Comments on: Lift ban on Amir and Tsai Ming-liang films to give meaning to 50th Merdeka Anniversary

By: Jeffrey

Jeffrey — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 01:51:43 +0000

It is an unpalatable Ã¢â‚¬ËœOrwellianÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ fact of Malaysian life that we have all kinds of paternalistic laws to protect our morals and our thoughts that proceed on the basic assumption that we are not matured enough to think, evaluate and differentiate on our own.

From their actions, the censorship board appear like a faceless group of snipper happy people, not representative of broad spectrum of Malaysian society but who are nevertheless vested wide discretionary powers to interpret subjectively what is at best arbitrary guidelines, not reviewable by or accessible to public debate.

Think tourists will be happy to come here, which at the time of celebrating our 50th Merdeka Anniversary still proceed on the assumption that our peoples are immature?

By: ihavesomethingtosay

ihavesomethingtosay — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 18:22:58 +0000

The censorship board’s decision to ban both films is really mind boggling with fantastic claims:

for Tsai’s film – bad image for the country “politically incorrect”

for Amir’s film – historically incorrect

we read from newspaper everyday on cases of robberies, corruption, racial tension and rapes, why not ban the newspaper as well since they are telling the tourist of this “politically incorrect” country of ours?

I really think the censorship board owes us the tax payer a better answer.

By: lupus

lupus — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 09:50:47 +0000

The question should be “Is the censorship board” representative of the majority or minority. Is the board a representative of a type of a “Democratic” Taliban society ? How are they deciding and who are they ?

Does the board deem that the average Malaysia too stupid to decide what to watch? What if I make a documentary on Malaysian MP in action in the lower house – will they ban it too – too violent perhapes or too sensitive ? I will alway remember the LAT cartoon about the Board – why don’t they ban everyone else and just produce movies ?

By: shortie kiasu

shortie kiasu — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 08:03:13 +0000

People do not even have the chance to view the “banned” films. So there is no opportunity for the poeple to comment on content of the “banned” films.

What ever the censorship board said becomes unilateral opinion, no chance for dissent. That is worse than….

By: osaya

osaya — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 06:48:44 +0000

Uncle Kit, I’m glad you took this matter up because as an educated Malaysian, I was very offended by these latest decisions by the Censorship Board. Their weak arguments are insults to the public intelligence. If these people had it their way, the only program we get to watch is Sesame Street..

oh wait.. perhaps that too might be deemed as “corrupting the people with the evil Western ways”..

By: pwcheng

pwcheng — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 05:10:43 +0000

Anything which they feel that it can have a threat ( don’t care how minuscule) to their political survival, they will not hesistate to ban it.
Anything which can give some fortification to their political well being they will accept it, a good example is the sensitive speeches during the last UMNO Gen assembly. Have you heard them that they will ban such speeches?
So it is clear that there are 2 set of rules with UMNO, one set for you and another for them.

By: Malaysian movies banned, by Malaysia | Jee’s life in Malaysia

Malaysian movies banned, by Malaysia | Jee’s life in Malaysia — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 04:43:27 +0000

[...] to Member of Parliament Mr. Lim Kit Siang for replying my email, and making his effort to lift ban on both movies. Hope that the ban could be lifted in the end, cause the movies probably shouldn’t be banned [...]

By: ENDANGERED HORNBILL

ENDANGERED HORNBILL — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 04:25:45 +0000

Diversity of the Arts, Freedom of expression are hallmarks of a tolerant and civil society.

The silly bureaucrats seem to believe that all that is in print and film is the gospel truth and that Malaysians have no capacity to differentiate between truth and error. So very ‘katak’ (‘frog’) mentality.

There are so many banned movies available in the night markets. Unreasonable censorship will only drive the products underground where the authorities will have little or no way of monitoring. Save and except it be pornographic or so injurious to public morals, the films and books should be exposed to the public. Let the public decide. We have to exercise our minds and strengthen our choices instead of being ‘told’ and ‘crammed’ down our throats.

This is a globalised world, no longer an isolated kampung or an inaccessible village.

By: azk

azk — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 02:10:41 +0000

Malaysia will never move forward with this kinda “katak bawah tempurung” mentality. Politicians desperately clinging onto power to keep filling their own pockets are so so out of date. But then, this kind of stupidity is exactly what we need in them to take them out soon.

By: azk

azk — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 02:02:39 +0000

This narrow mindedness of our malaysian film censorship board is exactly the reason why Indonesian music, art and films are much much better than ours.