JUNE 23 — Siapa yang berani bernyanyi (Whoever dares to sing) 

               Nanti akan dikebiri (Shall later be neutered) 

               Siapa yang berani menari (Whoever dares to dance) 

               Nanti kan dieksekusi (Shall later be executed) 

               Kerana mereka paling suci (Because they’re the holiest) 

               Lalu mereka bilang kami jalang (So they call us whores) 

               Kerana kami beda misi (Because our mission differs) 

               Lalu mereka bilang kami jalang (So they call us whores) 

The words above (with English translation in brackets) are lyrics from the song “Jalang” by an Indonesian indie band called Efek Rumah Kaca. It’s a simple song with a haunting melody, with the lyrics repeated over and over again, and again. 

In short, it’s more or less a pop song, but just a glimpse at the powerfully direct lyrics and you can imagine how brave it is for them to put out a song like that, a direct challenge to holier than thou Islamic elements in their country, especially with themselves being Muslims in a majority Muslim country like that, and knowing how extreme the actions of said elements have been and can be. 

The reason I thought of the song is because I was trying to find something similar in Malaysian pop music after reading an article about protest songs in pop music in a local music magazine. There were two local bands on that list (my band Couple and local punk legends Carburetor Dung), but it got me thinking about whether we do have a tradition of protest songs in the local music scene. 

I wouldn’t include the local punk rock and hardcore scene though, as it’s pretty much expected of them to be political and to rebel and protest and such. But even so, the more I think about it, the things they usually protest against are “safe” things like war, global warming, capitalism and things like that. 

So it’s all just general things that anyone who fancies himself or herself a politically correct “rebel” would disapprove of and things that usually happen far away from here. Nothing too specific that will ruffle feathers over here or will get them into trouble with the law, if you know what I mean. 

Once in a while I’ll come across the brave few who do point out more specific things that are relevant to local politics or involve current hot button issues, but these are more the exception than the rule. 

And usually these bands are so far underground that practically very few people will get the chance to hear the songs anyway. Preaching to the converted, as some people might want to call it (which is still, for the record, better than nothing at all). 

That’s why I started this piece with those lyrics by Efek Rumah Kaca. Sure, they’re not as big as Dewa, Peter Pan or Sheila On 7, but they’re definitely big enough to have hits on the radio and to have sold a mind-boggling 40,000 copies (maybe more, and this in an era where the biggest mainstream sellers only go as high as 200,000 copies now) of their debut CD, which was released on a tiny indie label. 

Scan through the lyrics of songs on that fantastic debut album and you’ll find consumerism, gay love, even a song about melodramatic love and more. And all of this wrapped up in some of the catchiest and most melodic guitar pop songs you’ll ever hear. Yes, they protest, but they do it in the most accessible way so that the protestations actually have a chance to reach more people. 

But what’s really impressive is that they protest about things that are relevant to Indonesians, things that happen in everyday life there and are way riskier than complaining about some war in another country, or some giant conglomerate exploiting people in similarly far away countries. 

Seeing how touchy religion is as an issue here in Malaysia, I doubt that we’ll ever see something as directly confrontational as the aforementioned “Jalang” in a melodic pop song being released here. But wouldn’t it be nice to have some snarky, catchy songs by popular local acts about petty racism, or corruption in local politics and things like that? 

Off the top of my head, there are a few songs here and there by Butterfingers (though they’ve never really been a force in the mainstream, so I’m not sure they really count) and that infectious hit called “Mawar Khayalan” by the now defunct Laila’s Lounge has got some pretty interestingly naughty things to say about a few things carrying the tradition of local protest songs. 

But imagine how colourful the local music scene would be if we have an equivalent of Iwan Fals, or even rockers with sporadically socially conscious songs like Slank. Our very own equivalent to Efek Rumah Kaca would be even nicer!

* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.