'The New Village' film must 'portray right message'

The Film Censorship Board should allow the screening of The New Village film if it portrays the historical aspect of the communist insurgency, says former army chief General (Rtd) Mohd Azumi Mohamed.

Mohd Azumi told the New Straits Times that if the movie did not have accurate information on what actually transpired, it could send a wrong message to the younger generation.

"Film makers should not run away from reality when it involves history. They must portray the right message or people may turn away from reality.

"The minute they do a fictional movie with a historical backdrop, they are not giving the right perspective of the concept of the new village," he said.

Mohd Azumi, who is also Cybersecurity Malaysia chairperson, was commenting on the movie directed by Wong Kew-Lit. The movie highlights a love story between a village girl and a young communist guerrilla.

He admitted that he had not watched the movie but said he had witnessed the brutality of the communists while serving in the army to cordon the Sintok New Village in Kedah.

The former top army officer described the formation of new villages as one of the better ways to defeat the communists.