Global InformationKee Thuan Chye information
 | This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (January 2013) |
Kee Thuan Chye | |||||||||||||
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| Born | 25 May 1954 Penang, Federation of Malaya | ||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, editor, author, playwright, actor, and civil liberty advocate | ||||||||||||
| Spouse | Lim Choy Wan | ||||||||||||
| Children | Soraya Sunitra Kee Xiang Yin (daughter), and Jebat Arjuna Kee Jia Liang (son) | ||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 紀傳財 | ||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 纪传财 | ||||||||||||
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Kee Thuan Chye (born 25 May 1954) is a Malaysian actor, dramatist, poet and journalist. Acting in theatre, films, and on television for more than 40 years, he continues to do so. In 1981, Kee co-founded the theatre group, KAMI, in Kuala Lumpur. A noted civil rights activist, he would express in his plays whatever he could not express through the newspapers under Malaysia's repressive Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA). For speaking out without fear or favour, Kee was among the first recipients of The Annexe Heroes Freedom of Expression Awards when it was launched in 2008.[1]
Although social reengineering under the New Economic Policy had already begun after the 13 May Incident of 1969, it became more pronounced after Mahathir bin Mohamad became Prime Minister in 1981. At the New Straits Times, Kee Thuan Chye received numerous memos from his editor-in-chief for trying to push the parameters and opening up public discourse on what was deemed 'sensitive' issues. Firmly believing that the responsibility of a journalist to the public is to inform them of the truth, he had to battle with his superiors and as a consequence, he was often punished, marginalised, and shut out.[2] In 1988, Kee received his master's degree in drama from the University of Essex, after being awarded a British Council Fellowship for postgraduate studies in England.
In 2001, Kee Thuan Chye became an Associate Editor of The Star in Kuala Lumpur, creating and editing the English column, Mind Our English, until retirement in May 2009.[3] His Sunday Star column, Playing The Fool, which he began in April 2007, ran for only two instalments before it was cancelled. In his inaugural article, Kee had written that he would be speaking out frankly on social and political issues, without fear or favour. His second article, hitting out at racial discrimination in Malaysia, was published but when it came to his third article, the editors got jittery and suppressed it. The Star finally decided to terminate the column after Kee submitted his fourth article.
- ^ a b Lim Kit Siang.com: Hero worship
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
unmaskedwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Goodbye and thank you". The Star. 22 May 2009. Archived from the original on 25 May 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2009.