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Issue no. 2 | 2022

Tribute to Prof. Zawawi

1973. He remained a scholar till the end. Throughout his
career, he served in different administrative and academic
capacities at various universities. Among the universities he
served include, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Malaya,
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia
Sarawak, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Universiti Brunei
Darussalam, and Taylor’s University. He has held various
administrative positions and has served in different
by Dr. Kamal faculties and departments throughout his career.
Solhaimi Fadzil

Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un Today however, I want to remember the man who inspired
“Verily we belong to Allah, and verily to Him do we return” me to remain true to myself and who remained above all
On the 18th May 2022 I received a text message informing passionate about promoting the voice of the voiceless,
me that Professor Zawawi had passed away. It was 8.55am anthropology, rural development, indigenous people, the
and the news of his demise had taken me by surprise. He arts and who despite having rightfully earned his place in
was 75 years old. I had gone over to his house just a few the history of Anthropology in Malaysia, remain very much
weeks before to collect the 2nd edition of his book, The grounded and humble to the very end. Prof. Zawawi was
Malay Labourer by the Window of Capitalism. He wanted also always encouraging. Once while we had breakfast
me to deliver his books to some friends on campus. I had with Bah Mahat Anak Cina @ Akiya, a Semai Orang Asli DJ
delayed the meeting before, but was happy that I finally and author, Prof. Zawawi discussed how Bah Mahat could
was able to meet him. Realising now, it was to be our last turn one of his books into a movie script. He believed
strongly in communities telling their own stories. I learned
meeting.
later from Bah Mahat that it was Prof. Zawawi who helped
get his first book and other publications published, all of
Professor Dr. Wan Zawawi Ibrahim was a man of many which were on the Semai oral tradition and their
talents. He was an astute anthropologist, an accomplished experiences with slavery.
songwriter, a singer and, in his own way, a mentor. My first
introduction to Prof. Zawawi was through his book The Our last formal engagement was when I moderated a talk
Malay Labourer by the Window of Capitalism. This seminal organized by IDEAS in November, 2021 titled The NEP and
publication stands as an important work on ethnography of The Identity Question of Indigenous Peoples in Peninsular
the plantation and the transformation of the Malay peasant Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. Prof. Zawawi was the
to one of proletarian consciousness and resistance. presenter with Dr. Serina Rahman and Dr. Arnold Puyok as

panelists. It was Prof. Zawawi in his element; sweeping,
I met Prof. Zawawi in the mid-1990s in UM where he insightful, critical and hopeful. In a way fitting as it brought
organized a forum titled “Kami Bukan Anti-Pembangunan: him back in full circle to his seminal work while pulling
Bicara Orang Asli Menuju Wawasan 2020.” My first memory together the interest he accumulated throughout his
was of him seated with a guitar performing a song. He was academic career, looking at the indigenous communities in
not the typical academician. I did not know academicians Malaysia from his roots in Marxist analysis to his later
were allowed to sing. Or for that matter, to share the infusion with storytelling and creative modes as means of
platform with the subject of our study. Being very new to community empowerment.
the study of Orang Asli in anthropology, that forum left an
indelible mark on how I was to think about advocacy for Today in memory of the man who believed in the innate
Indigenous rights, Orang Asli representation, agency, and power of storytelling, to listen to the voices of the people
empowerment. It taught me the importance of people themselves, I will look up a rather forgotten publication
telling their own stories, to share and shape the narratives titled Hidden voices: true Malaysian experience of AIDS
of their identity. (Marina Mahathir and Zawawi Ibrahim (eds.) 1999) and
remember the man who remained passionate to the
Prof. Zawawi was not a traditional or conventional scholar struggles of the marginalised, who remained hopeful and
by local standards. He was a recipient of the Colombo Plan idealistic to that better future. I would like to offer my
scholarship and studied anthropology at Monash deepest condolences to his wife Noorshah M. Salleh, and
University, Australia. He obtained his PhD in 1978. He children Johan, Rendra, Hameerudin and Kaiyisha.
started his academic career early, as a tutor with Monash in Al-Fatihah
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