Director declines to explain urinating scene

The director of controversial film 'Tanda Putera' has declined to explain why she chose to include a scene depicting a group of Chinese youths urinating on a flag pole. 

Contacted today, award-winning Shuhaimi Baba  (right) said that this was becauseMalaysiakini has yet to watch the film. 

Asked why she had included the scene, viewed by some as inflammatory and historically inaccurate, Shuhaimi said: "This is what you are saying. You have not seen the film. You see the film.

"You wrote something that is inflammatory. I suggest you watch the film. It is only fair."

'Tanda Putera' was shown to the media during its premier on Tuesday, but Malaysiakini was not allowed to watch the film as the portal was not invited. 

"You know why we didn't invite you," one of the organisers said, while asking the portal's reporters to leave the venue. The reporters were also stopped from approaching Shuhaimi.

However, Malaysiakini had previously published a full review of the film, courtesy of a reviewer who had watched it during one of the numerous private screenings last year.

Asked if she would respond to the issue if the reviewer interviewed her, Shuhaimi said: "You are the one who took the trouble to call me. Don't pass it around.

"It opens on Aug 29. You can watch it anytime and then you call me. I'll be happy to be interviewed."

Shuhaimi told the Malaysian Insider after the screening on Tuesday that she did not feel any of the scenes in the film were too radical and that protests against the urinating scene were political gimmicks.

She also stressed that the film was based on "true facts", but in another interview with TimeOut Kuala Lumpur, she called it an "interpretation based on historical events" that she adapted into the film using her "creative licence".