The Annexe Gallery, known for its work in championing freedom of expression,today lauded a number of individuals as ‘heroes’, including Malaysiakini editor-in-chief Steven Gan.

The Annexe Heroes award, which is being handed out for the second successive year, honours those “whose efforts courageously fight against injustice, ignorance and indifference for the betterment of all in Malaysia.”

Also honoured were book publisher and filmmaker Amir Muhammad, web talkshow PopTeeVee producers Fahmi Fadzil, Hardesh Singh and Mark Teh, advocacy group Sisters in Islam and political scientist Wong Chin Huat.

NONE The recipients were nominated by the public through the Annexe Gallery’s website, and the final selection was done by its arts programme director Pang Khee Teik and media manager Jerome Kugan.

The five join 2008 Annexe Heroes - political blogger Ahmad Hafidz Baharom, Tenaganita director Irene Fernandez, author of bestseller ‘March 8: The Day Malaysia Woke Up’ Kee Thuan Chye, artist and Sisters in Islam programme manager Norhayati Kaprawi and writer Shanon Shah.

True to the gallery’s unique nature, no trophies were in sight. Recipients instead received a military-style dog tag engraved with their names - a nod to the ‘battles’ which each of them has fought to open up public discourse in Malaysia.

The audience of approximately 80 people were kept entertained by the witty conversation between award host, Pang, and the recipients, and the antics of the ‘dog tag’ bearer who came in bedecked in red cape and antlers each time a ‘hero’ was announced.

‘Laugh so you won’t be afraid’

Indeed all the recipients have courted considerable backlash through their work, like Wong, who was arrested for sedition in May for writing articles and organising a series of ‘1Black Malaysia’ protests.

NONE However, the harsh reaction from the authorities has little affect on Wong’s sense of humour, which he credits as a deliberate strategy to confront fear.

“It’s important to be able to laugh, because when you laugh you will not be afraid,” Wong told Malaysiakini later.

The irreverent university lecturer also dedicated his award to his “friends in Bukit Aman”, saying that he feels honoured to have been awarded so much importance by the police force.

When asked of his New Year wish, he said that he wants Malaysians to have more love for freedom, which he said comes with many responsibilities.

“We don’t have the Internal Security Act because the BN government is evil. We have it because we cannot overcome our fear of freedom,” he said.

The award was also accepted in a very light-hearted manner by Amir Muhammad, whose approach to media censorship has always been a comic one.

Amir is credited for pushing boundaries of expression by publishing “though-provoking books on pertinent topics”, including perceived taboo topics such as sexuality, which was broached in his Matahari Books’ ‘Body2Body: A Malaysian Queer Anthology’.

Like Wong, the writer who started writing for the New Straits Times in his teens, also credits the authorities for much of his ‘fame’, which he said came mostly from having banned films ‘Lelaki Komunis Terakhir’ and ‘Apa Khabar Orang Kampung’.

“There’s a list of films which have been banned in Malaysia, including ‘Schindler’s List’ and ‘Brokeback Mountain’, and I feel very honoured to see my films in that list,” he quipped.

On a more serious note, Amir said that his contributions to freedom of expression pales in comparison to others, in particular two documentary makers in the Philippines who were murdered for their work on extra-judicial executions in Mindanao.

‘Don’t wait for heroes’

Gan also shared this view, saying that for him, the launch of Malaysiakini 10 years ago was merely something that needed to be done in this country.

NONE His hope for the New Year was for Malaysians not to wait for heroes.

“I’m not one. If we wait for heroes, nothing will ever change. All of us must do our bit, and do our best in whatever little things we can do,” he said.

SIS, on the other hand, hope that they would win their case against the banning of their book, ‘Muslim Women and the Challenges of Extremism’, not just for their sake, but to set a precedent for other book ban cases in the future.

More than that, SIS hopes for a more inclusive Malaysia, with more “democratic spaces, especially in the context of freedom of, in and from religion.”

Meanwhile, PopTeeVee producer Hardesh Singh said that he was happy to finally receive an award as he has long been misrepresented as an “award-winning composer”.

Hardesh is part of a proudly multiethnic team which include Mark Teh and Fahmi Fadzil, who hosts online talkshow, the ‘Fairly Current Show’.

Fahmi said the show aims at encouraging more dialogue through laid-back but informative discussion, which broached topics such as the recent fatwa against yoga, in a humourous and accessible manner.

He added that his personal wish is for Malaysians to not give up in the quest to make the country better for all.

“Stay on course, Malaysia, stay on course,” said Fahmi.