1922: 'Boria dan Benchananya' and 'Syair Boria' by Muhammad Yusuf

Muhammad Yusuf,  a Jawi Peranakan and Chief Clerk at the Education Office, published 'Boria dan Benchananya' and 'Syair Boria'. His criticism of Boria rests on the performances' injury to Malay dignity and the retrogression of Islam, in which the new reformist movement that he belonged to had hope to bring about a moral renewal. 

'There are people who wear woman’s clothes and dance like ronggeng [‘dancing girls’] and sway along the road clad in batik sarong and lace kebayas with bangles, necklace and kerongsang brooches. Praise be to God. [p.13] […] There is also a most embarrassing and degenerated play named ‘the bachelors’ (i.e. whores). The males who play this all wear lace kebayas, batik sarongs, bangles, kerongsang brooches, necklace, and sway while walking; the musical instruments are gong, violin and drum, and they dance like ronggeng. Praise be to God. Think my brother, perhaps those dancers have wives and daughters, or sisters, or a daughter-in-law. [pp.13-15] and when a wife sees her husband dancing and screaming like a madman in the open her respect and fear for him will vanish; and when all fathers downgrade themselves in front of their children, can these children still respect their father? Hey, my brothers, this is the mother of all evil, and this is the play that has obliterated the Malays and has stopped the progress of the Malay people, is it appropriate to carry on with it? [p. 19]'

The publication aroused bitter controversy and Mohd Yusoff was roundly criticized by the Malay community. Even his personal safety was under threat. His efforts were received with much cynicism due to his attitude: he only befriended those who were English-educated. The Young Muslim Union Club, in which he once served as
Vice President, included mainly Jawi Peranakan as members. It was not surprising that to many others at that time Mohd Yusoff's main objective in writing the book on boria was to defend the good name of the Jawi Peranakan who had played a large part in establishing and adapting the boria.

Muhammad Yusof followed his tract with a Syair, which detailed how his book was received. He noted that his siblings helped distribute 1,300 cpies of his prose work. He also notes that he received supports from the Muslim Advisory Board, which issued a gentle appeal to its members. But the boria players also responded by mocking him in their performances. One of the chorus by tukang karang Jamaluddin b. Din Tambi, painted a caricature of the 'lebai':

Pelajar pondok, penganut agama,
Mereka semua ikut arahan guru mereka.
Dengan lebai putih dan serban di kepala,
Memegang tabih dan membelai janggut mereka.

Muhammad Yusof retorted that this was in fact free publicity for him and he should pay them for their services. In the end, his efforts were met with little success.