National politics has lost the plot

The playwright Kee Thuan Chye's latest play, Once Upon a Malaysian Dream, left audiences entertained but with a lingering unease about its focus on a single individual. Initially, the play aimed to tell the story of a man striving to create a united, prosperous Malaysia for all citizens, regardless of race or religion. However, the curtain rose on the trials and tribulations of Lim Kit Siang, a former opposition leader and DAP leader, and his family's struggles under the Internal Security Act.

While the production was well-paced and the acting commendable, the play leaned towards a personal tribute, creating a sense of hero worship rather than a broader national narrative.

The play's title, Once Upon a Malaysian Dream, promised a collective, everyday story of ordinary Malaysians, but the delivered story was deeply personal. This discrepancy between expectation and delivery left some audience members questioning the title's relevance and the overall coherence of the play's message. The play's success in creating a well-crafted homage to one man's lifelong crusade, however, did not fully satisfy the audience's initial expectations, leading to a lingering dissonance and unease about the mismatch.