The UMNO/Barisan Nasional government of Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, has chalked up another dubious record – spending RM4.8 million of taxpayers’ money to fund a racist film on May 13 riots, Tanda Putera, but screening it like an anti-national underground movie only to selected audience.
On Feb 18, on Najib’s directive, some 3,000 Felda settlers were treated to a closed-door screening of “Tanda Putera” at the Putra World Trade Centre at a function officiated by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The press was excluded.
Last night, the film was privately shown to a group of 600 students in an “invite-only” screening at Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIA).
The media was banned from the screening. A The Malaysian Insider reporter was turned away from attending the 9pm screening last night, “which appeared to be tightly guarded by security personnel”.
One security guard told The Malaysian Insider that the event was “invite-only” and was strictly meant for students, stressing that the media was not permitted to attend the screening.
Najib should explain why he had overridden the Cabinet decision last November that the film was not appropriate to be screened in public because of its biased and racist portrayal of the Malay 13 riots, which is a total negation of the spirit and concept of the 1Malaysia policy espoused by him when he took his oath of office as Prime Minister four years ago!
What is shocking and deplorable is the “inducement” for the selected 600 students to the “private screening” – the award of “Star Points” for UIA’s participatory merit point system while it is compulsory for Police Undergraduate Voluntary Corps and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Unit.
Last year, it was bruited by Umno/BN cybertroopers that I was featured and defamed in the film with the lie and falsehood that I had caused the May 13 riots in 1969 by shouting the most racist slogans and urinating on the flagpole outside the Selangor Mentri Besar’s residence. This was a total figment of the imagination as I was never in Kuala Lumpur on May 11, 12 and 13, 1969.
It has now been reported that although I was not featured in the final version of the film, there is a scene of “a group of Chinese youths” allegedly urinating on the flag pole outside the Selangor Mentri Besar’s residence – which is a most irresponsible and despicable lie bordering on incitement of racial hatred criminally incendiary and seditious!
Can Najib explain how he could advocate 1Malaysia concept and yet give his blessings to the lies and falsehoods in “Tanda Putera”, even to the extent of vetoing his Cabinet’s decision that it was inappropriate to be screened because of its biased and racial portrayal of May 13 riots.