Language, Resistance and Ambivalence in Chinese Malaysian Political Satire

Abstract:The political satire of Teresa Kok’s Lunar New Year YouTube videos demonstrates creative resistance in their polylingual humorous critique of Malaysian politics. While drawing on traditions of Chinese political satire, the satirical skits employ the unique polylingual voices of Chinese Malaysians in critical performances that seek to evade censors and entertain a diverse audience. In addition to more direct political satire, the mixed languages in these skits perform hybridized Chinese Malaysian identities that suggest resistance to Malay assimilationist rhetoric. Meanwhile, these same mixed languages and the choices made between them express the diverse and sometimes ambivalent cultural and linguistic positions of contemporary Chinese Malaysians.