SUMMARY OF GREEN IS THE COLOR Lloyd Fernando's Green is the Colour is a very interesting novel.

The country is still scarred by violence, vigilante groups roam the countryside, religious extremists set up camp in the hinterland, there are still sporadic outbreaks of fighting in the city, and everyone, all the time, is conscious of being watched. It comes as some surprise to find that the story is actually a contemporary (and very clever) reworking of a an episode from the Misa Melayu, an 18th century classic written by Raja Chulan. In this climate of unease, Fernando employs a multi-racial cast of characters. At the centre of the novel there's a core of four main characters, good (if idealistic) young people who cross the racial divide to become friends, and even fall in love. There's Dahlan, a young lawyer and activist who invites trouble by making impassioned speech on the subject of religious intolerance on the steps of a Malacca church; his friend from university days, Yun Ming, a civil servant working for the Ministry of Unity who seeks justice by working from within the government. The most fully realised character of the novel is Siti Sara, and much of the story is told from her viewpoint. A sociologist and academic, she's newly returned from studies in America where she found life much more straightforward, and trapped in a loveless marriage to Omar, a young man much influenced by the Iranian revolution who seeks purification by joining religious commune. The hungry passion between Yun Ming and Siti - almost bordering on violence at times and breaking both social and religious taboos - is very well depicted. (Dahlan falls in love with Gita, Sara's friend and colleague, and by the end of the novel has made an honest woman of her.) Like the others, Sara is struggling to make sense of events : Nobody could get may sixty-nine right, she thought. It was hopeless to pretend you could be objective about it. speaking even to someone close to you, you were careful for fear the person might unwittingly quote you to others. if a third person was present, it was worse, you spoke for the other person's benefit. If he was Malay you spoke one way, Chinese another, Indian another. even if he wasn't listening. in the end the spun tissue, like an unsightly scab, became your vision of what happened; the wound beneath continued to run pus. Although the novel is narrated from a third person viewpoint, it is curious that just one chapter is narrated by Sara's father, one of the minor characters, an elderly village imam and a man of great compassion and insight. This shift in narration works so well that I'm surprised Fernando did not make wider use of it. The novel has villain, of course, the unsavoury Pangalima, a senior officer in the Department of Unity and a man of uncertain racial lineage (he looks Malay, has

adopted Malay culture, so of course, that's enough to make him kosher!). He has coveted Sara for years, and is determined to win her sexual favours at any cost. The novel is not without significant weaknesses. It isn't exactly a rollicking read, and seems rather stilted - not least because there are just too many talking heads with much of the action taking place "offstage", including the rape at the end, which is really the climax of the whole novel. If we're interested in Yun Ming, Dahlan and Omar it is because of the contradictory ideas they espouse, but in each case their arguments could have been explored in greater depth and the characters themselves have been more fully fleshed. The plot of Green is the Colour never really holds together as well as it might but seems to be perpetually rushing off in new directions (as actually do the characters!) without fully exploring what is set up already. (I was particularly disappointed that we don't get to spend more time with Omar in the commune.) But the strengths of the novel more than makes up for these lapses. There's been a lot of talk about local authors not being brave enough to write about the great mustn't-be-talked-abouts of race, religion and politics in Malaysian society. Here's one author who was brave enough to do just that. (And look, hey, the sky didn't cave in!) Here's an author too who was able to think himself into the skin of people of different races - how many since have been able, or prepared, to make that imaginative leap? Here too is an author who is able to convincingly evoke the landscape of Malaysia both urban and rural in carefully chosen details. Above all, though, one feels that here is an author who says what needed to be said. Heck, what still needs to be said! Here, he's using Dahlan as his mouthpiece, but the sentiments are clearly the author's own : All of us must make amends. Each and every one of us has to make an individual effort. Words are not enough. We must show by individual actions that we will not tolerate bigotry and race hatred. ESSENTIAL QUESTION ABOUT GREEN IS THE COLOUR 1.0 Is history evolving? Yes, in the novel of Green is the colour, history is axiomatic evolving. Precisely, the tragic tragedy of the May 13 1969 caused a lot of chaotic and left a big

impact to each Malaysian at that time. The racial tension led people to start a fight and the riots were out of control. The bloodshed somehow influenced Lloyd Fernando in his second novel, which is Green is the colour and blend the most sensitive issues very well. 2.0 Do writers think alike? To us, the thinking of the writers is not alike. Each writer has their own thoughts and perceptions on certain issues and their personal experiences together with their observations are different. Even though they brought in same issues yet the way they portray on the issues are not like to one another. Nevertheless every single writers are very unique in their own way. 3.0 What shape of the minds MLIE writers? There are several factors that shape the minds of MLIE writers. One of them is their upbringing and personal experiences for instance Lloyd Fernando in his second novel. His earlier stage of life living in Sri Lanka annoyed him that further more led him to move to the Singapore. He became more open minded on certain issues regardless the sensitivity of the issues. However he still respect the sensitivity yet speaking his mind. 4.0 What common issues are highlighted in MLIE? In MLIE, there are several common issues being highlighted by thw writers. One of them is the social issues. The conservative thinking of the society that denies the changes often being highlighted. Another issue is the political issue. As can be seen, in the Green is the colour, political issue is one of the main issue highlighted. Apart from that, the cultural issue is another issue often being highlighted. Each writer will bring their cultural in their writings. They will discuss the inequality and the perceptions of the society towards certain issues and topics. 5.0 How are the issues related to the past and the present? The issues related to the past and the present through the issues. In each art of work, there will be issues that intended to be highlighted. The issues aro normally will make sense in todays world especially in the seek of better understanding of the history. The readers will read the piece and tries to relate it in todays world. Besides that the reader will find the moral values in each piece since each piece contains many moral values. to one level, the reader will reflect and learn to not let the past to be repeated. 6.0 How are the issues relevant to the future? Unity issue is relevant to the future. people are getting further to one another. There are lacking of communication and unable to understand each race better

due to the hectic lifestyles. With that reason, the importance of unity can be highlighted in art of work and relevant to the future generation. Besides that, the political issue is crucial in future. writer should teach reader to accept the differences in political, and be more relevant and sensitive to other races. The good understanding of the differences will later benefit the future generations. 7.0 What issues are typical to a particular race? The very common issue to a particular race is economical inequality. Another issue is on the religion practices. 8.0 Why are some issues common to a particular race? Each race is unsatisfied to the inequality and question the government. Worse part is the blame is put on the governments side and at the end it will break the unity and cause a lot of havoc. Other than that, religious differences also might be the main issue. It is due to the lack of respect and understanding to other religion. 9.0 What does the future hold for MLIE? MLIE has a bright future if each of us know the benefit of reading MLIE. MLIE is able to bring the unity back and open up people minds on certain issues. It can be a food of thought and enlighten people on certain issues. Besides that, if we could appreciate MLIE as good as we do in other languages, there will be more creative writers with fresh and optimistic thoughts break into the scene. Those young writers are crucial to discuss the issues in the eyes af young generation. Green is the prime colour of the world, and that from which loveliness arises February 27, 2010 3 Comments Reading Lloyd Fernandos Green is the Colour is like being in a dream, or rather a sort of slow-moving, languid nightmare where you know the end is going to come slowly, but when it comes its not going to be good. Thats not an indication of the book, but an indication of the world within the book, a world that seems all too familiar until you realise that its the world of Malaysia, circa 2010. As the book is meant to reflect the state of the nation after the May 13, 1969 events and state of emergency, this is a horribly depressing realisation, but if Im honest with myself, not a surprising one. As a MyKad-carrying Malaysian, it is rather deplorable that Green is the Colourwas written in 1993 and I am reading it for the first time in February 2010. Its worse when you think about the fact that I was an English major, and should have taken a keener interest in the literature that was being produced in Malaysia, and within Southeast Asia. (So lets not think about this too much.) Lloyd Fernando is a Singaporean, technically, but thats a minor quibble surely,

considering that this region is practically founded upon interreligious and interethnic mingling. But national purity is just what gets the knickers of fundamental nationalists in a twist. And the issues and concerns of nationalism is a fundamental thread that runs through the entire book, casting shadows over matters of race, religion, colonialism, independence, identity, and love (specifically love between outsiders, love for the Other). Malaysia is a jittery nation post-May 13, and all its insecurities and fears are refracted through the thoughts and behaviour of the main characters: Siti Sara, a Malay sociology professor, Yun Ming, a Chinese civil servant, and Dahlan, a Malay bleeding-heart lawyer and activist, and to lesser degrees Gita, an Indian who is Siti Saras friend and colleague, as well as the uglier personas like Panglima and Omar, Sita Saras misguided husband. Central to the story is Siti Saras burgeoning love affair with Yun Ming, who is married to a woman he seemed to have stopped loving a long time ago. In this case, the words love affair really does suggest all that is hidden, illicit, and reckless, because in the highly volatile aftermath of the recent racial riots in Malaysia, a sexual relationship between a Chinese individual and a Malay one is not only taboo, but downright dangerous. The only Malaysia were given in this book is a depressed, divided one (the only Malaysia most of us have ever known?); not merely along racial and class lines, but also ideological ones simple barriers that nevertheless create chasms that appear insurmountable, even among people who were formerly good friends (Yun Ming and Dahlan). In the aftermath of colonisation, nations need to carve out individual identities. Green is the Colour typically exemplifies the inherent confusion that lies in a nation-building project chiefly among the ordinary citizens, the ones not vested with political power. It brings to mind Benedict Andersons definition of nations as imagined communities (the entire book,Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism is an illuminating, original read, but this short excerpt provides a quick distillation of his key theses). There is a definite need for a sense of comradeship among the disparate ethnic groups residing in Malaysia; but its a haphazard sense of comradeship, enforced by the government and accepted by the citizens themselves, but its more akin to sticking band-aids over a broken, bleeding leg instead of performing the much-needed surgery. But, as Fernando tries to show, there is a real sense of terror in the nations psyche after the recent racial riots, and the general consensus is to refrain from making things worse. To drum home the point, this phrase is uttered within the first three pages of the book by Yun Ming, the placating, by-the-book civil servant, as he tells Dahlan during a cultural concert organised by the Department of Unity to lay low and leave off from ruffling the feathers of the Departments Secretary-General. Dahlan, along with Siti Sara, wears his emotions close to his skin, so much so that hes unable to leave the band-aid of

pseudo-unity on for any length of time without chafing against the friction of the fake Malaysia versus the real Malaysia. Yun Mings concern for Dahlans outspokenness on issues that are deemed sensitive is the greatest irony of the book, because its the sensitive who are willing to speak out against whats sensitive, or in the case of Siti Sara, internalise much of its contradictions and suffer from a sense of displaced individuality, a kind of vertigo of the self that sends long-cherished beliefs and principles into a tragic freefall. But Yun Mings concern for Dahlan goes deeper than mere defensiveness he cares about his old friend, and knows that the very people who applaud Dahlan will be the very ones who run back to the comforts of their own lives when the time comes to pay a price for ones words: He supposed it was a great thing to be able to do what Dahlan did and was doing. The pseudo-intellectuals would gather around him and admire his active commitment. It was in the best traditions of liberalism. If he was arrested, they would put the hat around for his defence. If there was no trial they would murmur in the luxury of their living-rooms at night. None of them would look further to ask, Are not Dahlans opponents committed, too? Is not Dahlan wrong just to bring an idea in without asking how it should be brought in for people of different cultures? In Yun Ming, we have a character who toes the line not because hes unthinking or unfeeling, but simply because he sees no other alternative. In that passage above, his ruminations are justified. But there is no one with whom Dahlan and the likes can engage in dialogue. Its an either/or mentality that is pervasive in a time when discussion, empathy, and structural analysis would have better served the people. But as Fernando shows through the characters of the vile Panglima, and to a lesser degree in Omar, Siti Saras husband, the quickest route to national identity is also the easiest way a hearkening back to how things were before the British came, as though pre-colonised Malaya was a pure landscape of a single ethnic group, practising only one type of religion.

Omar, who while he was a student in America with Siti Sara, enjoyed the privileges of an imperial education, now finds the only solution is to retreat into close-mindedness and one gets the sense that this is both of out of a sense of fear of the unknown (what will Malaysia turn out to be?) and out of falling into the rut of listening to, and subscribing, to only one small, narrow view of the world. This is evident in one of the conversations he has with his wife: He said, Well be all right. First we must purify and strengthen ourselves, then nothing can touch us. Well be all right. This was a manner he had begun to cultivate: rage was overcome by remembering that all obstacles would be removed, everything could be

explained, everything fell into place in the vision he had and would impart to others when the time was ripe. When Siti Sara tries to tell him that, Many ordinary people show respect and understanding. We should do the same to them, Omar responds with the disappointing, all-too-often heard refrain of, Its their duty. They came here as strangers, they must show their understanding of the situation. The they naturally refers to the non-Malays, and its in interest of the colonialist legacy as well as the ideology of the fundamentalist nationalist that this myth of the strangers must continue to be perpetuated. Memories are short and selective for the likes of Omar; this way, they can continue to assert that there is one way of doing things as defined by the one group of people who are the originators, the deserving, the first sons of the land. But, typically, the first sons of the land rarely stop to ask who came before, and the insult to our collective intelligence if we keep asking, over and over again, Who came first? Its clear where Fernando stands on this issue, because the characters of Omar and Panglima, epitomising small-minded chauvinism of the worst sort, are also the most despicable characters. They view other people as disposable or potentially-useful property, and as such it figures that Omar would be the type to rape his wife and brook no dissent from her while valuing her physical attributes that mark her out as different-looking from the ordinary Malay woman: He was proud that she was his wife. There she was, lighter-skinned than even many Chinese, the nose in profile straight but not unduly prominent like Indian noses, and a complexion that reddened slightly in the right places. He sees her as a collection of pleasing physical attributes that are the negation of those belonging to other races complexion lighter-skinned than even many Chinese, nose not unduly prominent like Indian noses. Panglima, the Political Secretary to the Minister of Home Affairs, does not know of his true origins, although we are told that he came from humble origins in a derelict corner of Rangoon, his father found dead along the banks of Irrawaddy River with a knife in his throat when Panglima was very young, thus rendering him under the care of his fathers common law wife. Its telling that Panglima recalls nothing much of his father, and refers to his caretaker simply as, The Karen woman was his fathers common law wife; perhaps his father was Karen too. He ran away a few days after his father was buried, and worked in a brothel. Probably due to this lack of self, he grows up to be a vicious man who gets his kicks from violent sex with underaged prostitutes and girls, and most of all, from wielding absolute authority over everyone else. It seems almost fitting that he works for the Home Ministry, then, and that he gained his nickname of Panglima due to his very public enthusiasm for the revival of religious values

and of the cultural decay which the West had spread to the countries of South East Asia. Predictably, he leers over Siti Saras jeans-clad form even as he rails against the evils of body-hugging Western clothing. When Panglima speaks to Siti Saras father, the Lebai Hanafiah, a gentle and compassionate religious teacher, on the immodest attire of the young women, her father tells him that in many other countries, women wear much less, but are still principled and moral. Panglimas response: In some countries they are caned. They are much better after that. Fast forward to what the Home Minister says in 2010 with regards to three young women who were caned for having illicit sex, and one cant help but feel despair while reading that passage, or the entire book, for that matter. Panglimas final act of defilement, directed towards Siti Sara, hinges purely on power and thwarted lust. Green is the Colour is a hugely important Malaysian novel that every Malaysian should read. If, like me, you fear as if youre coming to it too late, youll be glad to know that its not too late, in fact, maybe youre even being premature, because it seems we have regressed instead of moving forward. The fears and alienation of Malaysians post-May 13, 1969 are exactly the same as the fears and alienation of the Malaysians post-May 13, 1969 in 2010. Its an important book for the themes and ideas that rise to the surface of practically every page, but its far from a perfect book precisely because the characters are mere vehicles for the different viewpoints and ideas. Certain characters play a key role, but hang about vaguely at the periphery Gita, for instance, and even Dahlan. Fernando has a tendency to switch from a factual style of writing that reads like reportage to sudden oblique and twisty ramblings when in the mind of one of the characters, notably Siti Sara, and this doesnt quite flow and progress the way it should sometimes its merely jarring and shakes the reader out of the pages for a bit, and ones left stumbling about for ones bearings. For that reason I couldnt quite get lost in the book the way I would have liked to in long, uninterrupted stretches of time I could only manage a few pages each time before putting it down for a bit, and then picking it up again. As far as characters go, only Siti Sara is truly fleshed-out (even that, only in comparison to the other characters), and because of this, her meandering stream-of-consciousness musings towards the final chapters are chilling, desultory, and portentous; the reader is left with a very strong feeling that nothing is as is should be, and all is wrong and potentially devastating if we keep going along the same path as we always have. Most important is the Foucauldian sense of the post-colonial Malaysian society where power is looming over you from seemingly everywhere and yet from nowhere in particular, the idea that you should watch yourself because everyone else is, leaving one with no choice to but to put on several masks, adopt several facades; one to suit each ethnic group or person youre with at the time. Except for a select few who dare to probe their own prejudices, and die as a result, or go mad, or become simply

numb, this foundation of assorted masks and disguises is the frail and shaky one upon which the country is building is postcolonial identity: Nobody could get May sixty-nine right, she thought. It was hopeless to pretend you could be objective about it. Speaking even to someone close to you, you were careful for fear the person might unwittingly quote you on others. If a third person was present, it was worse, you spoke for that persons benefit. If he was Malay, you spoke one way, Chinese another way, Indian another. Even if he wasnt listening. In the end the spun tissue, like an unsightly scab, became your vision of what happened: the wound beneath continued to run pus. Green is the colour, says Lloyd Fernando, but theres nothing lovely about it. Three weeks ago, when the entire political landscape of Malaysia was embroiled in the perennial debate over the meaning, definition, and concept of Bangsa Malaysia, I had in my hands a dog-eared, silverfish-infested 1993 copy of Professor Lloyd Fernandos novel entitled Green is the Colour. Being entrusted to teach a course on Malaysian literature in English, I was really gung-ho about it. I pictured myself as Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) being given a mission impossible task to complete. Saving the world and an Asian beauty in distress while overthrowing an eastern European nuclear warlord with a penchant for world domination and a weakness for leather gloves would be a lesser challenge that teaching this course in the short semester. While a bakers dozen or so local denizens from a political party south of Malaysia was debating intensely over the semantics of the term Bangsa Malaysia. I imbibed myself in the essence and spirit of Fernandos novel and pondered over the coincidence and timing of such an academic endeavour. Fernando is the first Malaysian to be a Professor of English and played a significant role in promoting Malaysian literary status in his illustrious career at University of Malayas department of English. Published in 1993, the novel centres on Yun Ming and Siti Sara falling in love with each other in post-May 13, 1969. Never mind that both are from different racial backgrounds and faiths but both are also married at the same time to different people and thus committing adultery during a very traumatic period of Malaysian history. This only spells triple disaster for them. Furthermore, Siti Saras father in the novel is a respected religious figure. (I rest my case.) Written 13 years ago, Fernandos novel was considered the first English novel to be ever written on the May 13 incident and it remains the only novel that offers a possible solution to inter-racial conflict and race relations in 21st century Malaysia. While I was explaining the intricacies of the background and plot to 35 English major undergraduates, the greatest challenge for me was to convince my students of the importance and relevance of Fernandos novel to nation-building and to Life itself. During my lectures, I treaded carefully on issues like the May

13 racial riots, the New Economic Policy, inter-racial relationships, religion, and racial integration in Malaysia. Could my students comprehend the complexities of the love-hate relationship between Yun Ming and Siti Sara or the amoral, heinous, and Machiavellian Panglima, an up and coming government official bent on creating ahomogenous society devoid of cultural differences and religious diversity? Could I make my students see what fear, hate, jealousy, ignorance, fanaticism, and intolerance could do to multi-racial Malaysia by people like Panglima? Or perhaps the different manifestations of the theme of Power and the tolerance of Siti Saras father, who saw beyond race, religion, and status, and blessed Yun Ming and Saras relationship. I was indeed happy when my students could see and relate to Fernandos vision of a world free of prejudice, religious bigotry, and cultural intolerance. It is a world where green is the colour of innocence, new hope, a new beginning, a primeval and natural state of existence a return to Nature. And like Nature that does not discriminate, paradise on earth is not elusive but attainable if individuals love one another indiscriminately like Yun Ming and Siti Sara.Perhaps this is why, bearing the present circumstances, that Fernandos timeless novel is more relevant and appealing in the present than when it was published in 1993. In all sincerity, it was satisfying teaching Malaysian literature in English to this wonderful group of multi-racial students who could take stock of what was happening to their beloved country. In the glint of their eyes, I could feel the intensity of their longing for an idyllic world of love, tranquillity, and understanding, a world that is free from oppression, obsession, and intolerance. They were truly colour-blind to one anothers differences and this was truly encouraging. Amidst the laughter, smiles, and bashfulness of my final lecture, I realised that I was slowly discovering myself, and I saw, just for a fleeting moment, a vivid glimpse of Fernandos world in my class of 35, where indeed, Green is the Colour. Title: Green is the Colour Author: Lloyd Fernando Excerpts from reviews of Green is the Colour A sensitive novel about racial and religious tolerance set against the shadow of the 1969 racial riots in Kuala Lumpur. Koh Buck Song, The Straits Times, July 10, 1993 Lloyd Fernando has exactly recounted (the) terrifying experience many of us must have lived through those awful months. For me, it is this shared nightmarethat is the objective correlative of May 13 1969 and the finest, lasting achievement of Green is the Colour. Edward Dorall, New Straits Times, 1993

Fernando creates a wonderful sense of verdant beauty of Malaysia, the melodic green of Saras childhood when people could live in harmony(but) the green of the title is not always the colour of harmony with natureWe may remember Garcia Lorcas poem where green is the colour that kills Dorothy Colmer, Adelaide University, CRNLE Reviews Journal. No 2, 1993 Fernando seeks to strip away the Englishness from English, to find a uniquely Malaysian prose voiceThis is evident in his remarkable ear for Malaysian English, never sinking into caricature, but establishing a familiar flowThe best thing about it(the novel), and the reason I recommend it, is its picture of a society aware of its roots but is simultaneously rootless. Amir Muhammad, New Straits Times, August 18, 1993 My intention is to argue that, in narrating the contesting visions of the nation, Fernando suggest ways of formulating/inventing a new collective identity of Bangsa Malaysia in this multi-racial, multi-religious, multi lingual, as well as modernising and yet traditionbound, nation-state. His vision is based on the rejection of all totalitarian, exclusivist models of nationalism that allow hierarchies in the dominant discourses of race, religion and gender for one of interplay and mutuality of cultures Professor MA Quayum, Imagining Bangsa Malaysia: Race, Religion and Gender in Lloyd Fernandos Green is the Colour After the communal riots of May 13th, 1969 there was no wide-scale communal strife in Malaysia such as is depicted in Green is the Colour. Nonetheless, Lloyd Fernandos vision of post 1969 Malaysia earns its validity as a bold attempt to present the fissures within Malaysias modernity. Wong Soak Koon, Unveiling Malaysias Modernity and Ethnicity: Lloyd Fernandos Green is the Colour, in Risking Malaysia Culture, Politics and Identity. Eds. Maznah Mohamed & Wong Soak Koon, Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 2001 In his novel, Green is the Colour, Lloyd Fernando explores undercurrents of our of our multiethnic society with insight and honesty. He shows a deep understanding of minds shaped by different cultures and faiths, and of conflicts that can create a nightmare world when tolerance breaks down. This is a poignant story of tender humanity struggling against the cold inhumanity of closed minds a story relevant to all of us today.