Mr. Taib's comments remind me of the Regionalist painter Thomas Hart Benton:
http://benton.truman.edu/murals_regionalism.html
Mr. Benton rejected copying fashionable European art styles and wanted to document the lives of ordinary American people and places. He traveled around the Midwest, sketching what he saw. He painted some great paintings and murals.
It seems Mr. Taib is proposing another regionalism, rejecting foreign styles and documenting Malaysian life.
Yes you are right. Jaafar is one of his kind. He advised the younger generation, if they are afraid their culture is misunderstood and wanted something more acceptable, they can always draw animals and nature. That is always acceptable to anyone. In fact it is relatable.