The RUT that we are in...

Last night, my wife & I attended the debate forum at FINAS, thinking that it would be an interesting affair as the panelists consisted of, Dr. Anuar Nor Arai, Yasmin Ahmad, Dr. Hatta Azad Khan... boy, was I way off my marks!!! What should have been an interesting debate on "Malay films, Malaysian films... what lies ahead for the face of Malaysian Cinema?", turned into ugly personal attacks over petty issues. There lies the rut of our film industry. Oops... Did I say industry.... what industry??!!!

The night unfolded in quite a leisurely Sunday night outing with the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Information announcing changes to RTM that had the people in the industry cheering and applauding. Of course with any governmental functions, there are always the protocols of having it officially officiated the event. YAWN!! YAWN!!

The debate started mildly with Yasmin explaining certain reasons for her making her films, Dr. Hatta Azad Khan delving a little into the Malay film history and language is not the main criteria to judge and finally... Dr. Anuar started the ball rolling with his views of Malay and Malaysian cinemas... all hell broke loose after that!!!

This one pathetic born loser from the audience went up to the microphone and started to hurl unnecessary remarks to Dr. Anuar that had nothing to do with what he had say earlier. Then one by one of the audience, went up attacking with their personal grouses and also at Yasmin for damaging the Malay pride by showing her films overseas and winning awards from international festivals. Yasmin's films merely mirrors what is happening today in our society and in comparison to the other mainstream Malay films, that is a breath of fresh air and also the truth hurts and that is where a lot of the narrow-minded people cannot SEE and LEARN!!!

The worst of all would be this person that heads the Film Department at UM who said that it cannot be denied that Malaysian films should be in Bahasa Melayu because it is in the "rukun negara" and the official religion is Islam. If that is what they are preaching and teaching at the public universities, the minorities' days are numbered. A so-called professed intellectual the person he is, I find him to be completely off his marks and should be fired or resigned himself from his post. How can he ignore the pluralistic society that we are living in. Bahasa Melayu is not practiced daily in our life! A Chinese do not speak the national language to another Chinese or even to other races. Unless the Chinese is from the Peranakan heritage where they have assimilated themselves into the Malay culture and that dates back to the glory of the Malacca empire and the arrival of Princess Hang Li Po. They speak in their own mother tongue language or English is the usual medium of delivery especially in urban areas and the guy has got to acknowledge that as a reality and films should be reflecting the reality not a propagandistic reality!!!

Dr. Anuar was very articulated in his delivery of the searching for the face of Malay films through the understanding of the geography, topography, the landscape of the mind, and importantly history. For that, he was attacked... I have to say that we will still be in this RUT if everyone involved does not acknowledge his or her own flaws and work from there to improve and make it a better days ahead.

Hope is all that I have.

SIGH.............