A light-hearted look at elections
ALFIAN Sa'at, one of Singapore's leading playwrights, has a carved a niche for himself in the past few years by writing political plays that examine what are often considered to be "untouchable" topics.
His first bona fide blockbuster Cooling-Off Day (2011) put forth candid views of Singaporeans about the 2011 elections and its political parties. The follow-up play Cook A Pot Of Curry (2012) examined Singaporeans' attitudes towards foreigners and vice versa. Subsequently, his award-winning Malay comedy Kakak Kau Punya Laki (Your Sister's Husband, 2013) looked at the detention without trial of terror suspects.
Now he's back with another comedy that might raise a few eyebrows and ruffle some feathers. GRC imagines a small island nation similar to Singapore but which has a majority population of Malays and a minority population of Chinese, Indians, Eurasians and others. In this alternate universe - Alfian calls the work "my first science-fiction play" - the needs and concerns of the Malay community take precedence over that of other races, because it is the majority.
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