The Writers' Movement '50, better known as Asas '50, is the first and oldest literary association in post-war Malaysia. It was founded on 6 August 1950, with a stated philosophy of "Art for Society". Asas '50 was formed in the interest of developing Malaysian literature. Asas '50 currently works to promote and propagate literature through seminars, workshops, forums, dialogues, courses etc. One important event in the early history of Asas '50 was the debate on the purpose of literature. The debate was between two groups, the Utusan Melayu group, headed by Asraf and the Majalah Hiburan group headed by Hamzah Hussien. The crux of the debate was whether to follow "Art for Society" or "Art for Art's Sake". According to researcher Athi Sivan, Hamzah propagated the Gautierian called to distance Asas '50 from the left wing ideologies prevalent at that time in Singapore, especially in Utusan Melayu. The debate resulted in Hamzah leaving Asas '50 to form a new literary organisation. After this debate, Asas '50 became less active after 1955, when several of its main members left to reside back in Malaya, while several loyal members remained in Singapore and continued to spearhead the association to this day. The philosophy held by Asas '50 was described by Keris Mas as follows:
In the field of literature, the proponents of ASAS 50 adopted a new breathe of style, employing a mode of language that is fresh, departing from the preceding genre of writers, propounding the themes of societal awareness, politics and culture with the aim of revitalising the spirit of freedom, the spirit of independence of a people of its own unique sense of honour and identity, upholding justice and combating oppression... We criticised societal backwardness and those whom we regard as the instruments responsible for the birth of such backwardness. We criticised colonialism and its instruments, that is, the elite class, those whose consciousness have been frozen by the influence of feudalism and myths, and superstition that has been enmeshed with religion.
Asas '50 emphasized the use of literature as a means of achieving political change. It is led by Mohamed Pitchay Gani, Mohamed Latiff Mohamed, Yazid Hussein, Abdul Samad Ali, Hoirull Amri Tahiran, Muhammad Herwanto Johari, Namira Mazlan and Irwan Jamal.
Seni Untuk Masyarakat
With the motto Seni Untuk Masyarakat, Asas '50 was inspired by the Indonesian writers movement, Angkatan 45. It promoted several aims:
To free Malay society from those elements of its culture which was obstructing or negating the pursuit of modernity and progress
To advance the intellectual awareness of the rakyat towards the ideals of social justice, prosperity, peace and harmony;
To foster Malay nationalism; and
To refine and promote the Malay language as the lingua franca of Malaya.
An attempt initiated by Asas '50 to absorb the splinter literary groups such as Grup Gelorasa and Pass into Asas '50 was carried out in 1974. A new slogan "Literature for the Community" was coined to provide a mutual understanding and mission among the new members of Asas '50. The slogan was intentionally generic and without ideological leanings. It was accepted by all the new members of Asas '50. However, the purpose of Asas '50 had also changed, as it was no longer necessary to fight for the independence and physical extrication of the community. For this reason, Asas '50's stated aim was to free the community from psychological and intellectual oppression left behind during the reign of the colonial masters and the Japanese Occupation. Asas '50's mission is still schooled in the concept of "Literature for the Community" even though it has since changed its slogan.
Language
Asas '50's worked towards the development of the Malay language and was described by kakiseni.com as
the movement that championed the use and development of the Malay language
A number of Asas '50 members are teachers and journalists. One contribution made by Asas '50 was the introduction of the Roman script to Malay. The Jawi writing was initially the modus operandi. However, since the 3rd Malay Language Congress in 1956, under the initiation of Asas '50, Maritime Southeast Asia saw a reformation and revolution in the Malay language arena. As a result, Roman spelling was integrated into Malay and remains today. This change simplifies language learning, as Roman spelling is also used in the English language. Research and study of materials and sources from the West were thus made more accessible to Malaysians. Roman spelling has since eclipsed the use of Jawi in daily matters and in education. Only Brunei still practices the use of Jawi.
Trends
Asas '50 is the first registered Malay literary association. The association was also involved in the push towards independence for Malaya in the 1950s and the changes made to the Malay language via the 3rd Malay Language Congress. In the 1970s, Asas '50 initiated the Malay Literary Prize which is now known as the Malay Literary Award. This allowed the works and efforts of writers to be recognised and appreciated. Asas '50 was also recognised as the first Malay literary body in the region to hold the Regional Malay Literati Conference in 1977. This has since been integrated and adopted as bi-annual event for the Malay literary scene in this region. The association is the first Malay association to have sealed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Library Board. In addition, Asas '50 has also published "Leksikon", a directory of descriptions of 70 important writers in Singapore from 1965 to 2005. The launch of "Leksikon" also made Asas '50 the first association to have held an event at the new NLB building at Victoria Street. Asas '50 has been the country's official representative in learning the development of the Malay literature in the region. The association works with regional literary associations such as Gapena, Asterawani, Horisons and others. Many of its members are also involved in activities organised and held by the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Mastera and Mabbim.
Youth wing
The Asas '50 youth wing was started in 2002 with the mission of shaping the next generation of leaders and activists in the Malay literary scene. This aim was advocated for by Masuri S.N, who believed that the strength of an association is reliant on the youths, who will eventually receive the baton to carry the association into the next phase of its mission. The younger members of Asas '50 comprise a large portion of the trainee teachers of the National Institute of Education Townsville Campus. Today, a number of these members are appointment holders in the association's executive committee.
Publications
To date, Asas '50 has published many books. However, a number of these publications were only produced in the early 2000s, but other books were published independently by members of Asas '50. Among the publications was the 2005 release of Abdul Ghani Hamid's Petikan Rasa/Extracts of Feelings. Funded by National Arts Council via the Singapore Cultural Medallion Grant, the book was a bilingual compilation of Abdul Ghani Hamid's poems and paintings. Another book published by Asas '50 was "Memoir Perjalanan Mas" in 2004. This historical biography of Muhammad Ariff Ahmad depicted the life and struggles of Mas. This book highlights the importance of Muhammad Ariff Ahmad in the Malay culture, language, and literary arena. Inadvertently, this book has become the unofficial documentation of the Malay literary movement history in Singapore. The publishing of the first Malay writer's directory called Leksikon was a collaborative effort with the NLB, and it was the first of its kind in the Singapore Malay literature. The book provides detailed information on the creative writers of Singapore since 1965. Another Asas '50 publication was an anthology of poems and short stories called "Menyongsong Pelangi" in 2005. This anthology comprises literary works contributed by young writers and is released in commemoration of Asas '50's 55 years celebration.
Jamil Sulong was a founder member of ASAS 50 and was a link for the Malay film industry in Singapore. Films by P. Ramlee were influenced by Asas '50 as the objectives of those films mirrored those of the association. There were also other connections linking P.Ramlee to Asas '50. For example, Asraf's wife, Fatimah Murad, was the editor of P.Ramlee's film magazine called the "Majalah Bintang." Thus, Asraf capitalised on this avenue and network to promote the ideologies held by Asas '50 as well as to trade views and opinions with P.Ramlee. Film critics have observed this ideological connection in the film "Bujang Lapok". The film contained satirical critique of the greater Malay culture of the time. Another trait prevalent in these films was the use of the actors' real name such as "Ramlee", "Sudin" and "Aziz." This was P. Ramlee's method of highlighting the emotional reality of the time.
Impact on local media and newspaper
The local newspaper has also followed the principle of "Literature for the Community" by publishing literary works that spoke of the latest issues faced by the community. These poems, shorts stories, and essays focused on issues of the community from the social, religious, political, and economical perspectives.The number of literary works published in the local newspaper totaled 3,200 from 1,600 writers as of 1965. This reception has caused Singapore Malay literature to be referred to as "newspaper literature." Inadvertently, Asas '50's mission was proliferated by the local newspaper, which held many of the same ideologies as the literary association.
