PETALING JAYA, AUG 31- MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek hit out at the DAP and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng today for issuing an advisory against screening of the movie Tanda Putera.
Chua said he was sure Lim had not seen the movie but had already cast aspersions against the film.
He added that Lim should not decide on whether Penangites should watch the movie or not.
“He should not deny the Penang people a chance to watch the movie and making their own conclusion rather than him making up the minds for the people,” Chua said in a press statement today.
“Guan Eng should not underestimate the intelligence of the people and allow the people to decide if they want to watch the movie,” he said.
Tanda Putera, a movie directed by Shuhaimi Baba is centred on the close relations between second Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein and his deputy, Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman.
The movie received brickbats since last year and only hit the cinemas yesterday.
The DAP said the movie had a scene depicting the party as being partly responsible for the May 13 racial riots in 1969.
“This is what democracy is all about which they always seem to talk about but not teaching what they preach.
“Guan Eng claims that the screening of the movie can incite racial hatred but listening to several of DAP’s ceramah, they are in fact doing the same.
“The speeches of some of its leaders have been known to inflame the hatred of the Chinese towards other ethnic groups,” Chua said.
Yesterday, Lim had clarified that the state government was not banning Tanda Putera as reported previously. He said the Penang state government only issued an advisory against the movie.
Lim had said that no action would be taken against those who screened the movie.
He also said the state government would concentrate on efforts to debunk allegations against the DAP that was depicted in Tanda Putera.
Tanda Putera in Penang from tomorrow
In another development, Tanda Putera will resume its screenings in GSC locations in Penang from Saturday onwards.
This decision was made after the Penang government had clarified that there was no ban placed on the movie as the directive given was mainly meant as an advisory to cinema operators.
GSC locations in Penang, mainly Queensbay Mall and Sunway Carnival, had stopped screening the highly controversial movie mistaking the advisory as a ban on the film.
Tanda Putera falls under Finas’ Compulsary Screening Scheme for local movies and it has been approved by the Censorship Board of Malaysia with a classification of PG13.
