From Publius Melayu
Recently, in one of his latest postings in Malaysia-Today, Raja Petra Kamarudin said he did not condone the controversial parody of Negaraku by the Malaysian Chinese student in Taiwan, Wee Meng Chee. He went on to say that we should move on and accept the 24-year old undergraduate's apology. However, he also cautioned if Meng Chee was recalcitrant, to go for his balls.
Well, sooner than said. It seems another video, which many alleged is a follow-up to his earlier parody of the Malaysian national anthem and the muezzin's call to the dawn prayer has surfaced on YouTube. In reality the 'latest' video was reported as had been around for quite sometime on the net but not until the the Negaraku parody became an issue did it surface.
The latest video does not show the singer's face. It is, therefore, difficult to ascertain whether it is genuinely Meng Chee's work – unless he corroborates it.
Whatever it is, this time around, despite the numerous postings in blogs praising, supporting and even encouraging 'him', the message inherent in the overly-creative piece can certainly be construed as provocative. But, of course many of his supporters will be more inclined to give credence to his so-called 'honourable' intentions of making a parody of 'actual situations'.
But, then again, the spirit of it all is the same. Whether direct or implied, an utterance or action that hurt another person is a wrong. No two ways about, although the purists in the so-called mindset of the present age would go to great pains to argue that it is not so. What gives?
Good or bad, right or wrong, the creator of that video, more so if it is indeed the controversial Meng Chee who perpetrated the deed, ought to know by now what the repercussions of yet another artistic indiscretion of his might lead to.
This stance is further fortified by the fact that he had actually offerred a full-scale apology a few days back.
This also brings to mind another question. Why would he want to come up with another video of similar genre if he had 'repented?'And even if it is an old work, it is scathing and downright racist no less. I, for one am quite incredulous as to the forthrightness of his earlier apology reflected in a letter written in impeccable Malay, given his so called admission that his command of the language is like shit.
His recalcitrance and stupidly hard-headed stance is now being proven further by his latest remark that "Even if I had not sung the matters in my song, does it mean that what I have mentioned do not exist," he asked.
Well, can there be a hidden hand in this? Could someone have written the apology on his behalf while he himself would only give lip service to it? Reading this episode in the light of his earlier remarks that he would apologise, makes his alleged repentance rather questionable.
