Treating and healing Malaysia: a critical analysis of Najib Razak’s metaphors

Rashid Ali, Farrah Diebaa (2023) Treating and healing Malaysia: a critical analysis of Najib Razak’s metaphors. In: The GLOCAL Conference on Asian Linguistic Anthropology 2022, 19th - 21st December 2022, SOAS University of London (Virtual Conference).

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Abstract

This paper discusses the vocational roles constructed by Najib Razak, the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia for himself, the government, and the relational identities for the people and others in nine Supply Bills read by him (2010 – 2018). This study was modelled upon Charteris-Black’s Critical Metaphor Analysis (CMA) and Sack’s Membership Categorisation Analysis (MCA) as frameworks. The findings showed that Najib Razak and the government played the role as a medical doctor while the people and others have been conceptualised as patients and pre-term babies, suffering from global economic downturn, Asian Financial Crisis, global economic recession, poverty and bribery. The people and others as patients have to depend on the government for health and recovery. This further emphasises the independent, heroic role played by the government and the weak, dependent role expected of the people and others. Through these metaphors, the people were reminded that without the government to treat and heal the people and other, it is impossible for the country to develop ‘healthily’. Therefore, the use of metaphors in the Supply Bills has served the predicative, empathetic, ideological and mythical purposes.

Item Type:	Proceeding Paper (Other)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Conceptual metaphor, political identity, linguistic anthropology, discourse, ideology
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) J Political Science > JA Political science (General) J Political Science > JF Political institutions (General)
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Sustainable Tourism and Contemporary Languages
Depositing User:	FARRAH DIEBAA RASHID ALI
Date Deposited:	25 Mar 2024 15:24
Last Modified:	25 Mar 2024 15:37
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/111515

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