Following the decision to withhold the film, The New Village, FINAS has been calling everyone not to blame them for releasing it for screening. According to FINAS, it is not their job to approve the screening but only responsible to fix the date for the cinemas.
The authority to approve falls under the Film Censorship Board (FCB). This means, the ball is now at FCB’s feet. Still no words are heard from the FCB. It was also reported that some Ministers are also saying that it is unfair to judge the movie based on its trailer.
Funny that we didn’t hear the same being said about the film Tanda Putera when the Chinese, most probably the communist sympathizers or their next of kin, went berserk over the film’s trailer. Consequently, the movie has been hold for months and was almost banned.
The irony is that, Tanda Putera is a historical movie which was made based on thorough study. Should the storyline ‘offend’ anybody then be it, because that is how we learn and move forward. We don’t erase or change history just to make sure that some quarters are not offended by what their ancestors had done. In fact, all Malaysians regardless of race must embrace this painful truth. This is the only way that we can promote patriotism and nationalism to the new generations.
The New Village movie, on the other hand is a different story. This film is made from the point of view of the communists, which is the enemy. Which government or minister in the right mind would approve a movie that could stir the already fragile spirit of patriotism among the people? What more at this point of time when racial tension is in the verge of suffocating us all.
We are fully aware that there have been endless and tireless efforts by the children and grandchildren of the communists to change history to be in favour of their fathers and grandfathers’ fights. These new generations are in denial that their fathers and grandfathers are heartless killers, the enemy and traitors of the country but want so much to believe that the communists are freedom fighters.
No matter how hard they try to deny, the fact remains that the communists wanted to overtake the country from the colonials, as well as the rightful settlers. And that makes the communists colonials too, not freedom fighters.
Somehow, these new generations have no knowledge of the truth or simply refuse to believe the official records. Their minds have long been poisoned by hatred towards the Malay government. They believe that history was recorded with racial prejudice where the communists are made to look bad just because the majority of them are Chinese. Obviously, racist blood runs very-very deep that in the end they can only see ‘race’ in everything.
These new generations of the Chinese must learn to look at history with an open mind. Communists are not heroes. The communists fought the British not to free Malaya but to conquer Malaya. While the British ruled with civilization, the communists ruled like savages and were as merciless as the Japanese.
The communists had a chance to rule Malaya for 14 days when the Japanese lost the WWII. And that 14 days was a living hell that no one who had gone through it would ever forget.
In the 14 days, the communist (PKM), through MPAJA (Malayan People Anti Japanese Army) conquered the cities, police stations and government offices. MPAJA introduced taxes on heads, assets and land. MPAJA executed anybody who had worked with the Japanese during the Japanese occupation. They captured and tortured the Malays whom they suspected to have served the Japanese. They killed the Chinese who refused to work with them. They robbed off the people of their belongings.
Among recorded events:
– In Batu Pahat, a Village Head was killed for suspected of working with the Japanese.
– A District Officer was killed in a negotiation with PKM
– PKM buried a religious chief alive for afraid that he would lead a rebel
– In Jelebu, mosques and suraus were violated.
– PKM burned the houses in Kg Bakor and Sg. Manik
– Police station in Bukit Kepong was burned down with the police and their families in it.
In other words, the inhumane communists made the British looked like saviours.
This part of history, this 14 days of hell, makes any attempt to honour communists as heroes, ridiculous.
Therefore, if some people are concerned over the feelings of the grandchildren of the communists when Tanda Putera was made, imagine the feelings of the grandchildren of those who were tortured and killed by the communists when The New Village got the approval to be screened.
Bear in mind that one film is based on history, which is essential for learning, while the other one is based on manipulated facts. One would boost the people patriotism and one would only contribute to the already ‘hostile’ environment in the country.
Doesn’t this give all the obvious reasons for Tanda Putera to be screened for all to see, and The New Village to be banned? Should there really need to be any more debates?
