Education groups split over school screenings of ‘Pendatang’

 

‘Pendatang’ explores the consequences of unchecked resentment between Malaysia’s races. (Kuman Pictures pic)

PETALING JAYA: An education group has dismissed a proposal for the screening of a locally made movie on race relations in schools, citing the recent controversy over the education ministry’s Palestine Solidarity Week.

Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) said the Palestine Solidarity Week, held amid the war in Gaza, had featured some “extremist elements”, prompting the prime minister to call for better control of such programmes.

PAGE chairman Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim also said there were lessons to be learnt from the episode in October.

Responding to a call by National Film Development Corporation Malaysia chairman Kamil Othman for “Pendatang” to be shown in schools, she said unity should be encouraged but that the topic was “too obscure and abstract” for teachers to articulate.

“There is a chance that the effort might backfire and cause more harm than good,” she told FMT.

“Pendatang”, a Cantonese-language dystopian thriller that explores the consequences of unchecked resentment between Malaysia’s races, was released on YouTube to avoid censors.

The movie is set in the future where a Segregation Act divides ethnic groups into tightly separated and controlled areas.

The plot centres on a Chinese-Malaysian family, ordered to relocate to a wooden house previously owned by Malays in a rural area after a traffic offence.

Azimah said it would be better to keep the movie in the confines of the home where parents could decide whether or not their children should watch it.

But the Melaka Action Group for Parents in Education (Magpie) hailed Kamil’s proposal, saying any movie that fostered unity among Malaysians was welcome.

Magpie chairman Mak Chee Kin however said that screenings should be held in the presence of teachers, “or even parents”.

He said teachers should organise discussions and explain the story, as well as highlight the lessons to be learnt to ensure that pupils do not misconstrue the message of the film.

“I remain hopeful that we can return to the original Malaysia, where all communities can freely interact, play, and dine together once again,” he said. - FMT