MALAYSIANS KINI Whether it is at a mamak restaurant, a coffee shop, or a bar, Malaysians love to get together to talk and gossip.
And while our chatter on politics and our social lives is often loud enough to be heard by those sitting at another table, controversial issues such as sexual orientation and religion are often discussed with hushed tones or not spoken of at all.
This is the change Projek Dialog aims to bring, to make you talk loudly about things you are not usually comfortable saying in public.
Fuad Rahmat (photo), one of the founders of the freedom of expression outfit, said he started the group in 2011 to give marginalised voices a public platform.
"It is to offer them a chance to tell their side of the issue without being overshadowed by politics or a conservative climate," Fuad said in an interview with Malaysiakini.
An animated man, the 35-year-old Shah Alam native said some of the subjects the group has sought to bring to public discourse includes transgender rights, freedom of religion and cultural issues such as the 'Arabisation' of Malays.
Speaking on these kind of subjects tended to ruffle feathers, he said, making people uncomfortable with Projek Dialog and what they do.
"It is one thing to encourage people to talk, but it is another thing to encourage people to talk about issues that are usually sensitive, or taboo and problematic."
Provoking tensions
In her grey tudung and white shirt, Yana Rizal, 29, looks more the part of a corporate woman than rabble rouser, but the Projek Dialog coordinator says the group is often accused of trying to provoke tensions.
A video series discussing those awkward moments when visiting friends of a different religion attracted thorny comments from various segments of society, including some who accused the group of perpetuating a racial heirarchy in Malaysian society.
The video has been viewed more than 200,000 times.
The truth is, the chartered financial analyst said, stoking hatred is not what the group aims to do.
"What we're trying to do is to provoke thoughts, to get people to talk about things even if you don't agree with a certain position.
"The very fact that you're talking about these issues acknowledges that they exist and that's the most important thing, that's the starting point before we progress any further," she said.
She added, the group was open to receiving opposing views and criticism, as that too is part of the discourse.
Maryam Lee (photo), the youngest member of the troupe, chimed in and said their goal was not to be liked, but to get people talking about these topics, regardless of how they approach it.
The petite 24-year-old Universiti Malaya student however disclosed that sometimes the worst animosity, need not necessarily come from the outside.
"Even before I joined Projek Dialog, I liked a post on their Facebook page, and that came out on my news feed, and a family member took that very harshly to the point of (wanting) to stop me from studying.
"(They had said) 'if I give you an education, and this is what you become, I would rather not give you an education'... At that point I was like, 'Wow'. The biggest resistance is not the outside world, it's in your personal life," she said.
Taboo topics
Yana, too, had faced a similar situation, and her outspoken tone softened when speaking on the subject.
She said some people, including close friends and family, just "automatically shut off" when taboo topics are raised.
However, she said, she tried her best to reason with the critiques by getting them to approach these issues on a human level.
The pushback faced by both urban, English-speaking women from those closest to them shows that discourse and openness is not only something that is absent in rural heartlands, often percieved to be more conservative.
In fact, Fuad says, it is situation faced by most Malaysians treading a different path from their families, whether it be their sexual orientation, political beliefs or even career choice.
The cultural studies lecturer, however, believes the cultural and generation gap that divides them can be closed through dialogues that are based on mutual connections, and shared experiences.
"Show that there's more to relationships than your beliefs. It could be the memories you share, or jokes that you find funny, and you use those things to build trust, to share your beliefs.
"In the long run, whether you win or lose, is in the relationships, not in these positions (you hold). Positions change, but relationships, you still have to come home to it."
Overall, Fuad said there has been a gradual, but positive shift in Malaysian attitudes towards human rights issues, despite it still being a negatively perceived at the macro level.
Yana (photo) said more people have also been attending Projek Dialog's events, especially university students who are hungry to know more than what they can learn from their varsities.
Moving forward, the group plans to expand Projek Dialog beyond the Klang Valley, and getting people to talk about touchy topics that affect their local communities.
Yana however made it clear that the group did not want to "preach their values everywhere."
"For example we recently held an art exhibit where we went to Kelantan, where there is a lot of misconceptions especially among liberals, and spoke to local communities such as the Thai-Buddhist, the Imam of the state mosque, the rehab centre, and find out their perspectives on things," she said.
Maryam meanwhile, hopes that through their work, they will inspire future generations to take up the mantle and think up of new ways to broach difficult conversations.
"The future generation will have different concerns, but their concerns can still be addressed in the same concept. Not in the same manner of course, because you need to innovate the way you interact too."
MALAYSIANS KINI is a series on Malaysians you should know.
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