Press Statement issued March 2, 2007
The decision to ban Amir Muhammad’s Apa Khabar Orang Kampung and Tsai Ming Liang’s I Don’t Want To Sleep Alone by the Censorship Board is drastic and harsh, and does not bode well for the development of the local movie-making scene in Malaysia.
These movies, as with most local independent movies, showcase the best of local talent, as the actor/actresses as well as the directors are Malaysians.
The Censorship Board’s decision deprives these local artists their right and space to express themselves, as well as local audiences’ right to viewing the movies.
The eight reasons listed by the Censorship Board in banning “I Don’t Want To Sleep Alone” are not convincing or reasonable. The main reason given is that the movie spreads a negative message (poverty, the haze, dirty environment, abandoned building projects) which will affect Visit Malaysia Year.
It is a most ridiculous assumption, because firstly, the so-called “negative elements” are not untruths; secondly, tourists are highly unlikely to go watch the movie in cinemas. The people whose rights have been deprived are local audiences, and certainly not foreign tourists.
If anything, the ban will only strengthen the impression that there is a serious lack of freedom of expression and space for art creation in Malaysia. This suppression of a fundamental freedom of expression can only leave a negative effect on tourists, and may even have an adverse effect on Visit Malaysia Year campaign.
I urge Dato’ Mohamad Radzi Sheikh as the Minister of Home Affairs to review the Censorship Board’s guidelines on movies, and in particular, the board’s decision to ban the two movies. I hope the decision to ban the two movies will be repealed, so as not to discourage the art of local filmmaking and at the same time, repair the image and reputation of the Malaysian government in the international filmmaking idustry.