Video of middle-aged makcik belting out Scorpions tune goes viral, draws plenty of praise (and scorn)

 

“SCORPIONS rule ok!”

Rockers of a certain vintage will vividly remember the famous rallying call being graffitied across Kuala Lumpur in the mid-80s after the government of the day decided to ban the Scorpions from performing here.

The outcry was loud as the German outfit has a massive following on these shores and this is evidenced by the fact that they have, since that initial ban, performed several sold-out concerts in Malaysia.

One such fan is quite possibly the middle-aged makcik whose karaoke rendition of the band’s hit from 1984 Still Loving You at a wedding party has gone viral.

A video posted on Nilai Sana Sini’s Facebook page shows a hijab-wearing lady, identified as “Makcik Jipun” cradling the mic as guests could be seen posing with the bride and groom in the background.

The elderly singer’s extremely relaxed demeanour suggests she is quite used to such public performances and her effortless singing, even of the high notes, indicate vocal chords that are routinely exercised.

But of course, this being social media, not all were enthused about the middle-age rocker’s vocal dexterity or choice of songs. One ultra-conservative netizen chastised the lady for her lack of moral fibre in performing a Scorpions tune at her ripe old age.

Another advised the tudung-wearing rocker to “repent” and to focus on religious duties.

Another chided the makcik for not behaving her age.

The above critiques were met with a flurry of responses from netizens who told these holier-than-thou types exactly what they thought about their judgmental pronouncements.

One netizen pointedly asking why one critique was so serious in her outlook.

Another netizen quite rightly pointed out that one should never judge a book by its cover. Just because the makcik is caught on video singing a rock ballad in public does not automatically imply she is a religious deviant.

The commentator further stated that this was probably a tune from her youth and she should be allowed to enjoy it as she sees fit.

One netizen praised the makcik for her vocal prowess and said there was nothing wrong with people entertaining themselves with a song or two, more so in a social event such as a kenduri kahwin.

She chided “naive” netizens who are too dogmatic in their ways for taking issue with this lady having a moment’s fun on the KTV mic.

Quite a few noted that the makcik was very decently attired and was not in any way behaving in an untoward manner. She was merely entertaining guests at a wedding party, not gyrating provocatively at a discotheque (or a KTM train coach for that matter)!

Another commented about the seemingly ageist attitudes prevalent here, noting the difference in encouragement when elderly citizens do the same elsewhere.

The sad truth is that this is a reflection of Malaysian society today. While some factions have successfully demonised the term ‘liberal’, the flip side is this blinkered conservatism that seeks to cast aspersions on almost everyone and anything that does not fit within their narrow world view.

That a harmless clip of a middle-aged woman singing a rock ballad can lead to so many negative comments is a clear indicator of the type of society Malaysians are headed for if the ultra-conservatives are allowed to dominate the narrative.

In the meantime, someone should tag the Scorpions themselves and see what the band has to say about Makcik Jipun’s rendition of their big hit. – Focus Malaysia