Now Puteri Umno Has Started Posturing, Wants Cartoons Censored! Oh Dear!

Puteri Umno wants programmes aired by the broadcast media, like entertainment programmes, TV advertisements and cartoons(!!!), which carry negative influence to be monitored and censored.

It delegate, Siti Azizah Omar, said that there were now several programmes including the cartoon, "Sinchan", which influenced children to use foul language just like the characters in the programmes.

The local television stations could replace imported cartoons with local publications, like Lat's cartoons, the Kampung Boy and Putih, which were more suited to the local culture, she said when seconding the motion on religion and social issues at the Umno general assembly here Friday.

Siti Azizah also hit out at the electronic media for their reality programmes which use the short messaging service (SMS), among them SMS SUNYI and SMS CINTA, which she said did not bring any benefit, especially to the young.

She said that this was compounded by the abuse of technology by the young who sent lewd SMS messages and also pornographic websites which made moral degradation even more serious.

As such, Puteri Umno proposed that a ministry be entrusted to monitor all the media in the country to coordinate the guidelines and policies on such matters.

This responsibility was now divided between the Information Ministry and the Energy, Water and Communications Ministry, she said.

Siti Azizah also wanted the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) and the state religious departments to be more proactive in tackling the problem of moral decadence in the society.

"Guidelines on Islam as well as on the screening of Islamic-based broadcasts and publications on Islam provided by Jakim should be updated and their scope extended to all kinds of entertainment targeted at Muslims," she said. She said mosques should also become one-stop centres to conduct activities for the society to bring them closer to Islamic teachings.

Meanwhile, Wanita Umno proposed that the power to monitor the contents of private television stations, which now rests with the Energy, Water and Communications, be given back to the Information Ministry.

Its delegate, Rahimah Idris, said this was necessary because the Energy, Water and Communications Ministry had failed to control the broadcast of negative programmes.

"We now see too many Indonesian and Filipino programmes like the drama `Bawang Putih Bawang Merah' on television. There's nothing positive to be gain from these programmes, only negative," she said in the debate on the motion. She called on Umno president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also prime minister, to act firmly to overcome this problem.
Rahimah claimed that the Indonesian drama "Bawang Putih Bawang Merah" had such a strong following in this country that some people stayed away from work just to watch the programme.

She also called on Abdullah to take stern actions against Cabinet wives who wear sexy clothes in public(!!!)

"We, as women, feel very embarrassed. We teach our children to dress decently, to wear the scarf, but the action or one minister's wife puts us to shame," she said. She claimed that the minister's wife, whom she did not name, was not even decently dressed at her former husband's burial recently.

Rahimah also asked the Umno leaders not to compromise on the establishment of the Inter-Faith Commission (IFC) and the government to use the Internal Security Act (ISA) on those who cause trouble. "Say No, No, No to the establishment of the IFC. We will not compromise with parties who try to disturb our rights. Don't play with fire, or you'll get burnt. Just arrest them and place them under the ISA!!!" she said.

-- BERNAMA

**** Well, well, well, the lil 'uns do learn fast! Unfortunately along with the good, they also seem to have a knack of picking up the bad habits of their abang2 and kakak2. OK so they want to sound silly, that's alright with me when they want cartoons monitored and censored. Even their complaint of too many Indon and Filipino programmes is quite valid. I wonder why they didn't include the ubiquitous Hindi films in their list? Perhaps the Bollywood actors are too handsome and therefore not to be missed!

But one has to draw the line between silly complaints and potentially damaging suggestions for Orwellian type surveillance. While I'm sure Datuk Zainuddin Maidin must be feeling deleriously happy, I don't think the rest of the nation agrees totally with these lasses.

Wanita Umno too not wishing to be left behind reiterated the demand for draconian monitoring of the media and returning the sole authority to control by transferring the current powers from the Energy, Water and Communications and given back to the Information Ministry. So basically the females of Umno have more faith in the Information ministry than they have in their children, siblings and others. Note, I did not mention husband. Ever since the Mongolian model 'incident,' our women, rumour has it are more observant of their spouses and their movements let alone their programme preferences and suspicion is the flavor of the month in the average household.

However what I found downright bitchy was the remarks of one female numbskull who called on the PM to take stern actions against Cabinet wives who wear sexy clothes in public. Her callous remark that "a minister's wife, whom she did not name, was not even decently dressed at her former husband's burial recently" is in very poor taste. Speaks volumes of the bitchy delegate's upbringing.