Populists and Progressives Speak Out

This chapter presents a heterogeneous group of populists and progressives, including some on the radical left, who comprised their own circle, with much interaction among its most prominent members. Although all identified with the rakyat, they adopted different positions on many important matters, such as religion and the sultanic system. This chapter contains portraits of the non-fiction writer Zulkifli, who was a rare ideologue on the left, unshakeable in his strong convictions; Shamsuddin Muhammad, a salon host and literary icon; Mansor, a sharp and acerbic critic; the rank-and-file journalist Ariffin, who struggled to make ends meet in his newspaper work; Professor Yusof, a historian seeking to win the hearts and minds of young Malaysians through a new Malaysian history, who saw economic inequality as the key to all societal problems; and Dr. Salman, an academician with populist leanings who was a strong Malay nationalist.