Namewee and his influence

[KenChan]

but we can always express our dissatisfaction on other channels, can't we?
channels that can be heard by the top men in this country.

adding so much sarcasm and uploading it on youtube will have no effect whatsoever on the countries policy. its only use is to entertain a few thousand minds and thats it. nothing else done.

even if the issues raised are indeed factual and need to be sorted out, the chances of the authorities looking deep into the matters are slim.
because the problems weren't directed straightforwardly or even openly to them!!

[Shoblast]

Its not about the top men. Its about the people that lets them stay at the top: the rakyat. We put them up there, we can tear them down. Thats the theory, anyway.

The average Malaysian citizen doesn't dare openly criticize what they see as wrong. If you empower the common folk and show them that this is a means where they can express themselves, more videos will be made and more people will watch them. Alternative forms of protestation has to be explored, since a serious monologue or diatribe isn't for everyone. But.. turn it into a song! The advantage of using Art is that it connects to a very visceral part of us.

The main take home message i hope his song gave us is that, yes, you can use this kind of thing to voice dissatisfaction, and he got himself heard, of that there is no doubt.

[misled_youth]

Dissent is the highest form of patriotism - Thomas Jefferson

Namewee is a patriot.

Originally Posted by misled_youth

Namewee is a patriot.

strongly agree
he has balls against the nation's mods

[JetLee0510]

Originally Posted by Shoblast

The average Malaysian citizen doesn't dare openly criticize what they see as wrong.

if they do wat happened to HIM is wat will happen to them.

[KenChan]

hmm... so are u trying to imply that we, Malaysians have no freedom of speech?
nevertheless, have you ever seen anyone who got himself/herself arrested because he expressed his criticisms in the open? (well, as long as its nothing racist, of course)
No?? right, thats what i thought..

personally, i feel that the we are permitted to speak out our dissatisfaction openly (with certain constrain, of course) in Malaysia.
but i am strongly opposed to the idea of modifying the national anthem just to get attention from the media on a particular issue.

A national anthem is made to instill a sense of patriotism into the minds of its citizens, not to be used as a tool to entertain friends and attract attention to yourself.

come on, what will the kids think of the national anthem after they hear this song??
negara aku, negara kuku...
the young ones will think something like,
my country is a lanjiao country =_=
how can u expect them to love Malaysia when they think that Malaysia is a lanjiao country??

[youngyew]

I am surprised by your first paragraph, Kenchan. Yes, people have been arrested because of their non-racist criticisms, and recently bloggers have been arrested because of _someone else's_ comment on their blog which isn't criminal in nature.

Kenchan, I am sure you are aware that two gag orders were given by the all mighty Che Din in only the last two months. Nobody except the two PMs are allowed to give any remark about those two issues, regardless of the nature of your comment. This is far from having "freedom of speech". This is emulating the Chinese government's media control.

And you certainly misunderstood Meng Chee as someone who was seeking attention from media when he produced the song. He just wanted to express his opinions and thoughts about the country (albeit being a bit crude in doing so). It's just like Michael Jackson writing "Childhood", Jay Chou writing "Don't hit my mum again" - they are writing and singing their heart's content.

[Shoblast]

I'm not implying that we have no freedom of speech. I am outright saying that we don't have much freedom of speech.

We can express our criticisms, as long as it doesn't have anything to do with race? How far do you consider something "racist"? If i went ahead and said "all chinese are arrogant bastards who refuse to share their wealths, those dickheads" and "all malays are bloody lazy jerkwads who suck thumbs" it'll definitely be racist. Look at his video again. He complains of those people who "bind their heads and move slowly" and the "loud music that blares off at 6am". Is that racist? No its not. Its being sarcastic about other people's practice. If in a society you can't even poke fun at what you think is a bit funny (or exasperating), then what freedom of speech do you have? This is a dig against stereotypes of muslims (mostly malays) who have a tidak apa attitude. As for the azan, making fun of a religion is NOT the same as racist. Race and religion is seperate. Get over it.

If people would just look past the initial words and verses in his songs, and at least TRY to interpret what Namawee wants to express, instead of taking those words at face value and frothing at the mouth. You can see that this is a person who loves his country. When you love something you don't only notice all its good points, you see all the bad points too (that was a brilliant metaphor with the durian). In humour and art you poke fun of something by portraying the ridiculous side of it, you twist ordinary grievances into a new light and let your audience see how absurd it is. He has done a remarkably good job i might say. In any other mature country people would have just complimented him or debated with him and they'd be on their way.

Presumably this is his way of directing our attentions to the problems of malaysia, as he sees it. Whether or not he is right about these things is another issue, but we should not be outraged by his daring to say it out. The fact that we are all outraged at someone merely daring to speak his mind is a good indicator of how much free speech we have.

If Namawee had merely wanted attention, his wouldn't have needed to inject into his song the amount of sophistication that he did. He'd have done something completely retarded and malicious, like that "Got Pork?" video. Most people complaining about the song only concentrate on the sparse few scenes that they deem offensive. Thats incredibly shallow thinking, not putting the whole song into context.

[Thirdshifter]

the thing is.. the only Muslims or Malays that are blowing this negarakuku out of porportion are those no-name UMNO leaders who want their 15 minutes.

Throughout the blogs of many Muslims, all are asking what the fuss is all about? They are offended more by the way these other Muslim "leaders" are going out of their way to make this small issue big.

[Shoblast]

Originally Posted by Thirdshifter

the thing is.. the only Muslims or Malays that are blowing this negarakuku out of porportion are those no-name UMNO leaders who want their 15 minutes.

Throughout the blogs of many Muslims, all are asking what the fuss is all about? They are offended more by the way these other Muslim "leaders" are going out of their way to make this small issue big.

Ahh, thats a very good thing to hear indeed.