BUT SHE WAS TOO SMART! Putrajaya tried to get Michelle Yeoh to drop out of Malaysia Day clip

Bond girl Michelle Yeoh just barely made it in Malaysian filmmaker-singer Pete Teo's ambitious Hari Malaysia video today, a week after a Putrajaya media aide told her the clip could be used as opposition propaganda.

The Ipoh-born Hollywood actress is one of many famous Malaysian personalities, including politicians, whose faces were superimposed on scenes from both the 1957 Merdeka declaration and the Malaysia declaration of 1963.

The Malaysian Insider understands Yeoh asked to see the final cut of the 4.25-minute video clip just over a week before it was broadcast today to decide whether she wanted to be part of the clip.

"She has a two-second appearance. In the end, she decided to stay on," a source told The Malaysian Insider.

It was learnt that the Putrajaya media aide, who is involved in the government's branding campaigns, warned Yeoh that her appearance in the video clip would jeopardise her image as opposition leaders were also featured.

"The video clip features many Malaysians but the aide just focused on one of them to frighten her that it would be used by the opposition," the source said, noting that Yeoh had appeared in the Barisan Nasional (BN) campaign for the May 5 general election.

"They thought it was inappropriate. But she decided otherwise," he added.

Nurul Izzah and Marina Mahathir also featured

When contacted, Teo said all the living personalities who appeared on the video had signed release forms for their images to be used, while the families of those who had passed on also signed consent forms.

He said production of the video took five months and was completed just days before two versions, with songs in English or Bahasa Malaysia, were to be uploaded on YouTube today.

The Bahasa song, Kembara, was sung by Asmidar while the English version features the song Slipstream sung by Melina William.

The Hari Malaysia video clip was made in remembrance of Malaysia's founding prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, who worked with the respective leaders of Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore to form Malaysia on September 16, 1963.

Singapore left the federation in August 1965 when it was ejected by the Malaysian parliament with a 126-0 vote.

Apart from Yeoh, those appearing in the video clip are Umno's Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah and MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

Others include DAP leader Lim Kit Siang, PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar, Bersih co-chair Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, actress-director Jo Kukathas, dancer Ramli Ibrahim, singer David Arumugam, rapper Namewee, activist Datuk Paduka Marina Mahathir and veteran footballer Santokh Singh.

The video clip also features CIMB group chief executive Datuk Seri Nazir Razak, who is the younger brother of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

There are several notable scenes in the video clip including Tengku Razaleigh and Lim sitting together in the stadium when Merdeka was declared and also Izzah with Marina in a street scene during Malaysia's formation in 1963.

Also featured is famed Malaysian filmmaker Yasmin Ahmad, who passed away in 2009. She had also appeared in another Teo film, Here In My Home, that was broadcast on YouTube in 2008.

The Hari Malaysia video clip was financed by Teo and his friends and supporters. The clip and songs are based on the underlying theme of reconciliation in the country.

TMI