Patriot joins calls for action over ‘damaging’ Merdeka video

 

A screenshot of Ikram’s Merdeka video, with the disclaimer at the top of the screen.

PETALING JAYA: The National Patriots Association (Patriot) has joined the call for strict and immediate action to be taken against a Muslim NGO over a controversial Merdeka-themed video, which it branded as “racist”.

Patriot president Brig-Gen (Rtd) Mohamed Arshad Raji said even though the video has since been removed, it had already gone viral.

“Such racist Merdeka videos destroy the past achievements by the government and the heads of states in building integrated communities of Malaysians.

“Immediate and strict action must also be taken by the relevant ministries,” he said in a statement.

National Patriots Association president Mohamed Arshad Raji.

Arshad also demanded for authorities to explain what action it would take against the producers to deter others from “damaging the fragile social landscape”.

In the video titled “Mak, Dah Siap!”, which went viral over the past few days, a Malay father is shown describing Indians and Chinese using derogatory terms and stereotyping them as “gangsters” and “drunk drivers”.

He is reprimanded by his wife for using such terms, and she adds that it is not part of Islamic values.

Later on, the son shows his mother his completed homework of a drawing of a Malay, Chinese and Indian – with the Malaysian flag in the background – with the same racial slurs and stereotypes mentioned by his father written under the Chinese and Indian characters.

The video then has the boy saying: “I was not born racist, but I was taught.”

Throughout the video, a disclaimer at the top of the screen says: “The racist words observed in this video are for filming purposes only and should not be practised at all.”

Ikram, who produced the video, has since apologised saying its original intention had been to instil patriotism.

The NGO said the main message of the video was to show the current reality among some members of the Malaysian community who tend to label other races negatively.

Earlier, the Film Directors’ Association of Malaysia (FDAM) demanded that the authorities, namely the home ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), take appropriate action against those responsible for the video.

FDAM president Ahmad Ibrahim said it was “worrying and embarrassing” that the video had been widely shared on social media before being removed.

“The message of this video is very implicit but it should be remembered that the intent does not legitimise the means. Do not prey on other races for the sake of unity,” he said. - FMT