OMG This Malaysian Cartoonist Prophesied What Was To Happen In 2015, 22 Years Ago!
IMHO, Aloy's cartoons were pretty darn accurate! We got the chance to speak to him about his work too.
By Sukhbir Cheema — 24 Dec 2015, 05:20 AM
In February 1993, Azha Abdul Hamid a.k.a. Aloy, drew several cartoon strips for the Malay humour magazine Gila-Gila, providing his take on how the future of Malaysia might be.
Little did the 48-year-old cartoonist know that the cartoons published in the 346th issue of Gila-Gila would somehow come true 22 years later...
With Azha's cartoons resurfacing on social networking sites, many netizens have shared the comic strips hailing Aloy’s work as prophetic especially when all eight strips he drew turned out to be somewhat true.
Aloy’s cartoons were accompanied with a Malay proverb "Kalau tak ada aral melintang suatu masa nanti tentu..." which means, “If nothing prevents it, at some point it will be eventual...” A few lines also cautioned that the “unlikeliest” of things could potentially take place no matter how absurd it might sound at first.
From the start Aloy rightly prophesied the concept of e-learning:
Although students still carry books to school, many institutions have incorporated teaching via computers and laptop. It also appears that kids these days have an inbuilt chip to work their way around gadgets and smartphones unlike their older counterparts. The New Ambient Insight Report, states that Malaysia is Asia’s third fastest growing market for e- learning after Myanmar and Thailand.
Aloy also described a future with taxi drivers seeking out passengers instead of the other way around:
This is uncannily true in the way MyTeksi drivers use smartphone applications to locate their next customer. There has also been a rise in ride-sharing services such as Uber and other taxi booking app. Taxi drivers have since had to compete significantly more to eke out a living.
This led to 200 frustrated taxi drivers to protest against ride-sharing services last month. Despite their protest, Kuala Lumpur taxi drivers are ranked the worst globally. Still, there are some awesome cab drivers like this generous guy.
Rubber tappers and farmers would start using mobile phones. The cartoon is spot on not only for farmers but virtually the entire population of the 21st century!
In fact Malaysian farmers these days can access the Farmers' Organization Authority (Lembaga Pertubuhan Peladangf) through a QR code. In America, a farm journal media survey also predicted that some 87% of their farmers would be using smart phones by next year.
The rising cost to hire a maid, which has increased to a whopping RM14,000 to RM15,000 due to agency fees
Although the foreign maids hired to do the dirty work are not the direct recipient of this windfall, the maid business has turned into a lucrative industry. The rise in fees has also taken a toll on the industry due to demand for maids over-stripping supply.
To make matters more complicated, talks of increasing the minimum wage of Indonesian maids to RM1,200 in May led many to voice their dissatisfaction.
In October, Indonesia and Malaysia came to an agreement for a slight increase in the domestic maid minimum wage, currently at RM800 per month. And yet, cases of maids being abused is still common in this country.
We’ve yet to see mechanics and furniture shops opening for 24 hours BUT round-the-clock convenience stores such as 7-Eleven, KK Marts and mamaks are everywhere across the country
Mamak outlets and hawker stalls are now synonymous not only for affordable food but also as the best spot to watch live football matches scheduled into the wee hours. Some however, have developed a “reputation” for their level of cleanliness.
In June, this year though, there was a proposal for the government to clamp down on these outlets as a way to curb social ills. Netizens were up in arms against the idea and the plan was scrapped the following day, leading many local football fans to breathe a sigh of relief.
P.S: Here are the some of the best mamaks to have cheese naan in the Klang Valley...
24-hour TV: 3 years after this panel was published, All-Asian Satellite Television and Radio Operator (ASTRO) was founded and started to broadcast 22 TV channels as well as 8 radio programmes for 24 hours
Now the direct broadcast satellite Pay TV service not only has a net income of RM551.57 million, with over 140 channels provided to over four billion subscribers, it has become a household name for Malaysians to watch their favourite television shows.
Not forgetting Malaysian based iflix, an Internet TV service that streams tons of TV shows, movies and cartoons to put you in a binge-watching coma for as long as you want. And then there's YouTube, which needs no introduction.
The rise in the cost of living. Smoking, a stress release habit for some Malaysians, started to burn a hole in the pocket when cigarette prices were hiked up to a whopping RM18 per box!
The new prices implemented last month caused many smokers to consider switching to the alternative of vape but were left equally frustrated when the Health Ministry decided to crackdown on vaping nationwide. The government changed their stance following outcry from vape groups.
But in Johor, a state level ban was imposed on the product with Kelantan following suit. Penang is mulling to do the same. It looks like, as Aloy’s cartoon depicts, the cheapest thing for smokers is a leaf cigarette.
Recently, on 21 December 2015, the national fatwa council declared vape as haram.
SAYS managed to get hold of the Taiping-born cartoonist who expressed surprise at his old comics resurfacing on social media
"I totally forgot that I drew them. It was such a long time ago," the cartoonist said.
The low profile artist, who draws caricatures today, said he never expected his comic strips to be uploaded on a Facebook page. “I drew this cartoon for Gila-Gila when I was 26 years old. I’m a little embarrassed as my drawings were ugly back then.”
Aloy’s cartooning career, spans almost two decades, and appeared in magazines such as Gelihati and Batu Api, which have since been discontinued as well as Gila-Gila
He was attached to the popular Malay comic that was popular among Malaysian youths, from 1990 until 2001. Aloy is best known for creating comic the titles Sidek Superstar, Tauke and Teater Takut.
He also contributed his drawings to Politik Kedai Kopi for two-years before venturing into his own caricature and illustration business, where he performs live caricature art at government and corporate events.
Despite acknowledging many challenges to be hired as a resident comic artist, Aloy has continued to retain his cartooning passion as a profession. According to him, the industry has also grown with many offering their talents as a caricaturist like himself.
In his free time, Aloy likes to dabble with some photography and fishing. More of his work can be viewed on his Instagram profile.
This story is the personal opinion of the writer. You too can submit a story as a SAYS reader by emailing us at [email protected].