This Simply Doesn't Compute Minister.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad is at it again. What's with him and the film 'The Last Communist'? According to the latest news from The Sun the minister said that the UMNO Supreme Council meeting in June will decide the fate of 'Lelaki Komunis Terakhir'. The reason (and now it gets weird) is because it affects UMNO more!
Great. Now anything that affects UMNO more can be brought home from Federal offices and stored there till the Supreme Council meets, for decisions that will then be implemented by public servants. If any pesky civil servant has other ideas the minister concerned will then exercise the powers vested in him to get his way while the poor Officer would probably be asked to go for a kursus to brush up on the Perintah Am.
After receiving a lot of flak over the ban, Radzi probably regretted why he went ahead and banned the cursed movie. To add insult to injury (to him, not the film) Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim gave a diplomatic thumbs up for the beleaguered documentary.
Lets read what Rais said as reported by Bernama: The banned musical documentary "The Last Communist" is not offensive, said Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim. "The plot isn't controversial and there's nothing that could be deemed as offensive from the cultural viewpoint," he said. The facts portrayed in the documentary could be read in the book about former Communist Party of Malaya leader Chin Peng sold in book stores, he told reporters after joining Members of Parliament to watch the film at the National Film Development Corporation (Finas) Sunday. "When I went in, I was prepared to be outraged. But, hard as I tried, I could not find anything to be outraged about because it does not glorify the Communist Party or Chin Peng, and does not even promote communism. "It just used the Chin Peng connection to make a documentary about life in the country and a little bit about life at the border. Some scenes such as the charcoal factory (in Taiping), petai boys (in Bidor) are an eye opener for many and highly educational," he said.
PAS secretary-general Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar tightened the screws when he said it was a simple film portraying the life of a group of Malaysians in the 1940s and 1950s. "It does not even tell a full story on the communist insurgency in the country nor is it a propaganda film," he said, adding that it would not leave a negative impact on the audience.
So it was now out in the open - Radzi had boo-booed big time and in his haste to ban, didn't bother about the consequences. Aah if you invoke patriotism and the 'K' word (komunis) no one will question. Alas minister you were wrong and you have your cabinet colleague and a senior PAS leader publicly contradicting your raison d'etre for the ban. The next move? Either eat humble pie or do what politicians usually do - pass the buck. Thus this strange move to let the UMNO Supreme Council decide when it has no business to do so.
A lesson must be learnt not only by Radzi but by other politicians holding high office; don't take decisions that will benefit you politically in the short term especially if that decision is bereft of simple logic. Now is the age of accountability and you Sir shall reap what you sow. Finally minister I strongly urge you to see the film in its entirety, who knows you may even like it!
Great. Now anything that affects UMNO more can be brought home from Federal offices and stored there till the Supreme Council meets, for decisions that will then be implemented by public servants. If any pesky civil servant has other ideas the minister concerned will then exercise the powers vested in him to get his way while the poor Officer would probably be asked to go for a kursus to brush up on the Perintah Am.
After receiving a lot of flak over the ban, Radzi probably regretted why he went ahead and banned the cursed movie. To add insult to injury (to him, not the film) Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim gave a diplomatic thumbs up for the beleaguered documentary.
Lets read what Rais said as reported by Bernama: The banned musical documentary "The Last Communist" is not offensive, said Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim. "The plot isn't controversial and there's nothing that could be deemed as offensive from the cultural viewpoint," he said. The facts portrayed in the documentary could be read in the book about former Communist Party of Malaya leader Chin Peng sold in book stores, he told reporters after joining Members of Parliament to watch the film at the National Film Development Corporation (Finas) Sunday. "When I went in, I was prepared to be outraged. But, hard as I tried, I could not find anything to be outraged about because it does not glorify the Communist Party or Chin Peng, and does not even promote communism. "It just used the Chin Peng connection to make a documentary about life in the country and a little bit about life at the border. Some scenes such as the charcoal factory (in Taiping), petai boys (in Bidor) are an eye opener for many and highly educational," he said.
PAS secretary-general Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar tightened the screws when he said it was a simple film portraying the life of a group of Malaysians in the 1940s and 1950s. "It does not even tell a full story on the communist insurgency in the country nor is it a propaganda film," he said, adding that it would not leave a negative impact on the audience.
So it was now out in the open - Radzi had boo-booed big time and in his haste to ban, didn't bother about the consequences. Aah if you invoke patriotism and the 'K' word (komunis) no one will question. Alas minister you were wrong and you have your cabinet colleague and a senior PAS leader publicly contradicting your raison d'etre for the ban. The next move? Either eat humble pie or do what politicians usually do - pass the buck. Thus this strange move to let the UMNO Supreme Council decide when it has no business to do so.
A lesson must be learnt not only by Radzi but by other politicians holding high office; don't take decisions that will benefit you politically in the short term especially if that decision is bereft of simple logic. Now is the age of accountability and you Sir shall reap what you sow. Finally minister I strongly urge you to see the film in its entirety, who knows you may even like it!
posted by The Malaysian. at 5/22/2006 06:35:00 PM
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