Three tenors: Malaysian Chinese writers and their visions of nationhood

Abstract

The multicultural nature of the Malaysian landscape has often been considered the hotbed of contestations to related identity, sense of belonging and nationhood. These contestations may have been the result of anxieties and fears of the coming together of differences leading to a misunderstanding of each other's intentions and desires. There has been a need to come to terms with the changing notions of nation and nationhood. From a point when a nation may have been simply defined as a physical territory that exists within the confines of a geographical boundary - a landmass, to one where a nation is viewed as an aggregation of people or people of one or more cultures, works reveal some fundamental commonalities transcending the aspirations of the Malaysian people. Primary among these is the desire and will to make Malaysia their home. This paper explores the works of three Malaysian Chinese writers and their visions of nationhood in Malaysia. The paper will discuss the modes in which some of the important issues of nationhood and nation building are worked out in the works of Lee Kok Liang, Wong Phui Nam, and Kee Thuan Chye.