• Alumni of the University of Essex
• Living people
• Malaysian dramatists and playwrights