Pressure on Namewee to apologize?

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz has called off a scheduled a press conference with controversial young artiste Wee Meng Chee.

In an abrupt reversal of the decision, just minutes after the announcement, an aide to the minister informed the press by text-message that the event has been called off.

"Initially the minister was given the impression that 'Namewee' wants to meet him to discuss (the) 1Malaysia policy mooted by Prime Minister and during the PC, Namewee (would) make 'an apology statement' [sic] to PM and the rakyat.

"But later, the minister (found) out it's not true. As such, the PC for tomorrow Sept 30 is 'cancelled'."

Based on the earlier announcement, Nazri was to have held the press conference at 11am tomorrow at his office in Parliament House in Kuala Lumpur.

Nazri

Malay rights group Perkasa has declared 'war' against the young film-maker and rapper for purportedly 'destroying the harmonious relations between the ethnic communities' over his recent video 'Nah!'

Last night, scores of Perkasa members demonstrated outside a forum in Kuala Lumpur where Wee - who is more popularly known as 'Namewee' - was speaking and denounced him as a 'traitor'.

They also burned posters of Namewee which had been edited to depict him with the nose of a pig.

Nazri himself is no stranger to controversy over issues of race, having gone head-to-head against Malay-language daily Utusan Malaysia for its often acerbic editorialising on issues of race and its support for Perkasa. - (Malaysiakini) -