Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things is a series of

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

non-fiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...

books compiled by

Amir Muhammad (director) Amir Muhammad (born 5 December 1972) is a Malaysian writer and independent filmmaker. Life and career He was born on 5 December 1972 in Kuala Lumpur to civil servant Muhammad Abdullah and housewife Asiah Kechik. He was educated at the Univers ...

and published by Matahari Books. Each books takes over 100 humorous, unusual or just interesting quotes from actual Malaysian politicians, complete with source citation, and is illustrated by a different artist.

Vol 1

Vol 1 () was published was launched on 16 September 2007 in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

, in conjunction with the 44th anniversary of the formation of Malaysia. It was illustrated by Shahril Nizam.
The most-quoted politician in the book is Dr.

Mahathir Mohamad Mahathir bin Mohamad ( ms, محاضير بن محمد, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; ; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author, and physician who served as the 4th and 7th Prime Minister of Malaysia. He held the office ...

.
The back-cover blurb reads: "The species called the Malaysian politicians often gets in the news, but sometimes not for the right reasons. Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things is a collection of over 100 quotes that span almost three decades. There are things that make you go hmmm, things that make you go gaga, and things that given you a refreshingly pithy introduction to several issues of their time. It is a jaunty stroll through contemporary Malaysian culture, society and (of course) politics. We are sure there is more to come, which is why this is only Vol. 1."
It was the 9th best-selling local English book of 2007, according to the Popular bookstore chain.

Vol 2

Vol 2 ( ) was published in late 2008 but had its official launch on 14 February 2009, in conjunction with

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, throu ...

. It was illustrated by

Fahmi Reza Mohd Fahmi Reza bin Mohd Zarin ( ms, محمد فهمى رضا بن محمد زارين, label=Jawi alphabet, Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; born 7 June 1977) is a Malaysian political graphic designer, street artist and documentary filmmaker. ...

, who like Amir is a

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

maker. It sold 3,000 copies in the first three months alone.
The most-quoted politician in the book is

Samy Vellu Tun Samy Vellu s/o Sangalimuthu ( ta, சாமிவேலு சங்கிலிமுத்து, Cāmivēlu Caṅkilimuttu; 8 March 1936 – 15 September 2022) was a Malaysian politician who served as Minister of Works from June 1983 ...

.
The back-cover blurb reads: "The Malaysian politician continues to be a gift that keeps on giving. Hot on the heels of the best-selling Vol.1 of Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things, this compilation is further proof that we don't need to travel far to experience shock and awe. Join us for another dance through some of the top-tapping delights of the past two decades. Some of the quotes are witty and pithy, others are weird and prickly, and still others are just out-of-tune. If all History lessons were this painless, none of us would have ever skipped classes. "
Fahmi used a photo-montage method inspired by the anti-Nazi artist John Heartfield. Amir was a little worried that some of the artwork was too confrontational, and asked for three pages to be altered.Amir Muhammad interview on The Fairly Current Show
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Vol 3

It has been announced that Vol 3 will be illustrated by Chin Yew and all the quotes will be from the 1960s.

Notes

Malaysian books Matahari Books books Malaysian non-fiction books Works about Malaysian politicians Political satire books