Connecting with Datuk Lat

It was months since I sent an email to Datuk Mohd Nor Khalid, who is better known as Lat, to which he promptly replied, “I shall get back to you soon.”

Portrait illustration of Datuk Lat from Page 3
It's a Lat Lat Lat Lat World,
Berita Publishing Sdn Bhd, 1985

I guessed Datuk Lat should be busy with many projects and commitments, so I waited patiently but his soon was just not soon enough for me.

By mid-April, I thought I should give him a gentle nudge to remind him and he replied with apologies for the delay in response.

Datuk Lat explained that he was preoccupied with putting the final touches to his gallery, an attraction in Batu Gajah which is scheduled to open by July.

He admitted to not being a fan of using the email and preferred that we talked on the phone instead.

Born in Kota Bahru, Perak, Datuk Lat is Malaysia’s best-loved cartoonist and a cultural icon whose cartoons have become a vital part of Malaysian life, including that of my family and me.

Cover design of It's a Lat Lat Lat Lat World,
Can you spot Lat in this picture?

We have been BIG fans of Lat cartoons ever since dad started us off in the hobby of collecting Lat cartoons that were published in The New Straits Times newspapers.

In addition to scrap books pasted with Lat cartoons that were cut out from the newspapers, we also have a large collection of Lat cartoons published in comic books.

In fact, we could relate to the cartoons so well that his fictional characters like Surinder, Ricky and Inspector Muniandy, became familiar household names to us.

Datuk Lat has carved a unique niche in the media – and the hearts of Malaysians –when he pioneered the art of discussing issues of national importance and sensitive subjects like religion, politics and ethnicity through his cartoons, with much courage and creativity.

Cover design of With a little bit of Lat,
Berita Publishing Sdn Bhd, 1980

Lat’s body of work have been published in newspapers, magazines, graphic novels as well as on calendars and postage stamps, and even painted on buses.

His best-known work, The Kampung Boy, was translated into 14 languages and recognized internationally by the North American cartoonist and creator of The Simpsons, Matt Groening, as “one of the all-time great cartoon books.”

In 2002, Datuk Lat received international recognition when he was awarded the Arts and Culture Prize of the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prizes.

Cover design of Lat the kampung boy,
Berita Publishing Sdn Bhd, 1979

His cartoons in the series, Scenes of Malaysian Life, amused and educated us on our nation’s multi-cultural community and made us laugh at ourselves because we could identify (and agree!) with all that he observed and presented in his funny caricatures.

When I was contributing to the newspapers, Lat cartoons and comic books were the subject of my stories published in The New Straits Times, Johor Streets (April 2013) and The Iskandarian (July 2017), the official newspapers of Iskandar Malaysia.

By reviewing his cartoons, I soon discovered a common thread that runs through My Johor Stories and Lat cartoons, which is the aim to connect people, encourage unity and focus on similarities rather than differences.

Cover design for Town Boy,
Berita Publishing Sdn Bhd, 1981

It was interesting to note that some of the common observations we shared in our published work were experiences in watching movies in the theatre, school reunions, posing for outdoor photographs and formal shots taken by photo studios.

From watching Cowboy and Indian movies in morning shows and cheap matinees, it is uncanny that we both discovered swashbuckling heroes portrayed in characters played by John Wayne.

In fact, in my 2017 bestseller, My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich Heritage, I shared my experiences in Escape to the Movies and Painful visits to the Photo Studio.

Cover design for Keluarga Si Mamat,
Berita Publishing Sdn Bhd, 1979

And because Lat cartoons have been very much a part of our family’s life, I wish to document a story in Book Three of My Johor Stories, in memory of my dad who started us on this journey with Lat cartoons and as a tribute to Datuk Lat for his wonderful body of work.

With MPH Publishing the publisher of Lat comic books and calendars as well as for My Johor Stories, I wanted to touch base with Datuk Lat to let him know about this.

By the time I reminded Datuk Lat to reply my email, it was already the Ramadan month.

I was amused, not because it was Ramadan but because I could not help having visions of the cartoons that Datuk Lat drew of youngsters – their first time fasting – collapsed on the floor with their heads resting against the wall, faint with fatigue and looking utterly famished!

Lat cartoon strips cut out from the
NST and pasted in our scrap books!

So, Datuk Lat and I finally made an appointment for a phone chat.

It happened that on the night before this appointment, I was a guest in a pre-wedding food-tasing dinner with a family friend, and in the course of conversation, I told the mother-of-the-bride about this impending phone chat.

“You mean Lat with that hair?” she exclaimed along with a hand gesture that described a mop of tangled hair, as illustrated in Lat’s self-portrait caricature.

I nodded in reply, speechless because I was laughing at her spontaneous response.

The next day, when Datuk Lat and I were talking by telephone – not a video call – I could not help smiling widely as I recalled the expression, “Lat with that hair!”

In addition to the many topics we chatted and laughed about was our serious concern about the lack of unity in the community now and how we must persevere in cultivating more understanding, care and concern among multi-cultural Malaysians.

Datuk Lat was pleased that my family, friends and readers still appreciate the humour of Lat cartoons but lamented that many in the younger generations could not relate to the subjects covered by his cartoons.

As we considered the reality around us, we agreed that many in this modern generation, may have lost touch with the simpler lifestyle of a bygone era.

This realization, however, is spurring us on to document a slice of history, culture and heritage in our work, and to preserve it for posterity.

I was thrilled that Datuk Lat understood what I aimed to do with his cartoons that will effectively support my story in Book Three of My Johor Stories – a work-in-progress – and he wished me well.

Cover design for Lots more Lat,
Berita Publishing Sdn Bhd, 1982

When I reminded him that my books are available from MPH bookstores nationwide and online from www.mphonline.com, he shared with me about his experience with online shopping for books.

Datuk Lat told me that he recently placed an order online for a book entitled, Senior Moments, and when the book was received, he unwrapped it and noticed that the book cover looked rather familiar.

It suddenly dawned upon him why the book looked so familiar … because he already has a copy of this book. We laughed heartily because this was such a classic senior moment.

Life goes on even as we advance in age, ever determined to continue sharing our experiences, whether in comics or “grandfather stories,” to document vivid nostalgic memories that readers can readily identify with.

As he wished me well in working on my book project, Datuk Lat assured me that he will get hold of my books from MPH.

Thanks for the support and encouragement, Datuk Lat.

Note: Lat comic books and My Johor Stories books are available from MPH bookstores nationwide and online from www.mphonline.com

The above comic book cover designs are now collectors' items because they have been updated and available in new designs. These are now available in MPH bookstores and online: 

Photo credits: Illustrations are courtesy from Lat comic books and Lat comic book cover designs published by Berita Publishing Sdn Bhd and MPH Publishing Sdn Bhd.