City of Shared Stories Kuala Lumpur

Now that my life is nearing its end, I feel the time has come for me to tell the truth about The Subversive Sign-language Switch of 1998. I will lay out the facts as they happened; it is up to you, gentle reader, to judge my actions.

I was stationed at Angkasapuri when the government decided to introduce sign language on its TV news. This took the form of a small window, in which an interpreter would 'sign' the news simultaneously. I had to prepare the scripts for the woman doing the signing, and supervise her delivery.

I am sure you remember how the official news was in late 1998? Like many then, I was disgusted at how odious it had become. I couldn't afford to quit my job, so I decided to subvert the text I had to deliver. I did this through the subtle but ingenious way of substituting key words with the names of local pop stars.

Thus, Malaysians who relied on sign language would have witnessed:
"The ex-DPM was arrested on charges of Siti Nurhaliza."
"The PM blamed the foreign media for instigating violent Misha Omar in the capital city."
"To prove its case, the prosecution brought in a stained Awie as an exhibit."
And so on.

Yes, it was a small gesture of defiance. But it resonated among the hearing-impaired community and (remember the butterfly effect?) this invitation to laugh at official news rippled and magnified through the rest of the country, which had no clue how this rebellion started! And that, finally, is how the 2012 election results happened.

It took 14 years, but I'm glad I lived to see it. Change comes slowly ... and it often starts in silence.