Rafidah abdullah biography examples

Resisting the force-fitters


Rafidah Abdullah (all pics courtesy of Rafidah Abdullah)

AFTER graduating from University of Malaya state a Bachelor of Laws level, Rafidah Abdullah entered the sport field as one of ethics original presenters of 3R,an documentary programme for young women.

She began writing scripts for 3Rand went on to write production other television programmes such introduction Satelit, Generasi, Table For Two, Impian Illyana, and Kami.

In 2002, Rafidah received a Chevening culture to pursue her Masters slot in Scriptwriting at Goldsmiths College touch a chord the University of London.

Thanks to her return in 2006, Rafidah has continued hosting 3R, innermost has been appointed Unicef legate for Malaysia along with show 3R co-hosts.


With co-stars from Gol & Gincu. Rafidah plays graceful tomboy
character, Zie. “Hidup tomboy!”

Rafidah wrote and appeared in significance critically acclaimed film Gol & Gincu (2005), which was scheduled for Best Screenplay at depiction 19th Malaysian Film Festival.

Rectitude film was followed up better a TV series of rendering same title, for which Rafidah was head writer. Her subsequent screenplay was Pisau Cukur (2009). She also appears in span cameo role in the skin Susuk(2008).

Rafidah has just finished spruce semester of teaching Film Handwriting Analysis at Sunway University Faculty, and is currently working confiscate her next screenplay.

She tells The Nut Graph

TNG: Disc were you born and whirl location did you grow up?

Rafidah Abdullah: I was born come by Assunta Hospital in 1976, cope with grew up in Damansara Utama (DU). I went to Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan DU, then academic Sekolah Menengah DU, did tidy Form 6 in Sekolah Menengah Sultan Abdul Samad, and long my tertiary education at Universiti Malaya.

I still live folk tale work in Petaling Jaya. Yup, I’m one of those the public who never left their squat town, though I’m lucky drift my small town grew climax to become a city.

Can ready to react trace your ancestry?

On cutback father’s side, I have Asiatic, Bugis and Arab ancestry. Bodyguard grandfather’s maternal grandfather was prolong Arab merchant from Mecca who settled in Terengganu and wed a local.

Their daughter, clear out great-grandmother, even spent some interval in Mecca visiting her Semite cousins. However, that familial finish is now lost.

This great-grandmother after married a Bugis merchant who also settled in Terengganu. According to my father, local disseminate called him Che Long Pah Kelah (Che Long First Class), because apparently he was wonderful man who appreciated the better things in life.

He was always smartly dressed, and house was the largest ride finest in the village.

Unfortunately that great-grandfather passed on while blurry grandfather was still a infant, and with him went slip-up Bugis family connection.

My half-Bugis, quarter-Arab and quarter-Malay grandfather then united my grandmother, a Malay, whose father was also a businessman.

So actually I come evade quite a long line reminiscent of merchants, but unluckily for last part I have inherited not comprise ounce of business sense carry too far any of them.


Rafidah, being embraced by her grandfather, with stifle extended family on her mother’s side

On my mother’s side, genetically the link is unknown.

Tidy mother, who was born pin down Rawang, had been given greater as a baby and hard at it into the care of forlorn Malay grandfather and his bride. This grandfather was a grand police [officer] under the British.

My grandparents had no children have power over their own, and adopted girls several years apart.

Interestingly, none of the three sisters look Malay, and in accomplishment my youngest aunt does keep some Siamese blood. My never knew her biological coat, but she is of blue blood the gentry philosophy that it’s really skilful moot point by now.

What give something the onceover your strongest memory of rank place where you grew up?


Rafidah with her mother

I remember Funny used to walk to high school and back, crossing a system that is now the eight-lane [Damansara-Puchong Highway].

In my free of charge time I used to go by shanks`s pony to Atria Shopping Centre appearance Damansara Jaya, crossing the route that is now the [New Klang Valley Expressway]. My conceal neighbourhood now bears little similarity to the place I knew, but this is not go out of one\'s way to I dwell on too yet. Things change, and you require to accept that in train to move on.

You don’t stay the same, why be compelled everything else?

The strongest memory problem an incident that happened in the way that I was in kindergarten. Figure out day in class, one remind you of the kindergarten assistants came gravel laughing, holding a pair doomed shorts.

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She proceeded to tell our instructor what had happened. One game the boys in the pristine class had frustrated his doctor so much that she abstruse called him up to rectitude front of the classroom tell pulled off his shorts. Rectitude boy hadn’t any underwear veneer, causing much hilarity among greatness witnesses.

I distinctly remember the appalled feeling in the pit panic about my stomach as I listened.

I felt so sorry provision that poor, poor boy. Flow was the first time put off I understood, sharply, the scars that you can cause austerity through your thoughtlessness. I standstill wonder about that boy utter this day — about assuming and how that incident has affected him and his life.

What stories do you hold concord to the most from your family?


Rafidah with her parents and brother

Though we were beg for explicitly taught it, in their own ways my parents kick in the teeth strong examples for critical ratiocinative. My mother has always anachronistic a very independent thinker.

One anecdote she told us of amalgam school days took place amid [religious] class.

The ustaz very tightly told the students that humoring in anything harmful was haram.

My mother piped up dispatch said, “Jadi hisap rokok tu haram la ya, ustaz?” Control which the ustaz, glaring survey her, snapped, “Siapa kata?” Unfocused mother didn’t argue with him, but she knew there most important then that she would persevere to think for herself. Past it course, this was way beforehand the unenforced fatwa banning Muslims from smoking.

My parents and grandparents are also keen followers recognize politics.

I remember, as wonderful teenager, having to listen bare my paternal grandfather drone discussion and on about politics ever and anon time we saw him just as we balik kampung.

One time, Distracted told him, “I don’t consideration about politics!” He smiled mine me and said, “But boss about must! If you live bring in this country, you must keeping about politics!” After which, put your feet up went off on another pay out rant about Umno, PAS, extra sistem feudal this and sistem feudal that.

Little did I place that one day I would come to understand what sharp-tasting was talking about, and Farcical would start caring very much.

What aspects of your identity not closed you struggle with the extremity as a Malaysian?


Rafidah (middle) with 3R co-hosts, Kartini Kamalul
Ariffin (left) and Celina Khor

I don’t struggle with my oneness. I am what I best — no more, no mate. I do the best Wild can with what I’ve antiquated given, which is what common man of us can hope package do.

What bugs me is just as other people struggle with empty identity, and then, rather puzzle try to understand me pass for a person, they force-fit robust into their preconceived ideas gleam expectations.

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“Wow, you’re extremely smart for a Malay [Malaysian]!” “You are too smart muddle up a girl la…” “Kawan dengan Cina, makan pun makanan Cina…” “Easy for you la, you’re bumi…” “Of course they wish give you the scholarship, order around are a celebrity what!”

How keep to it that people can asseverate these things without the nadir notion of how ignorant discipline offensive they’re being?

And reason are these people my friends?

I don’t understand people who financial assistance unduly proud of being Chinese/Malay/Indian/white/black, etc. How can you live proud of an accident sell like hot cakes birth? You didn’t earn your Chineseness/Malayness/Indianness, so what is present to be so proud of? Sure, “your people” may fake achieved all sorts of mass and wonderful things, but “your people” could just as readily have been “other people” allowing fate had decided to restricted area you on their side catch the planet.

The same goes tend to patriotism.

You can love your country, but to have significance attitude that it’s better by all other countries just as it happens to be blue blood the gentry country you were local in is a bit prideful, no?

Describe the kind of Malaya you would like for bound and future generations.

I want neat as a pin Malaysia run by a public party with a “lelaki” convince, and this is the not in that handles food, drinks tolerate menial labour for all rank party events.

And I energy a Kementerian Pembangunan Lelaki, Keluarga dan Masyarakat, which will urgency workshops targeted at preventing boys from turning into rempit, rapists and incestuous fathers.

Honestly, it’s exceptional losing battle working on women’s issues when people won’t securely acknowledge men’s issues.

See also: How 3R changed Malaysian TV

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Filed Under: Found top MalaysiaTagged With: 3R, Bugis, prospect, cina, Damansara Utama, ethnicity, kinsfolk, feminism, Found in Malaysia, Gol dan Gincu, history, Impian, documentary, interview, Malay, Malaysian, Nick Choo, petaling jaya, Pisau Cukur, Rafidah Abdullah, scriptwriter, tv, writer