The
Penang government must do what it thinks is right. If it thinks and believes
that screening of the film Tanda Putera would likely cause hatred and communal
tension, then it must ban the screening. It’s not up to the film director to
pronounce whether cinemas in Penang are likely to lose their licenses. She is
just a business person hoping to recover enough money to repay the loan she
takes. Or to justify the grant given her by the right wing UMNO politicians.
If
the national body of film FINAS endorses such a move, then FINAS itself is a
racist nest.
The
Penang government must never be a shilly-shallying government like Najib’s. Many
of us know the true nature of Najib. He believes in a twisted version of
elegant silence. That’s insulting TUn
Musa Hitam.
To
him saying nothing seems to infer some halo of statesmanship around him. So he
thinks. Well, if its winter time and he is skating on a pool, his political
bullshit is warm enough to liquefy the surface on which he stands. His mind
says the film is not good, but his blackened heart wants to go along with the
right wingers of UMNO. He plays both sides. Front and behind.
But
the Penang government must also be even-handed. The film New Village must also
be disallowed if it causes the same emotions.
If
the government wants to test the maturity of its citizens, allow both Tanda
Putera and New Village to be screened. If not, ban both. The films can either be bad or good. They
can’t be both. Either they will create racial tension or not. The government
must decide promptly.
My
own feeling is the government will allow Tanda Putera to be screened while
outlawing New Village. Might is right and the mighty defines how the script is
written. The fact is, the UMNO hoi poloi needs this emotive booster. They have
been brainwashed for so long into believing their sorry lot is caused by others
not the incompetency of this government.
The
movie Tanda Putera is necessary to reaffirm the reason for UMNO’s existence.
The reasons for its being have been eroded by the compromising posturing of the
diffident Najib , such that some deliverance and redemption are needed. Tanda
Putera fulfils the yearnings. It has to be screened and it must.
This
is what UMNO does best. It redirects energies of people away from the basic and
most fundamental issue- are they running this country with the best talent in
the best manner? UMNO is afraid to answer these questions and so it directs people’s
attention to contentious issues that sap the energy and vibrancy of this
nation. And judging from the quality of people Najib places in his cabinet, we
are indeed marching speedily towards mediocrity. What can we expect from these
people if the standard responses from BN MPs are to ridicule, discredit the
person and asking opponents to go outside and have a fight? We can’t run this country with mediocre talent
like how UMNO is doing. And so, it puts up all the smokescreen and red herring
issues such as debating whether to screen Tanda Putera and New Village or not.
The
present generation is not stupid. They grow up with different life-experiences
and has acquired knowledge and awareness in the process. I am confident enough,
if both Tanda Putera and New Village are screened; people will not go into the
streets to look for a fight.
So
I am a little amused to see a person of calibre like Wee Ka Siong warning the
director of Tanda Putera to be responsible if there are racial riots. There won’t
be if our police do their job well. They won’t be if the government comes down
hard on the right wingers in UMNO and NGOs are prevented from doing so.
But
the obvious glaring point is, Wee‘s caveat only displays the effeminate nature
of the current MCA. That is why MCA is being buggered. Now, that is substantive
sodomy!
Dear Datuk,
ReplyDeleteWhat is happening to our nation so called Islamic nation?Nabi tidak merobohkan Masjidil haram semasa penaklukkan Mekah.Hanya merobohkan patung2 sahaja.Kita telah mendahului Nabi dengan meroboh rumah Allah di Sedili.Kita diajar mengikut Sunnah,tapi dipraktikkan sebalik nya.
Betul. Mereka bukan ikut sunnah, tapi ikut sangkaan mereka semata-mata. sangkaan tidak boleh jadi hukum. Tapi mereka dah runtuhkan Surau di Sedili.
DeleteOf course to you what Penang government did was good because you are their 'barua', no?
ReplyDeleteTo begin with, Umno must remove the the mamaks from their membership list.
DeleteThank you sir for your fair comments and service to the nation. If only more of our elected representatives can be as evenhanded as you, our country should be many times better off today and able to accommodate all peoples of all races and all religions cordially and fairly. There wouldn't be any need for the respective Chinese and Indian communities to want to demand representation in Parliament by their own races. I hope to see more of our representatives exhibiting your kind of even handedness in the future.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry...No one will turn up in cinema showing Tanda putera, New village or whatever show.......
ReplyDeleteThat imbercile minister that suggested we need to play negaraku before and after show and stand up will throw people away...in the name of Force patrotism.......like Nazi hitler.....when cinema business collapse....melayu pun banyak yang penganggur.....terlibat.....
The Biggest Imbercile is that Muslim Mullah or Mufti and the Person Who used that Tractor to Demolish the Surau used by Buddist for prayer.
Immoral, Absurd, imbercile are trade marks of Malaysia going down the longkang.......daily!!
Could it be that Syrian Freedom Fighters send Chemical Warfare to their Own people...To justify the Means of Foreign Intervention.......since no muslim nation wants to be involved 2 years ago??
No difference in UMNO using its own people for collateral damage or to justify the ends. This sham happens in countries where ONE regime ruled Forever......Malaysia is at that point...Like Zimbabwe.... rakyat must think differently and act differently....with UMNO removal...
Gather 30 August and WE END the UMNO-BN Rule..... at Dataran Merdeka....Live Telecast UMNO-BN Demise....
Enough with Selective persecution like parents of Sri Pritina Sg Buloh, Killings of Suspect and Murdering Innocent but Freeing Murderer like the UTK Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar!!
Biarlah ditayang Tanda Putera dan The New Village. Memang tak patut nasihat daripada LGE yang menerajui konsep ketelusan dan freedom of expression.
ReplyDeleteSepatutnya FINAS dan pihak censor mewajibkan kedua-dua filem ini memuatkan label-label yang mengatakan cerita-cerita yang dibawa dalam filem -filem tersebut adalah semata-mata rekaan dan bukan berdasarkan kepada fakta-fakta sah yang didokumentasi, lebih kurang sama dengan apa yang ASTRO buat ke atas dokumentari Pope Francis.
Tetapi di sini ingin saya menarik perhatian semua, penlabelan untuk dokumentari Pope tersebut sebenarnya tidak patut. Malahan pada pendapat saya penlabelan sebegini memang bersesuaian untuk filem Tanda Putera dan The New Village.
Dear Sakmongkol
ReplyDelete“And judging from the quality of people Najib places in his cabinet, we are indeed marching speedily towards mediocrity.”
The state of the nation is not good. All the arrows are pointing in the wrong direction. The fiscal deficit is up. Racial disharmony is rising. Violent crime is increasing alarmingly. Economic growth is pointing lower. The Ringgit is going south. Government and personal debt are pointing skywards. And interest rates will soon rise; effectively they have if we look at government securities yield.
All this does not make for a happy economic future. But the people don’t seem to know. Their minds are focused on such silly and non-issues like Tanda Putera and New Village and surau demolition and dog washing videos. These things distract us from the failings of this government. The cabinet does not inspire confidence. We have a belligerent Home Minister talking tough but nonsensical things. And now Najib wants to rehabilitate Sharizat. Come 31st August we will reflect on what we are celebrating, and exactly what we have been liberated from when we are surrounded by so much bigotry and mediocrity.
Anon 12:13
ReplyDelete"Of course to you what Penang government did was good because you are their 'barua', no?"
You can only manage a one liner? Pity you. I too can do the same :
Of course to you what the BN government did was good because you are their 'barua', no?
i don't agree when public money is being used to make a film which twisted history for their political masters.
ReplyDeleteI do not like the film for a number of reasons and I think it was wrong and mischievous to have made it and to now screen it. Politics aside, though, I do not agree with censorship, forcing cinemas to show it or risk losing their operating license, or banning it. We already have way too much regulation. Allow cinemas to run it. And let the Malaysian population decide with their wallets, and then, when ticket sales do not come in, let cinema operators decide whether to terminate screening. Or, if BN wants to buy up all the tickets to ensure the film keeps screening, also can. Then there will be one more thing for voters to consider come the next elections.
ReplyDeleteThere is a glaring difference that we seem to have ignored.
ReplyDeleteTanda Putra is funded by taxpayers money. Whereas, New Village is a privately funded project.
Iff one has to take the contents as projected by these two films, at whatever level of interpretation as dictated by the 'mediocrity' level of the patrons' mind, then a BIG question should come to mind;
- to promote racial intolerance at large via public/private fund.
Ultimately, where is the larger evil lies?
Pray tell!!!!!!
Both also works of fiction.
ReplyDeleteDatuk, As usual your analysis is so sensible and wise. You are right - there's no need for all the brouhaha over these two movies. The public just needs to be informed that the movies are just works of fiction. Point out especially which scenes are untrue and in fact fictional and which parts are indeed in line with the truth as accepted by the majority. That way the audience will not be misled and swayed by the inflammatory but untrue parts of the movie.
ReplyDeleteJeffery Seow,
ReplyDeleteThe next election is a few years away, and the rakyat, or many of them are of the 'mudah lupa' kind, esp when carrots are dangled in front of them.
anon 21:37,
ReplyDeletelu elok bakar colok sma lu punya Tokong la! sembah dia baik2 sebab sampai mati pun Lim family tarak boley jadi PM lor!!
Racial and religious baiting are the greatest dangers facing the country. These representatives of God are destroying the very fabric of the nation which we have built for over 50 years.
ReplyDeletefor bumi-non-malay 13:20:
ReplyDelete'... and the Person Who used that Tractor to Demolish the Surau used by Buddist for prayer.'
The following is from The Economist 27 July 2013 pg 42: Europe: Religion in Turkey: Erasing the Christian past
Trabzon: A fine Byzantine church in Turkey has been converted into a mosque
On July 5th the mufti of Trabzon gathered with other citizens for the first Friday prayers of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, not at a mosque but at an ancient Byzantine church. The gathering was a symbolic re-enactment of the conquest in 1462 of this ancient Greek Black Sea port by Mehmet II, the Ottoman sultan who had wrested Constantinople from the Byzantines in 1453. He marked his victory by converting the Haghia Sophia cathedral of today's Istanbul into a mosque.
Haghia Sophia's sister of the same name in Trabzon is less grand. Yet with its dazzling frescoes and magnificent setting overlooking the sea, the 13th-century building is regarded as one of the finest examples of Byzantine architecture. As with other Christian monuments, the Haghia Sophia in Trabzon has become a symbol in the battle between secularists and Islamists. It was converted into a mosque around the 16th century and, after other incarnations, became a museum in 1964. But the Islamists won the last round in 2013, when a local court accepted the claim by the General Directorate of the Pious Foundations, the government body responsible for Turkey's historic mosques, that the Haghia Sophia belonged to the foundation of Mehmet II and was being "illegally occupied" by the culture ministry.
The decision provoked surprising anger in a city notorious for its ultra-nationalist views. "It's about erasing the Christian past, reviving Ottomanism," says a local historian. "There are enough mosques in Trabzon, half of them empty, what was the need?" chimes in Zeki Bakar, a neighbourhood councillor. A lawsuit has been brought to undo the conversion.
Even so, the mildly Islamist Justice and Development (AK) government carried out the conversion in time for Ramadan. A red carpet now obscures exquisite floor mosaics. Shutters and tents beneath the central dome shield Muslim worshippers from "sinful" paintings of the Holy Trinity. Shiny steel taps with plastic stools for ablutions clutter clutter a once-verdant garden filled with ancient sculptures.
Mazhar Yildirimhan of the Pious Foundations Directorate's office in Trabzon shrugs off complaints as propaganda. But for the experts the conversion is tragic, and will inevitably lead to damaging the building. "It seems to follow closely that of Sophia Haghia in Iznik," warns Anthony Eastmond of the Courtauld Institute of Art, referring to another conversion.
All this is prompting anxiety that the Haghia Sophia in Instanbul "will be next". These fears are overdone. Restoration work on the famous basilica has continued under a decade of AK rule and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister, has dismissed worries about its fate. Yet Mr Yildirimhan makes no secret of his desire for a conversion, which he says is shared by fellow Muslims. "It was ordained by the sultan," he says. "We have all the records."
Same religion, almost similar situation, but diametrically opposite outcomes.
Am I surprised by what has happened in Malaysia recently? No.
Am I disappointed and dismayed? Yes.
Am I angry? No
Am I confused? Yes
ReplyDeleteUMNO’s direct or indirect support and endorsement to the film Tanda Putera must be condemned NOW as an attempt by a desperate government to drive a wedge in between the races of Malaysia.
UMNO’s Black Hand must be condemned as a highly irresponsible act of a government that claims it’s committed to democracy and a united Malaysia when in reality it leaders main interest is to maintain this country divided by propagating racial disharmony which contradicts 1 Msia and Rakyat Didahulukan slogans…
A Penang-based property entrepreneur debunked allegations that DAP leader and Gelang Patah MP, Lim Kit Siang was present at the residence of the former Selangor Menteri Besar during the racial riots on May 13, 1969.
In a press conference at DAP's headquarters last year, Ahmad Habib, 60, claimed he did not see Lim or anyone else urinate at the Selangor's flag pole.
Ahmad stressed that it would have been impossible for anyone, let alone Lim, to perform the alleged act as the flagpole was located in the compound of the Menteri Besar's residence that was guarded by security personnel.
Ahmad, a former Mara business administration student at that time, said he was there between 3am to 5am on May 14. He said he had planned to meet his study group in Petaling Jaya and mistakenly took a bus which ended up in Kampung Baru. "I did not know there would be a protest rally there," he told.
Ahmad said he heard gun shots and together with his friends, managed to seek refuge at a "good samaritan's" house. Later, they were sent to the Menteri Besar's residence after security forces announced through their loudspeakers that buses were available to transport people to safety.
He also said the distance between the house and the flag pole was approximately 200 metres.
And another person named Ahmad Mustapha Hassan stated :
I was there on that fateful day as an executive member of Umno Youth. Selangor Umno Youth whose leader was Harun Idris and the secretary then was Ahmad Razali Ali that organized the gathering.
Umno Youth members dominated the whole area and no non-Malay could ever enter the place. That being the case, it was impossible for Lim Kit Siang to be there and did what he was purportedly accused of. If he did, he would have been killed by the mob.
In fact the first killing that I witnessed was outside the gate, on the road. A young coffee shop boy, about 13 or 14 in age, was slaughtered by the mob and his body kicked into the drain running by the road. He was an innocent boy trying to earn some pocket money.
I mentioned the May 13 incident in my book “The Unmaking of Malaysia”.
Source: The Sun Daily…
Tungku Abdul Rahman, the first Prime Minister, in his book, May 13 - Before & After, stated that an UMNO group had assembled in front of the then Mentri Besar's house, Harun Idris. Subsequently, two Chinese motorcyclists came down the road and they were stop and instantly killed by the mob, which ran amok.
That was the beginning of the May 13 massive race riot. Frankly speaking, Lim Kit Siang wasn't even near the Mentri Besar’s house and neither was he in K.L at that time. Thus the movie Tanda Putra is a sham and proves that UMNO is nothing but a lying organization.
Enough is enough; please do not ruse the ghost of May 13 by claiming who is right and who has done wrong.
It was recorded that the first victim was an innocent coffee-shop boy of about 13 or 14 years of age who was slaughtered by the mob for trying to earn some pocket money and kicked into a drain.
So what has this innocent boy got to do with Lim Kit Siang and what has lim Kit Siang has got to do with May 13 when it all started outside the gates of Umno Youth gathering organized by Harun Idris the then leader.
Please stop pointing fingers when the first slaughtering of non-Muslims was at Umno's very own threshold?
Lets forgive and forget this ugly incident…
Why does Umno still want to continue to harp on an incident that happens 43 years ago, unless they have some hidden agendas???
###
CQ….
bumi-non-malay said.....
ReplyDelete"That imbercile minister that suggested we need to play negaraku before and after show and stand up will throw people away...in the name of Force patrotism.......like Nazi hitler.....when cinema business collapse....melayu pun banyak yang penganggur.....terlibat...."
I disagree.Negaraku is more than that surely.
Many have fond memories of the 60s when Negara ku was played in the cinemas before the start of any movies and we were just happy to stand up and sing along.
In fact, both Negaraku and Jalur Gemilang are actually embodiments that symbolise our deep love,respect and unity of the country.Is it that difficult to show some respect for our national anthem and our Malaysian flags?.
Btw b-n-m, watch your spelling ok.Cheers.
MERDEKA !
@ Kampong man
Dato YB,
ReplyDeleteWhen Sabah, Sarawak, Singapore and Malaya formed Malaysia, were they considered to be states in Malaysia just like the others in Malaya(Johore - Perlis)?
To begin with DAP should remove the dictators Lim family!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's nothing more than mischievious fascist propaganda.
ReplyDeleteAll Malaysians of goodwill should strongly condemn and totally boycott such socially irresponsible propaganda.
Phua Kai Lit