Ruji / Muhammad Badrulzzaman

This painting is a reflection on the comparison of two different ages of Emergency Ordinances. One, which is called The Malayan Emergency (1948-1960) and the other, is the current that we are experiencing now, the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance (2021). As we were growing up, we were often fed with the historical facts from our ancestors, and we were taught in school on the history of Malaysia independence. The Malayan Emergency is one of the many historical yet tragic events that could not be erased especially to those who experienced it first-hand. This event occurred over twelve consecutive years and has affected many families during those days. Due to food shortages, food was rationed out as a strategy to combat the communist insurgency at that time. Tapioca has become the food of choice during hard times as it can be cooked in many ways and made into various dishes for everyday meals. In the light of the recent event, I took this starchy root taken from the cassava plant as the symbolism of hardship that is experienced by these two different eras. This tropical food that is rich in carbohydrates reminds me of the hardship during the colonial area where our ancestors had to suffer living under the emergency ordinance. Guided by the police, not allowed to go out, were threatened to death and had close to nothing to eat to survive besides tapioca. They had to starve themselves and live with whatever they had in the house.