Stop playing with our sentiments, Hisham

So Dato Hisham, please stop beating around the bush and tell us frankly: is the movie Vishwaroopam going to be released at all?

COMMENT

By S Vell Paari
In regards to Tamil movie “Vishwaroopam” which is showing successfully everywhere else in the world, I have been informed that there are four other local Indian Muslim NGO’s who want the movie banned here in Malaysia.

It is as a result of these four NGO’s, the Malaysian government has yet to approve for the spy thriller to be released in local cinemas even though the Censor Board has approved the second edited version.

The decision to release or not to release this movie is Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein’s call.

My questions to Hishammuddin are these:

1. In what way is the Muslim sentiment of the Tamil speaking Indian Muslims of Tamil Nadu, Singapore and rest of the world, together with the local 60 Indian Muslim NGOs, different to the four NGOs currently objecting to the movie?

I can understand if it’s the case all over the world. Malaysia has the highest edits, 16 in total as opposed to seven in Tamil Nadu. Are you saying these four NGOs’ ideology to Islam is different to the rest of the world?

This decision is no different to PAS ruling on the Chinese attire issue in Kedah.

2. The Home Ministry (KDN) speaks of sensitivity but where was this sensitivity in regards to the controversial book Interlok which was deemed to be insensitive to the Indian community? It took such a long time for a decision to be made to remove the book from school syallabus. Are you punishing us for objecting to Interlok?

3. This movie was cleared for general viewing in local cinemas by the Malaysian Censor Board. It was then banned by the ministry after a single show following complaints from the local Indian Muslim NGOs (the first group).  So are you saying that the Malaysian Censor Board was ignorant of the feelings of Muslims in our country?

4. Where was this sensitivity when the cow-head incident happened in Selangor in 2009? And weren’t you the one who said we must understand the feelings of the protesters? Why is it that when we (the Indian community) were subjected to abuse, we must understand the feelings of those abusing us? Why is it that our sensitivity is never taken into consideration? Why? Is it because we don’t have feelings or are we not entitled to have feelings.

5. Pirated versions of the movie are flooding the local market. Your Home Ministry has helped to boost the income for the SME piracy market. These pirated DVDs and VCDs are uncut versions of the movie. So what did the four NGOs (the second group) and you achieve with the continued ban of Vishwaroopam?

Will the police force be now instructed to arrest the families of average Malaysians of Indian origin who decide to buy the pirated version of the movie due to KDN’s double standard?

Will we be seeing kids handcuffed and dragged with their parents into police vehicles? What a disaster! With such stunts from KDN, who needs a tsunami?

Working against Najib
Dear Minister, you are in clear violation of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s 1Malaysia ideology.

It’s a clear case of insubordination by you against the direction and vision of the prime minister. You are clearly becoming a millstone around Barisan Nasional’s neck.

So Dato Hisham, please stop beating around the bush and tell us frankly: is the movie going to be released at all?

What is so sensitive about the feelings of these four NGOs as against to the wishes of the other 60 Indian Muslim NGOs (with whom MIC had come to an agreement to allow for the release of the movie with mimimum edits) and the balance of the Indian community?

I hope these four NGOs will deliver the majority of the 926,000 Indian votes in Malaysia to BN come general election.

Even after MIC had worked out a solution with the first group of complaining Indian Muslims NGOs, you still choose to ignore and insult us with your ‘I don’t care’ attitude.

You have total disregard for MIC’s efforts on this matter. Well maybe I have to discuss with my MIC members on our attitude as well.

As a senior component member of BN, my party has worked very hard to deliver Indian votes to BN. In percentage, when comparing population, we would be the highest.

We have contributed to you sitting there as a Home Minister. So I want a written explanation from you to the MIC CWC on why you have chosen to practice such double standard on the release of this movie.

You are playing with our sentiments. Please remember that before you, someone else had tried to do the same and ended up giving BN it’s worst results in GE12. You barely got away with your keris waving stunt. Is it your intention to do the same for GE13?

People might say it’s only a movie, but I will enlighten you why I decided to pursue with this course in the first place.

If you can be kicking us around from one side to another on just a movie, imagine what you will do to us (the Indian community) on bigger issues.

I am sure you will call my party president after you have been notified of my statement. Let me give you an insight, my condition in accepting the party strategic director’s appointment was on the condition that I must be given the freedom to voice.

S Vell Paari is MIC’s Strategic Director and Central Working Committee member.