Let the past remain where it belongs

By Brian Yap

The New Straits Times. 31 May 2006

AND so it has come to pass. Despite MPs and a significant number of commentators finding nothing objectionable with Amir Muhammad’s The Last Communist, the film will remain banned.

Facts, common sense and reasoning, once again, have lost out to . . . actually, I don’t know what.

Nonetheless, the ban and the clamour of voices against it highlight the struggle going on between the progressive and conservative sections of our society today. Both are seeking to define the nation’s present and future.

On one side, we have those keen to push Malaysia to become a more open and tolerant society that values discourse, dissent and debate as a means to progress. On the other, are those not keen on change and ready to stifle any dissenting voices or do not understand.

In the past 20 years, Malaysia has undergone tremendous economic development. We have also become quite good at setting records. But if we have been growing in terms of buildings, cars and highways, what many like myself believe is that it is time to progress in other meaningful ways, in terms of culture, arts, media, ethnic relations, human rights and equality.

It is time for Malaysians, and not only Malaysia in the physical sense, to shine.

While many would attribute the opening up of Malaysia to the new leadership, I think it’s an inevitable development after 22 years under one prime minister. Civil society and politicians from both sides of the aisle would probably not allow anyone else such an iron grip over the country again.

But progress often faces resistance from those threatened by change. When a civil society dialogue aimed at countering the erosion of the Federal Constitution was held, some felt threatened. Unfortunately, they fought back not with factual arguments or intellectual debate, but with mob violence.

Or how about the MyTeam vs national squad football game last weekend? Regardless of the match quality, it was more than a game on the field, but also a challenge to the FAM and its way of doing things. Of course, there would be resistance. Instead of being supportive of all Malaysian football, some football officials went as far as belittling the MyTeam squad as "instant noodles".

Yet, in the end, FAM played it safe by fielding not the national team as previously stated but one that was comprised mostly of under-20 players.

Returning to the realm of film, the same resistance to change and progress can be found. As a writer for a Klang Valley arts and entertainment monthly, I am familiar with the work of independent film-makers such as Amir.

It is distressing to see how the work of such forward-thinking people is constantly being challenged by those threatened by emerging voices.

It’s not just the ban. When Yasmin Ahmad’s Sepet, a film that won the Best Asian Film Award at the 18th Tokyo International Film Festival, also became popular with local audiences, it wasn’t met with the support one would have expected.

Where was the Malaysia Boleh brigade? Instead, it was called by some as an undeserving winner of best film at the Malaysian Film Festival, or even worse, a subversive film that threatens our culture.

It’s no secret that the mainstream Bahasa Malaysia film industry, generally, doesn’t appeal to non-Malays, or those looking for more than mere entertainment. So when films from outside the industry appeal to Malaysians (as well as foreigners), some found it threatening. Just when we were starting to see these independent movies make their way into our cinemas, the backlash began.

The fact is independent film-makers like Yasmin, Amir, James Lee, Ho Yuhang and many others have attained international acclaim without depending on either government or mainstream film industry support.

Despite receiving positive reviews from international media, winning accolades at film festivals from Asia to Europe to the Americas, these film-makers have neither over-inflated their achievements nor have they asked for datukships.

Some might think it takes an E-Village to make films, but the independent film-making community managed to bring their creative visions to life on small budgets by working on one another’s projects, multitasking as producers, directors of photography, publicists, and even actors. And for what? Financial gain can’t be a motivation, as many of these films are virtually ignored by the local movie- going public.

In fact, if money were so important, all their films would be in BM, considering how Malaysian films that aren’t in the national language are ineligible for tax rebates on ticket sales.

So here they are, making films because they want to, not bothering anyone, yet finding themselves attacked by politicians, media and film industry people threatened by their success.

Instead of putting these multi-ethnic, creative people on RTM’s payroll, we have someone spouting inanities about how wives should never let their husbands cook.

It is because of this sense of being unrepresented that young people like myself are turning away from traditional media, preferring the Internet as a source of information. Conservative voices are also abundant online, but at least they can’t stifle the opinions of others.

Still, I suppose it’s not surprising that as we head towards the much- lauded goal of becoming a modern, developed nation, we will be impeded by the heft of our history and by those unwilling to let the past remain where it belongs — in the past.

* Brian Yap is a writer at the Klang Valley monthly magazine KLue.

Ironi filem Lelaki Komunis Terakhir

Oleh Ahmad Fitri Che Musa

Harian Metro. 30 Mei


IRONI, pada saat kita mahu membebaskan minda mentaliti kelas ketiga, ada pihak yang masih bersuara konservatif yang tidak dapat menerima realiti sejarah. Tidak dapat menerima hakikat bahawa semua peristiwa pahit dan kesengsaraan itu berlaku untuk kita belajar dan mengambil iktibar.

Sudah tiba masanya masyarakat berfikiran matang dan bijak serta tidak menjadikan hampir semua isu remeh sebagai sensitif.

Komunis. Sebilangan kita tidak memahami sejarah yang tepat mengenai kumpulan haluan kiri itu. Perkataan ‘komunis’ sahaja cukup membuatkan hati kita gusar.

Malangnya, kita hanya kenal sejarah kumpulan bintang tiga itu ketika belajar subjek sejarah di sekolah. Itupun secara ringkas. Ataupun kita kenal kekejaman komunis daripada cerita nenek moyang. Atau mungkin melalui filem Bukit Kepong?

Namun, apabila dijolok, kita cepat melenting. Tidak hairanlah apabila filem dokumentari, Lelaki Komunis Terakhir (LKT) arahan Amir Muhammad diharamkan 5 Mei lalu hanya kerana tajuknya dan desas-desus serta komen yang mendakwa ia mengagungkan perjuangan bekas Setiausaha Agung Parti Komunis Malaya (PKM), Chin Peng.

LKT adalah dokumentari separa muzikal yang menjejaki bandar kelahiran dan tempat yang pernah didiami Chin Peng. Dokumentari itu memaparkan temuramah dengan individu yang kini tinggal di bandar di Sitiawan, Bidor, Taiping, Ipoh dan Betong, Thailand. Tiada temuramah bersama Chin Peng.

Pelik apabila pengharaman dibuat selepas beberapa individu yang mempunyai agenda ‘ultra-conservative’ tertentu mengkritik kewajaran filem itu sehingga ia boleh menenggelamkan suara dan pemikiran yang adil dan rasional.

Ironi juga apabila filem dokumentari Lelaki Komunis Terakhir diharamkan padahal buku biografi Chin Peng iaitu Alias Chin Peng - My Side of History dihalalkan penjualannya dan mencatat jualan tinggi di pasaran.

Bukan itu saja, buku mengenai Chin Peng yang lain seperti Dialogues with Chin Peng: New Light on the Malayan Communist Party juga dijual secara terbuka di kedai buku utama negara.

Kedua-dua buku itu secara terang-terangan mengagungkan Chin Peng dan penuh dengan biografi, temuramah, pengakuan serta gambar Chin Peng.

Jika ia boleh membawa kesan negatif, bayangkan sejauh mana ia mendatangkan kesan buruk kepada lebih kurang 50,000 pembaca Malaysia sama ada yang membaca versi bahasa Inggeris atau Cina.

Selain itu, pendirian tidak konsisten Menteri Kebudayaan, Kesenian dan Warisan, Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim juga menambahkan kekeliruan masyarakat mengenai filem dokumentari LKT itu.

Sebelum menonton LKT, Rais pernah berkata, “Untuk berlaku adil kepada industri, kita hanya boleh membuat komen jika kita telah menonton filem itu. Inilah keadilan.

“Peraturan keadilan menyatakan bahawa jika anda tidak menonton filem itu, bagaimana anda boleh mengatakan filem itu anti-keselamatan, anti-komuniti...tetapi saya bersetuju tajuk itu mengerikan bagi komuniti Malaysia.”

Malah selepas menonton filem itu bersama anggota Parlimen lain di Perbadanan Kemajuan Filem Nasional Malaysia (Finas) pada 21 Mei lalu, beliau berpendapat filem LKT tidak membawa satu kisah penting sehingga perlu timbul kontroversi.

Menurutnya, fakta di dalam filem itu boleh diperoleh daripada buku mengenai Chin Peng yang terdapat di pasaran tempatan

Rais berkata “Tidak ada fakta baru kecuali kandungan filem atau wawancara yang membawa gambaran kurang jelas atau kurang muktamad bagi satu-satu pihak tapi itu biasa.”

Walau bagaimanapun, selepas ditanya sekali lagi oleh pemberita empat hari kemudian, beliau memberikan ulasan berlainan dengan kenyataannya terdahulu.

Beliau berkata, “Filem LKT mengagungkan Chin Peng dan kita tidak sepatutnya agungkan dia. Dalam hal ini, Datuk Seri Mohd Radzi Syeikh Ahmad membuat keputusan betul dengan tidak membenarkan filem dokumentari itu ditayangkan.”

Adalah menghairankan apabila Rais memberi pandangan bertentangan dengan kenyataan sendiri.

Lain pula dengan Menteri Hal Ehwal Dalam Negeri, Datuk Seri Mohd Radzi Syeikh Ahmad yang pada awalnya mengharamkan penayangan terbabit dengan alasan ‘orang awam’ sudah membantah.

Apabila ditanya pemberita selepas menonton filem LKT, beliau berkata akan membawa isu filem berkenaan ke Majlis Tertinggi (MT) Umno untuk mendapatkan pandangan.

“Saya akan membawa (isu filem itu) ke MT untuk dapat nasihat, mungkin kita tayang pada MT. Filem ini banyak membabitkan Umno,” katanya.

Beliau berkata, penahanan filem itu daripada ditayangkan 18 Mei lalu adalah kerana masa tayangannya tidak sesuai iaitu hampir dengan sambutan ulang tahun Umno yang ke-60 pada 11 Mei lalu di Johor Bahru.

“Sentimen ahli Umno pada masa itu tidak sesuai. Pasal itu saya tahan (penayangan filem itu) walaupun (filem itu) diberi kelulusan (oleh Lembaga Penapisan Filem) untuk ditayangkan,” katanya.

Menurut Radzi lagi, judul filem berkenaan tidak sesuai memandangkan ia bukan menceritakan mengenai Chin Peng.

Sememangnya Radzi selaku Menteri Hal Ehwal Dalam Negeri mempunyai kuasa mengharamkan LKT mengikut Seksyen 26 Akta Penapisan Filem 2002 sekiranya ia membabitkan soal keselamatan dalam negeri tetapi adakah MT Umno forum yang sesuai untuk membincangkan filem itu?

Sebelum ini juga, LPF sudah meluluskan tayangan filem LKT tanpa suntingan dan diberi klasifikasi ‘U’ tetapi kelulusan tayangannya ditarik balik oleh Kementerian Hal Ehwal Dalam Negeri.

Persoalannya, adakah LPF gagal dan tidak berkemampuan melihat apa yang ditafsir dan dinilai oleh Radzi selaku Menteri Hal Ehwal Dalam Negeri sehingga ia diharamkan walaupun tayangan filem itu sudah diluluskan LPF?

Barangkali apa yang diutarakan tokoh sejarah negara, Profesor Emeritus Datuk Dr Khoo Kay Kim berasas apabila beliau berkata, “Sebelum meluluskan, biarlah pihak yang arif menontonnya terlebih dulu. Dalam hal ini LPF tentu tidak benar-benar faham jika kita minta mereka menjelaskan apa itu komunisme dan faham apa sejarah darurat.”

Bagaimanapun, Pengerusi LPF, Mohd Hussain Shafie berkata walaupun dokumentari terbabit mengisahkan bekas seorang pemimpin parti yang diharamkan, filem itu tidak akan menyebabkan apa-apa kesan negatif kepada rakyat Malaysia.

“Apabila sesuatu filem cuba menyebarkan ideologi (komunisme), kita tidak akan benarkan,” katanya.

“Peranan utama kami di sini mengesan hal-hal yang boleh mengancam keselamatan negara. Tetapi daripada penilaian kami, filem (LKT) ini tidak lebih sebuah dokumentari mengenai hal-hal sejarah yang orang ramai boleh baca dalam buku sejarah atau di tempat lain,” katanya.

Bagi Amir, filemnya itu tidak lebih daripada dokumentasi untuk mengenal sesebuah masyarakat kerana adalah lebih baik dengan mengkaji minoriti kerana golongan minoriti ini mendapat kesan secara langsung daripada pihak berkuasa.

Selepas kontroversi ini, Amir, anda mungkin mahu menukar tajuk filem dokumentari LKT kepada Pengkhianat Negara atau Petualang Negara.

Tetapi agak pelik apabila tiada orang yang bergendang dan mencanang kontroversi apabila filem terbaru Senario Dalam Pemburu Emas Yamashita menggunakan nama dan gambar jeneral Jepun yang pernah menyebabkan satu Malaya sengsara ketika zaman penjajahan Jepun. Kelakar bukan? Sensitif atau kurang peka? Anda tentukan.

MPs don't give 2 thumbs up

A gonzo video recording of the press conference on 21 May, when Lelaki Komunis Terakhir was screened for Malaysian MPs and some media folks at Finas. Featuring comments by Rais Yatim, Lim Kit Siang, Jins Shamsuddin and many more.

It is only minimally edited, and presented in English and Malay with no subtitles. Total running time is 30 minutes but it is broken up into 4 parts here.

I would like to thank the hard-working staff of Greenlight Pictures for uploading the video.

Coming to Korean TV

Lelaki Komunis Terakhir has been purchased by the South Korean TV station EBS, which will hold the Korean broadcasting rights from next week. A highly-placed person from this station saw it at the Singapore International Film Festival last month and liked it enough to begin a correspondence. It will screen 3 times in the next 2 years.

EBS is state-owned so it is like the Korean version of RTM. It has the option of screening either a Korean-dubbed or subtitled version. I secretly hope for the first option because I think an all-Korean version of the documentary would be kind of cute.

South Korea has had many traumatic encounters with Communism in the past (there are a few rippling blockbusters of theirs that attest to this even if you don't read History books) but has no problem showing it. And it's also considered of sufficient technical merit to be broadcast.

Well, lots of Korean dramas now screen on Malaysian TV and have a screaming fan-base. It is nice for trade to go the other way for a change, even for such a modest venture. Such a patriot I am.

BERNAMA report

Rais Finds 'The Last Communist' Film Not Offensive

KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 (Bernama) -- The banned musical documentary The Last Communist is not offensive, said Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim.

"The plot isn't controversial and there's nothing that could be deemed as offensive from the cultural viewpoint," he said.

The facts portrayed in the documentary could be read in the book about former Communist Party of Malaya leader Chin Peng sold in book stores, he told reporters after joining Members of Parliament to watch the film at the National Film Development Corporation (Finas) Sunday.

The Internal Security Ministry banned the documentary produced by independent film-maker Amir Muhammad on May 10 days before its screening in cinemas although it had been passed by the Censorship Board.

The ban followed criticisms that the film glorified the cause of the communists and Chin Peng.

The documentary was screened for the MPs at the request of parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang who wanted to see the justification for its ban.

Rais said there was nothing new in the film except for the interviews with the Communist Party of Malaya's former members.

"They were vague, not conclusive for any quarters... that's normal," he said, adding that whether the ban would be lifted was the prerogative of the Internal Security Ministry.

He said his ministry would give its views if it was asked to do so but he hoped the issue would not be blown out of proportion.

Lim said that he could not see anything controversial that could justify the banning of the film.

"When I went in, I was prepared to be outraged. But, hard as I tried, I could not find anything to be outraged about because it does not glorify the Communist Party or Chin Peng, and does not even promote communism.

"It just used the Chin Peng connection to make a documentary about life in the country and a little bit about life at the border. Some scenes such as the charcoal factory (in Taiping), petai boys (in Bidor) are an eye opener for many and highly educational," he said.

PAS secretary-general Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar said it was a simple film portraying the life of a group of Malaysians in the 1940s and 1950s.

"It does not even tell a full story on the communist insurgency in the country nor is it a propaganda film," he said, adding that it would not leave a negative impact on the audience.

The first Malaysian review

In the interest of history

Lelaki Komunis Terakhir (The Last Communist)
Directed by Amir Muhammad

Review by Jeremy Mahadevan.
New Straits Times. 18 May.


LET’S imagine that the communists triumphed back in the day, defeating the British and the local military and police. Picture a world where we’re all lining up for weekly food allocations, living in dormitories, singing songs about Engels and carrying around little red books with Chin Peng’s face on the first verso.

Had that unlikely victory taken place, what would our history books look like? Would the Emergency be remembered as a time of Imperialist brutality and bourgeois excess? Would Henry Gurney, Harold Rowdon Briggs and Tunku Abdul Rahman have joined Voldemort as “they-who-shall-not-be-named”?

We’ll never know for sure. But we do know how our country turned out under a conservative, capitalist government — the proof is all around us. Looking at us now, with our business-savvy MPs and foreign investments, it’s almost unimaginable that history once held us in a fork between godless communality and religious profitability. Yet it did, and this is why Amir Muhammad’s new film Lelaki Komunis Terakhir is such affecting viewing.

All right, we all know it’s banned, it’s a danger to us all, and it might resuscitate communism and send it trampling all over the fragile edifices of our prosperity like a big red Godzilla. It’s strange when people assume that silence will change history, because it won’t. Any Malaysian lucky enough to see this film will realise that all Malaysians should see it, because it elucidates parts of our history that are locked out of our school syllabuses.

The film’s not perfect; in fact, it’s one of Amir’s less polished works, although considering the ambition involved, that’s understandable. Most of the movie runs like the documentary that it is, but it’s loosely divided into chapters by the inclusion of musical interludes, allowing Amir to revel — as he undoubtedly does — in having made a “semi-musical documentary road movie”.

The songs are not without reason, though — they provide vital comic uplifts and give the audience space to breathe after each chapter’s barrage of images and information. The narration is presented as text on-screen rather than a voiceover, so at points you might hurt your head trying to concentrate on two things at once. I know I did... that pau-making machine was just too fascinating.

The songs, written by Hardesh Singh with lyrics by Jerome Kugan, successfully parody the patriotic and/or motivational music that anyone who has tuned in to RTM will be familiar with. The multi-racial “dance troupe” ought to have hammed things up a bit more, but the “singer” Zalila Lee does a wonderfully poker-faced job.

More spectacular musical sequences would have immersed the audience deeper in the movie, dispelling a bit of the wackiness that causes people to shift uneasily and glance at each other, but criticising a film for not having a big enough budget is entirely pointless.

The main strength of this movie, aptly enough, is in the people. Amir has an uncanny ability to display the individualities of his subjects, focusing on the things that make them true characters. The “Petai Boys” of Bidor are particularly cool, as well as the boss of the charcoal factory who, for some reason, addresses the camera as “ladies and gentlemen”.

As we’re taken from town to town, retracing the path of Chin Peng’s life, we get to see how things are now in the landmarks of the famous communist’s life. The interviews are not always skewed towards the Emergency — rather, these are just people outlining how they live and work, what they do and why they do it. This is not a movie about communism, it’s a movie about Malaysia and Malaysians, which makes the ban all the more unfair.

Amir is not interested in glorifying communism — in fact, Chin Peng doesn’t even appear in his movie, a gap that he justifies by saying that he’s “never liked talking to politicians” and that “on one level, the documentary is about the idea of absence”.

He has said in the past that if we were living in a communist country today, he’d be making a film about capitalists. What he wants to study are the outcasts, those relegated from society.


Hence, the movie builds up to a visit to the villages in Thailand that now house the communist cadre and their families. It then becomes clear that this is also a film about how history deals with people, and how people deal with history.

It’s sad that due to unrest in Southern Thailand, Amir failed to visit the villages occupied by Malay communists, since this would have helped to dispel the misconception that the Communist Party was made up exclusively of ethnic Chinese.

As it is, those other villages are only mentioned, not shown. But it’s still exceedingly heartening to see a film that stoically portrays our nation’s history, choosing not to honour or to criticise, but simply to document.

* The reviewer caught Lelaki Komunis Terakhir in Singapore.

Singapore cinema run extended

I thought it would last only a week. But due to popular response, The Last Communist will continue screening in Singapore from 18 May until ... well, until people stop buying tickets.

The Picturehouse venue is still:

Levels 5 & 6, The Cathay Cineplex
The Cathay, 2 Handy Road, Singapore 229233

Cinema Phone Booking:
6235 1155

Reservations can be made at the Cathay ticketing website.

The screenings for the next seven days are at 10:55pm. This might seem like an odd time for a documentary but the Midnight screening I had in Toronto's Hot Docs early this month proved to be one of the best yet. So venture forth into the darkness if ye dare.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian fate remains uncertain.

Reading list

The indefatigable journalist Fathi Aris Omar, whom I first knew from the early days of Malaysiakini, has compiled all the available online articles and commentary on the ban in his blog here. Phew!

The first article in a Malaysian newspaper to be written by someone who has seen it

"Kenapa Lelaki Komunis Terakhir?"

Oleh Saifullizan Tahir

Mingguan Malaysia. 14 May

"Semua keluarga yang bahagia itu serupa; setiap keluarga yang tidak bahagia, merana dengan cara mereka tersendiri" - Leo Tolstoy.

KATA-KATA sakti yang membuka cerita Anna Karenina karangan penulis besar Rusia, Leo Tolstoy itu menjadi antara ilham kepada Amir Muhammad untuk mengerjakan dokumentari terbarunya Lelaki Komunis Terakhir.

Amir terilham bahawa untuk mengenal sesuatu masyarakat, kajilah mereka yang berada di pinggirnya dan bukan mereka yang selesa di tengah-tengah.

Tetapi filem itu telah mengundang kontroversi sejak awal lagi, sejak sebelum ia mula dibikin. Seorang ahli politik mengeluarkan kenyataan bahawa filem itu cuba mengagungkan perjuangan komunis.

Malah minggu lepas apabila filem itu mula diperkatakan menjelang tayangannya di pawagam terpilih yang sepatutnya dijadualkan pada 18 Mei ini, timbul suara-suara yang tidak senang dengan perkembangan Lelaki Komunis Terakhir.

Apa yang menghairankan tidak seorangpun dari mereka, termasuk wartawan tersebut yang sudah menonton filem ini.

Lain pula pandangan Presiden Persatuan Sutradara Malaysia (FDAM), Dr. Mahadi J. Murat misalnya ketika diminta pandangan beliau tentang dokumentari itu dan kontroversi yang timbul.

Sebagai pembikin filem dan ahli akademik Mahadi merasakan beliau perlu menonton filem itu sebelum membuat sebarang komen.

"Saya melihat filem sebagai filem. filem adalah satu kerja seni. Saya mahu melihat apa yang generasi baru ini lahirkan." katanya.

Tetapi secara peribadi Mahadi menjelaskan bahawa beliau memang sentiasa menanti kemunculan filem-filem keluaran tempatan.

Penulis sendiri mempunyai pengalaman peribadi tentang komunis. Walaupun datang daripada generasi yang tidak mengalami zaman perang secara langsung. Sungguhpun begitu, kami selalu dihidang dan dijamu dengan memori-memori peperangan dan kerengsaan generasi sebelumnya.

Sewaktu kecil, apabila balik ke kampung nenek, setiap malam kami akan diceritakan tentang kekejaman tentera Jepun dan kemudiannya komunis. Kami mendengar kisah bagaimana datuk saudara dan anak perempuannya ditahan komunis dan hilang tanpa khabar berita sampai ke hari ini.

Kesengsaraan dan azab kehidupan yang dialaminya itu dipindah turun ke dalam benak dan hati penulis yang ketika itu masih empuk. Semua itu meninggalkan kesan yang bukan sedikit kepada pemikiran dan emosi kolektif penulis.

Jadi apabila Amir mahu membuat filem mengenai Chin Peng, penulis terus dikejutkan oleh artificial memory yang telah lama tertanam dalam benak dan jiwa.

Pelbagai perasaan berkecamuk: Kenapa perlu menjolok sarang tebuan? Kenapa perlu mengejut gergasi sangsi yang sedang enak tidur?

Bukan sesuatu yang menyenangkan apabila kita disuruh bersemuka dengan sesuatu yang pernah memberi kesan mendalam kepada orang yang kita sayang. Malah memori mereka sudah seperti menjadi memori kami sendiri. Dendam mereka (yang kini menjadi dendam kami), kembali menyala.

Tetapi perasaan itu jugalah yang membuatkan rasa ingin tahu tentang dokumentari itu semakin menjadi-jadi.

Sebelum Amir mula membuat filem itu sendiri, penulis ada bertanya kepadanya, kenapa? Jawapannya ketika itu, kerana dia ingin tahu.

Setelah filem itu siap dan sedia untuk ditayangkan, sekali lagi penulis bertanya soalan yang sama. Kali ini Amir memberikan jawapan yang sama tetapi dengan sedikit penjelasan.

"Untuk mengenal sesebuah masyarakat adalah lebih baik dengan mengkaji minoriti, kerana golongan minoriti ini mendapat kesan secara langsung daripada pihak yang berkuasa.

"Mereka yang berada dirangkum majoriti selalunya selesa dan tidak merasa. Kalau negara kita ini merupakan negara komunis, saya rasa saya lebih tertarik untuk membuat filem tentang kapitalis."

Memang komunis dan komunisme memberikan banyak kesan langsung kepada perkembangan negara ini.

Lihat saja bagaimana pengstrukturan semula penduduk di Malaysia ketika itu, dan kesannya sehingga sekarang. Kaum Cina ditempatkan di bandar atau di pinggirnya supaya senang dikawal kerana jika di kampung atau di pinggir hutan mereka akan lebih terdedah dengan komunis yang majoritinya adalah berketurunan Cina. Dasar pecah dan perintah oleh Jeneral Sir Gerald Templer memberi kelebihan kepada kaum tersebut sehingga kini

Malahan undang-undang mengenai filem iaitu Akta Filem (Penapisan) 1957 yang disemak semula pada tahun 1971 digubal kerana komunis! Ingatkah kita bagaimana filem digunakan oleh regim Jerman sebagai penyebar propaganda yang paling berkesan? Jika berkesempatan tontonlah filem Der Ewige Jude (Yahudi Selamanya) (1941). Filem yang meyemarakkan rasa benci rakyat Jerman kepada kaum Yahudi. Tetapi, Lelaki Komunis Terakhir bukan filem propaganda.

Filem Amir ini lebih mirip kepada road movie, berbeza daripada filem dokumentari sebelumnya The Big Durian(2003) dan Ada Apa Dengan Indonesia(2005).

Apabila akhirnya dapat menonton sendiri filem dokumentari ini, penulis dapat merumuskan bahawa Amir sebenarnya bukan hanya bercerita tentang Chin Peng. Chin Peng hanyalah kalam untuk Amir menceritakan tentang sesuatu yang lebih besar, tentang Malaysia!

Melalui filemnya ini, Amir melakarkan potret Malaysia yang sangat familiar kepada kita tetapi pada satu sisi lain, agak berbeza - bagai artis impressionist melukis di kanvas. Dia tidak hanya merakamkan apa yang dilihat dengan mata kasar, tetapi turut menelanjangkan rupa jiwa masyarakatnya dengan larian berus yang unik dan tersendiri.

Amir membawa kita menjelajah ke utara Semenanjung Malaysia, singgah di tempat-tempat yang pernah dilalui oleh Chin Peng. Sepanjang perjalanan itu, dia menemubual pelbagai lapisan rakyat Malaysia dari pelbagai kaum mengenai diri mereka. Kemudiannya temubual yang sama dengan mereka yang kalah perang. Jika dihalusi, semua ini bukan dibuat secara rawak. Semua disusun dengan teliti.

Selain temuramah, apa yang menyegarkan adalah selingan lagu-lagu. Pendekatan ini secara sengaja melanggar rukun filem dokumentari. Ia meniru gaya filem propaganda Inggeris terhadap komunis. Lagu-lagu itu digubah khas oleh Jerome Kugan dan Hardesh Singh, pujangga dan pengubah lagu muda yang sedang meningkat naik.

Sehingga kini filem ini telah ditayang di beberapa festival di luar negara. Antaranya Hong Kong, Singapura, Seattle dan Toronto. Semasa di Singapura, sambutannya amat di luar dugaan.

Semasa sesi soal jawab,dapat dilihat bagaimana mereka di Singapura cukup cemburu dengan demokrasi kita yang semakin matang.

Pascaskrip: Sepuluh hari sebelum Lelaki Komunis Terakhir dijadual ditayangkan di pawagam, Kementerian Hal Ehwal Dalam Negeri mengeluarkan arahan melarang tayangannya.

"Who is Afraid of the Last Communist?"

Who is Afraid of the Last Communist?

By Farish A. Noor

The news that the film Lelaki Komunis Terakhir (The Last Communist) by Malaysian director and producer Amir Muhammad has been banned by the Ministry of Home Affairs - despite the fact that it had been passed by the Malaysian Censor Board - has struck some by surprise.

After the initial hullaballoo brought about by some individuals and groups, including UMNO Youth, who argued that the Malaysian movie industry ought to have focused more on national heroes who fought against the Malayan Communist Party instead, the Malaysian public has been left none the wiser. The Home Ministry has defended its decision to keep the film out of our cinemas on the grounds that 'the Malaysian public' has demanded it. For a government that has not proven as effective when it comes to probing into the internal affairs of the police and the alleged misconduct of some of its members, the Home Ministry now seems to have returned to form and is acting speedily to serve the interests of the public!

Here the first of many questions arises: Who, pray tell, makes up this nebulous 'Malaysian public' that is ever so sensitive to the depiction of Malaysia's leftist leaders, activists and intellectuals? If the mass 'protests' against the film are to be taken into account, then surely one would have to also take into consideration the actors and agents who were behind these protests themselves - in this case none other than the leaders and members of the Conservative Barisan Nasional coalition themselves whose ideological differences with the secular left are well known and documented.

Secondly we are then forced to ask what service this ban is meant to do for us, the Malaysian public, in whose interests the ban was imposed in the first place. Underlying the argument of the Home Ministry seems to be a paternalistic logic of pastoral and custodial care that seeks to domesticate society by safeguarding it from 'insiduous' and 'subversive' elements (catchwords of the Cold War one would recall). One can only wonder if this is the same sort of parental control logic that prevails when the state-appointed authorities act against Malaysian couples who hold hands in public and are accused of 'indecent behaviour'...

The Malaysian state remains stuck in its maximalist model of policing and control, like some overbearing parent that cannot come to terms with the fact that his children have grown up and can now think for themselves. Are we, the Malaysian public, wise and mature enough to vote for the government yet immature enough not to be able to assess the merits of director Amir Muhammad's movie on our own? Or would we need to be given printed guidelines to help us interpret every sentence, every scene, every character, in any film deemed 'unfit' for Malaysian consumtion? If that be the case, the Ministry could have provided us with printed illustrated guidelines that spell out how to interpret the movie and whose side we should take while watching it. A photo of Chin Peng could have been printed with the warning: 'Orang Jahat- Jangan ikut lagaknya. Bahaya- Macam Darth Vader'.

The bottom line is that Amir Muhammad's film was an attempt - albeit in his own artistic mode - to interpret the character and personality of an individual who was instrumental in the formation of post-colonial Malaysia.

Whatever Chin Peng's ideological convictions may have been, he stands among the most important political figures of Malaysia in the 20th century. The fact that he is of Chinese background is also important for the simple reason that it reminds us of the contribution of the non-Malay communities to the development first of colonial, and later post-colonial, Malaysia. It is sad enough that the number of non-Malays who appear in our history books are few and far between. Now it would appear that those who were in the opposition camp are doubly damned for being both non-Malay and in the opposition as well. Will our present day non-Malay opposition leaders like Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh suffer the same fate in the future, one wonders?

The writing of Malaysia's complex history can and will be a difficult venture indeed. The enterprise is fraught with difficulties that extend well beyond the ideological and political. Any nation as plural and articifical as Malaysia will have to grapple with its contigencies and radical accidental moments of hazard and chance. Malaysia - the country that was initially thought to be a potential Balkans in the 1950s - has turned out to be one of the few so-called economic miracles of East Asia instead. But this development has not followed a linear path, nor was it predetermined by fate or necessity. Many characters and events were thrown into the bargain, and each of them - both positively and negatively - did, in their own way, steer the ship of the Malaysian state to where it is today.

Chin Peng and the Malayan Communist Party were among those crucial actors whose role was pivotal in the formative years of Malayan nationalism in the 1930s and 1940s, when the decolonisation movement was gaining momentum and the nascent idea of a Malayan (later Malaysian) nation came into being.

If anything, Chin Peng and the MCP should be remembered for what they were: partners in the collective attempt to free Malaya and Malayans from the yoke of British colonialism and Western imperialism. The British understood very well why the Malayan Communist Party was a threat to their own imperial and colonial interests, for the Communists were hardly allies who could be counted upon to defend the rights and privileges of the colonisers. Instead the British chose to support the liberal Malayan conservatives like Onn Jaafar who later created the Independence for Malaya Party (IMP) that was little more than a soft bulwark against the tide of growing anti-colonial sentiment spreading through the country and the region by extension.

During its heyday, the Malayan Communist Party was part of a greater international coalition that struggled against both colonialism and imperialism and which regarded Fascism as its greatest enemy. While the liberals and conservatives among our forefathers lay dormant, the Malayan Communists were the ones who stood up against both Japanese militarism, and following the Second World War, the attempt by the former colonial powers to reimpose their imperial rule in Asia. Were these 'sins' that they, and us, should be ashamed of?

To return to the original question posed at the beginning: If Amir Muhammad's film on Chin Peng is deemed as unfit or even dangerous for the Malaysian public, we need to ask ourselves whose interests are being served here? The Malaysian public that still has to learn the true extent of the commitment and sacrifice of all Malaysians from all races and all walks of life in the anti-colonial struggle? Or the interests of the conservatives among us who insist that theirs and theirs alone is the official account of Malaysian history that deserves to be told? One can understand how and why the British colonisers were adamant that the Malayan Communist Party should be destroyed and all traces of it wiped out. But why should the same skewered beliefs be held by the Malaysian political elite of today?

* Farish A Noor is a Malaysian political scientist and human rights activist, based at the Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO), Berlin. The above article was written for Eye Asia.

Limited screening in Singapore 11-17 May

The Last Communist screens at The Picturehouse for a limited showcase starting this Thursday (11 May)

Tickets now available for booking.

Screening times:

Thu 11 May: 5:20pm
Fri 12 May: 11:35am & 5:20pm
Sat 13 May: 11:35am & 5:20pm
Sun 14 May: 11:35am & 5:20pm
Mon 15 May: 5:20pm
Tue 16 May: 5:20pm
Wed 17 May: 5:20pm

Please check for details at the Cathay ticketing website.

Cinema Location:
Levels 5 & 6, The Cathay Cineplex
The Cathay, 2 Handy Road, Singapore 229233

Cinema Phone Booking:
6235 1155

THE LAST COMMUNIST
Writer/Director/Producer : Amir Muhammad
PG, 90minutes, Malay/Chinese dialects/Tamil with English subtitles

Recently screened at the 19th Singapore International Film Festival to a full house. Recently banned in Malaysia.

A semi-musical documentary inspired by the early life and legacy of Chin Peng, exiled leader of the banned Communist Party of Malaya. Interviews with the people in the towns he lived in from birth to national independence are interspersed with specially composed songs in the mould of old-fashioned propaganda films.

Official website

Why is Lelaki Komunis Terakhir banned in Malaysia?

In March 2006 we submitted my documentary Lelaki Komunis Terakhir (known in English as The Last Communist) to the Malaysian Film Censorship Board (LPF). “We” in this case refers to myself as well as Red Films, the local production company which is the co-producer.

Lelaki Komunis Terakhir is a semi-musical road movie documentary tracing the towns in which Chin Peng (exiled leader of the banned Communist Party of Malaya) lived in from birth to national independence in 1957. It does not include any interviews with, or even photographs of, Chin Peng himself. The documentary features interviews with people who live in those same present-day towns such as Sitiawan, Bidor, Taiping, Ipoh and Betong, Thailand. Along the way there are also specially-composed songs and capsule biographical data explaining what Chin Peng did in those towns. Chin Peng himself is mentioned only once during the interviews.

What were my expectations upon submission to LPF? I can honestly say, “I don’t know.” Censorship in this country is an unpredictable thing. I am not a censor so I wouldn’t know what a censor would look out for or find objectionable. I just hoped for the best.

Lelaki Komunis Terakhir had been shot over the course of 4 weeks in late 2005. The total budget including promotion is RM80,000. The shoot had the necessary permit from the National Film Development Corporation (Finas). This was not a ‘guerrilla’ or ‘underground’ shoot and Red Films is a licensed production company responsible for, among others, last year’s teen futsal romance Gol & Gincu.

The funding came partly from the Jan Vrijman Fund of Amsterdam which is a documentary fund for developing countries and not (as a letter in last year’s Berita Harian claimed) a body responsible for spreading communism worldwide.

When the news came out that the documentary was going to be made, UMNO Youth issued a single protest letter. As I had not even started shooting, they were probably making an assumption about its content. I did not respond to this protest letter as I believed the proper thing to do is to make the documentary first.

Lelaki Komunis Terakhir made its world premiere at the prestigious Berlin Film Festival in February. The audience included the Malaysian ambassador to Germany who said he enjoyed it. It has since been invited to 14 other film festivals around the world, including London, Seattle, Vancouver and Hong Kong. All these invites were received up to and including April this year.

In April we received the good news: Lelaki Komunis Terakhir was passed uncut by the censors. Yes, not a single cut. And the rating given was U, meaning suitable for all ages. After a meeting that we had with LPF chairman, he clarified that this approval meant that we could screen it in the three digital cinemas we had asked for: namely, the Golden Screen Cinemas of MidValley, One Utama Kuala Lumpur and Gurney Plaza, Penang. This approval did not include VCD/DVD sales and TV broadcast; we were made to understand that these extra approvals would depend on the public reaction after watching it in the cinemas.

I am not naïve and do know that the subject of communism is taboo in Malaysia. I maintain that Lelaki Komunis Terakhir was made with a certain sense of responsibility and sensitivity to history. It is not a propaganda film but a rather odd documentary. “Odd” is the word I heard when I screened it overseas, but most meant it in a nice way.

Being “odd” as it is, we never wanted a big nationwide release. Lelaki Komunis Terakhir is a documentary shot and finished on digital video. It is not a feature film with stars. It is therefore not “commercial.” There are only 3 cinemas in Malaysia equipped to show digital-video movies and these happen to be the 3 cinemas that we chose. (Berita Harian brought up a bizarre point that Kuala Lumpur and Penang have a majority Chinese population but I fail to see why this matters). Each cinema can fit not even 100 people so it is a very limited screening and hardly Lord of the Rings.

After discussion with Golden Screen Cinemas, we set 18 May for the release date on these 3 screens.

Oh yes: Due to its subject-matter, we were asked to hold a special screening for officers of the Special Branch unit of the Royal Malaysian Police Force. I never knew of any other film that has received such a request but we obliged. We screened it for an audience of 20 Special Branch officers. After the screening we had a nice discussion. They did not indicate any objection to the documentary; one said “It should be OK” but another said, “It’s very academic and most people will be bored.” A few of them took my name-card but said they had none of their own. We did not hear from them again.

All seemed to be going well until Berita Harian ran a series of articles criticizing the LPF’s decision to approve the documentary. Berita Harian was the only newspaper in the country to do this. These articles appeared on May 3, 4 and 5 of the newspaper. These included interviews with politicians, filmmakers and academics who seemed appalled that such a documentary was approved for screening.

On the evening of May 5, Red Films received instructions from the Ministry of Home Affairs to not screen Lelaki Komunis Terakhir anywhere in Malaysia. The reason cited was that “the public had protested.”

We of course cancelled the Golden Screen Cinemas release date and also an Ipoh charity screening on 19 May (for which separate approval was in the process of being obtained from the Ipoh police department).

The decision to ban the documentary was based on the series of articles in Berita Harian. I need to emphasise this point: No one in Berita Harian has seen the documentary. And no one interviewed by Berita Harian had seen it either.

According to friends of mine who were called up by Berita Harian (and who refused to make any comments), the question that was asked of them was “Do you approve of this Amir guy making a movie glorifying communism and Chin Peng?” This sort of leading question obviously got the answers that the paper was looking for. The people who were quoted were making comments on a documentary they had not even seen. Some of them didn’t even know of its existence until Berita Harian told them. In other words, they literally didn’t know what they were talking about.

I was called up by that newspaper on 3 May to give my comments. The reporter said, “There are all these people angry at you. How do you respond?” I said, “They haven’t even seen the documentary. How am I supposed to respond?” He seemed disappointed that he couldn’t goad me into saying anything else.

Why did Berita Harian object to the documentary even without seeing it? Berita Harian is a conservative newspaper whose cultural politics verges on the ethnocentric and semi-fascist. Proof of this was its intense daily campaign (which ran for weeks) to discredit Yasmin Ahmad’s Sepet after it won Best Film at the Malaysian Film Festival. Berita Harian was the only newspaper to take such exception to this interracial romance as being “insulting to Malay culture”. Its Assistant Entertainment Editor Akmal Abdullah even appeared on the RTM talk-show Fenomena Seni to further denounce Sepet and its follow-up Gubra along the same lines. He seemed to take particular exception to the plot of a Malay girl falling in love with an “infidel” (Chinese) youth.

Akmal in his weekly Thursday column Epilog (ironic that such a Malaycentric writer would choose such a foreign word) also ran a weekly campaign against any local film not made in the Malay language. He sees this as part of some kind of conspiracy to “destroy Malay culture”. He singles out internationally acclaimed, small movies like The Beautiful Washing Machine, Sanctuary and Chemman Chaalai (made by people from what he terms “foreign” and “immigrant races”) for attack but has offered no proof that he has even seen any of these fine works.

In fact, central to Berita Harian’s objection to Lelaki Komunis Terakhir seems to be that Chin Peng is an ethnic Chinese. I was ‘advised’ in these articles to concentrate on Malay characters from now on; even if they are radical or communist it’s OK!

More evidence can be found on Berita Harian’s reactionary, racist cultural views. This is the same newspaper that a few years ago ran a long, positive review of that famous anti-Jewish fraud, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion! The fact that it could run such a review with no apology or retraction already places it beyond the ethical standards of civilised international journalism.

I repeat: The censorship board, whose job it is to monitor these things, had obviously found nothing objectionable in the film; this is why it was passed uncut.

The censors of all the countries that have screened the documentary so far in festivals (including Germany, Hong Kong, Argentina) passed it uncut too.

In none of the international reviews published did the critics say anything about how this was a ‘dangerous’ movie that will ‘harm the public.’ The advantage these reviews have over Berita Harian: They were written by people who had actually viewed the documentary. Not one of them came to the conclusion that I was “glorifying” any political leader including Chin Peng. All those reviews are available here:

Variety
Sign and Sight
Film Kritiken
Die Tageszeitung
Sight & Sound

OK you might say those are ‘liberal’ and ‘tolerant’ countries whose standards don’t apply to us. But how about this: Singapore passed it uncut too! Yes, Singapore! The very country that barely has any opposition politicians or chewing gum.

It screened at the Singapore International Film Festival in late April. I was there at the full-house screening. I can assure you that no one ran amok after the screening or threatened national security. People just politely went back to the MRT and their lives.

It is, to put it mildly, horribly unfair for a movie to be banned based on comments by people who had not seen it. I am dismayed that a single newspaper (and a culturally chauvinistic one at that) could cause the Home Affairs Ministry to reverse the decision by the censors.

* Perhaps the objections are to the title? Well, Malaysia did once ban Daredevil and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers because of the words ‘devil’ and ‘morphin’ (which sounds like morphine) respectively. But that was in the past. The current Censorship Board seems determined to not make Malaysia an international laughingstock for ill-advised bans such as those. Do we want to return to those times?

* Perhaps the objection is to the very subject of communism? If communism is so untouchable, why is Malaysia now such pals with China and Cuba?

* Perhaps the objection is to “glorifying” communism and Chin Peng? I repeat: This charge has only been made by people who have not seen the documentary. Read the reviews by people who have seen it.

* Perhaps the objection is to painful depictions of the past? Lelaki Komunis Terakhir has no archive footage or historical recreations of war at all. The most violent image you will see is a strip of petai beans being removed from its tree in Bidor. Government-funded films like Leftenan Adnan, Paloh and Embun all feature violence but no one protested about those.

* Perhaps the objection is to the subject of Chin Peng? Well, Chin Peng’s book is not banned (even though he is), so why a different standard for the documentary, which was furthermore not made in cooperation with him?

* Perhaps the objection is to the fact that some communists were interviewed? Well, the 15-minute sequence in Betong (out of the 90 minutes of the whole documentary) does have retired men and women from the Communist Party of Malaya. But they are living lawfully as farmers and traders in land provided after the Peace Agreement in 1989 between Malaysia, the CPM and Thailand. Although they do describe some of their previous experiences in the jungle, they are in no way advocating a return to war. What does a Peace Agreement mean if the other side cannot even be seen and heard at all?

* Perhaps the objection is to the fact that Chin Peng is ethnic Chinese? Well, you got me there!

We will be meeting with the relevant Ministry to appeal the ban. I made the documentary for Malaysians first of all, since it is about our own past and present. Screening in foreign festivals is worthwhile but it has never been my primary intention. A Malaysian audience (the ones who can stay awake for a 90-minute documentary with no love stories, fight scenes or special effects) will understand it so much more.

This is what I humbly ask: If you feel the public has the right to see Lelaki Komunis Terakhir, please write to the press. The authorities do take note of reports in the media. (That’s why the ban happened in the first place!)

Even if you feel this doesn’t affect you, and you wouldn’t even want to watch the documentary anyway: What’s to stop the same newspaper from starting a campaign against some other local movie, book or song for being “not Malay enough”? That might certainly affect you in the future.

I made a multilingual documentary that explores the diversity and plurality of contemporary Malaysia to contrast against the more turbulent times of Chin Peng’s era. It is about both the geographic and historical ‘landscape’ that make up a country. It is this very diversity that is under threat if we allow chauvinists to determine what the rest of us can or cannot see.

"Tayangan Lelaki Komunis Terakhir" dilarang

Tayangan 'Lelaki Komunis Terakhir' dilarang

Oleh Salhan K. Ahmad & Fathi Aris Omar

Mstar. 8 March.

PETALING JAYA: Filem dokumentari kontroversi Lelaki Komunis Terakhir arahan Amir Muhammad tidak akan ditayangkan minggu depan di pawagam seperti dijadualkan berikutan larangan oleh Kementerian Hal Ehwal Dalam Negeri (KHEDN) pada Jumaat lalu.

Satu sumber di kementerian tersebut memberitahu mStar Online hari ini, surat rasmi telah dikirim kepada Red Films, syarikat pengeluar filem ini, lewat petang Jumaat lepas.

Larangan tersebut diambil dipercayai selepas beberapa pihak menyuarakan bantahan mereka, khususnya seperti dilaporkan oleh sebuah akhbar berbahasa Melayu minggu lepas.

mStar Online difahamkan, larangan kementerian tersebut meliputi "penayangan, pempameran, pengedaran dan penyebaran" filem 90 minit yang mengisahkan perjalanan hidup Chin Peng, pemimpin Parti Komunis Malaya (PKM) yang diharamkan.

Filem dokumentari semi-muzikal ini turut memuatkan lagu-lagu selain wawancara dengan beberapa pihak, termasuk 20 minit dengan pejuang-pejuang gerila bersenjata ini yang kini menetap di Betong, selatan Thailand.

PKM menandatangani perjanjian damai dengan kerajaan Malaysia pada Disember 1989.

Filem ini turut diilhamkan daripada buku autobiografi Alias Chin Peng: My Side of History, tulisannya bersama ahli sejarah Ian Ward yang diterbitkan pada 2003. Ia mengisahkan kehidupan dan tafsiran sejarah bekas setiausaha agung PKM itu yang kini hidup dalam buangan di Thailand.

Filem Amir ini bagaimanapun tidak memuatkan wawancara dengan watak utamanya, Chin Peng, walau lebih 80 orang ditemui dalam proses pembikinannya.

Dalam kenyataannya kepada mStar Online Mac lalu, Amir berpendapat ketiadaan wawancara dengan pemimpin gerila ini, kini 82 tahun, dalam filemnya akan memberikan "kesan misteri yang berpanjangan kepada penonton".

Surat KHEDN itu yang ditandatangani oleh seorang pegawai di Bahagian Kawalan Filem kementerian terbabit dibuat berdasarkan Akta Penapisan Filem 2002.

Menurut surat itu, larangan dibuat dengan alasan "mengambil kira kepentingan awam."

Amir, dalam satu mesej SMS (khidmat pesanan ringkas) kepada mStar Online hujung minggu lalu, berkata beliau sudah dimaklumkan mengenai larangan ini daripada syarikat penerbitnya. Beliau bagaimanapun enggan mengulas lanjut kerana sedang menghadiri satu festival filem dokumentari di Toronto, Kanada.

Lelaki Komunis Terakhir, atau judul Inggerisnya The Last Communist yang dihasilkan dengan bajet RM50,000 itu, pada asalnya dijadualkan ditayangkan di tiga buah pawagam GSC di Kuala Lumpur dan Pulau Pinang mulai 18 Mei ini.

Sementara satu tayangan amal akan diadakan di Ipoh pada 19 Mei.

mStar Online difahamkan semua tayangan ini akan dibatalkan sebagai mematuhi arahan KHEDN tersebut. Penerbit ini bagaimanapun dilaporkan bercadang mengemukakan rayuan kepada kementerian, kata seorang jurucakapnya kepada satu akhbar dalam talian Sabtu lepas.

Filem ini yang diluluskan Mac lalu tanpa sebarang suntingan oleh Lembaga Penapisan Filem (LPF) telah ditayangkan di beberapa festival filem antarabangsa, termasuk yang terbaru di Festival Dokumentari Antarabangsa Kanada Hot Docs di Toronto (festival dokumentari terbesar di Amerika Utara) minggu lepas dan Singapore International Film Festival pada 27 April lalu.

Pengerusi LPF Mohd Hussain Shafie baru-baru ini berkata walaupun dokumentari tersebut berkenaan bekas seorang pemimpin parti yang diharamkan, filem itu tidak akan menyebabkan apa-apa kesan negatif kepada rakyat Malaysia.

"Apabila sesuatu filem cuba menyebarkan ideologi (komunisme), kita tidak akan benarkan," beliau dipetik sebagai berkata kepada The Star.

"Peranan utama kami di sini mengesan hal-hal yang boleh mengancam keselamatan negara. Tetapi daripada penilaian kami, filem (Lelaki Komunis Terakhir) ini tidak lebih sebuah dokumentari tentang hal-hal sejarah yang orang ramai boleh baca dalam buku-buku sejarah, atau di tempat-tempat lain."

Bagaimanapun beberapa pihak dilaporkan kurang senang dengan kelulusan yang diberikan oleh badan penapisan filem ini.

Ketua Puteri Umno, Datuk Noraini Ahmad menyifatkan tindakan LPF itu sebagai "tidak wajar". Negara mempunyai tokoh-tokoh yang lebih berwibawa untuk diteladani dan usaha mengagung-agungkan pemimpin komunis adalah tidak wajar, katanya pada Rabu lepas.

Dalam laporan yang sama, pakar sejarah profesor emeritus Datuk Khoo Kay Kim menyarankan agar "LPF merujuk pihak yang arif terutama dari segi kesannya jika filem kontroversi itu ingin disiarkan kepada umum dan tidak bertindak terburu-buru dalam memberikan kelulusan."

“Sebelum meluluskan, biarlah pihak yang arif menontonnya terlebih dulu. Dalam hal ini LPF tentu tidak benar-benar faham jika kita minta mereka menjelaskan apa itu komunisme dan faham apa sejarah darurat," beliau dipetik sebagai berkata.

Dalam laporan susulan akhbar tersebut Jumaat lalu, persatuan pengamal filem tempatan digambarkan "kebingungan apabila mengetahui filem tersebut bakal ditayangkan pada 18 Mei sedangkan mereka tidak tahu menahu mengenai pembikinannya."

Persatuan Pengeluar Filem Malaysia (PFM) dan Persatuan Pekerja Filem Malaysia (PPFM) dilaporkan berkata penerbitan filem itu tidak wajar, selain LPF juga tidak sepatutnya meluluskan filem itu untuk tatapan rakyat.

"Saya juga terkejut apabila LPF sendiri boleh beri kelulusan terhadap filem ini," kata presiden PFM, Ruhani Abdul Rahman seperti dilaporkan.

Sementara presiden PPFM, Syed Mohamed Hassan pula berkata, "kami di PPFM berasakan filem sebegini tidak wajar dibuat apatah lagi ditayangkan untuk umum di pawagam. LPF harus memikirkan soal sensitiviti masyarakat sebab komunis atau PKM menjadi musuh negara (sebelum perjanjian damai)."

Dalam laporan berasingan di akhbar yang sama Jumaat lepas, LPF berkata pihaknya akan mengkaji semula kelulusan Lelaki Komunis Terakhir jika menerima banyak bantahan daripada orang ramai. "Kalau ramai yang desak, kami akan kaji semula," Mohd Hussain dipetik sebagai berkata.

Penghujung Mac lalu seorang wakil Barisan Nasional (Gerik) pernah mempertikaikan kewajaran menjadikan tokoh PKM ini sebagai tema filem di Dewan Rakyat. Datuk Dr Wan Hashim Wan Teh dilaporkan berkata "kenapa Lelaki Komunis Terakhir sedangkan kita mempunyai pahlawan kita sendiri?"

Sementara Pemuda Umno sendiri turut membantah projek Amir ini sejak perancangannya setahun lalu.

"Curtains for The Last Communist"

Curtains for The Last Communist

By Cindy Tham

The Sun. 7 May

PETALING JAYA: Just 10 days before it is to hit the big screen, the Home Ministry has banned Amir Muhammad's film, Lelaki Komunis Terakhir (The Last Communist), despite it having got the nod of the Film Censorship Board which comes under the ministry.

A spokesman for Red Films, the distributor which also holds the production permit, confirmed it received a faxed letter from the ministry on Friday afternoon.

The letter noted that although the film had been approved by the censors, the ministry had decided to ban it "in the interest of the public", she told theSun.

This means they cannot display/exhibit, screen, distribute and disseminate the film.

Lelaki Komunis Terakhir was scheduled for screening at Golden Screen Cinemas in Gurney Plaza in Penang, Mid Valley Megamall in Kuala Lumpur and 1 Utama in Selangor on May 18 and at a private charity event in Ipoh the next day.

"Red Films and Amir plan to respond to the ministry this week to confirm that we will abide by the letter," she said. "We also plan to appeal to have a discussion with the ministry to review the decision to ban the film."

Amir, the writer, director and producer of the film, is attending the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto, Canada, and will be heading to the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival after that. He is scheduled to return to Malaysia on Saturday.

Lelaki Komunis Terakhir, a "semi-musical documentary inspired by the early life and legacy of Chin Peng, exiled leader of the banned Communist Party of Malaya", is among the films screened at both festivals.

The spokesman said the ministry's decision came as a "surprise" because "we've already had a discussion with the censorship board prior to the approval".


Public wants movie banned: Chai Ho

By Llew-Ann Phang

PETALING JAYA: The curtains shall remain closed on the movie Lelaki Komunis Terakhir (The Last Communist) because that is what the public wants.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Tan Chai Ho said today (May 8, 2006) even though the National Film Censorship Board (LPF) had approved the screening of Amir Muhammad's latest film, the minister, Datuk Seri Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, retracted the approval last Friday (May 5, 2006).

"Under Section 26 of the Film Censorship Act 2002, the minister has the right to revoke or cancel approval because of public interest, and that is why the movie is not being screened," Tan said.

The Act says the minister may at his absolute discretion, prohibit the exhibition, display, distribution, possession, circulation or sale of any film or film publicity material if he or she is of the opinion that it would be contrary to public interest.

Tan said he heard there were many objections from the public about the movie after newspapers publicised it, and the minister had to consider these.

"The public was not very happy about the movie," Tan said, denying that the objections were from any religious group.

Red Films, the movie's distributor and co-producer, confirmed it received a faxed letter from the ministry on Friday (May 5, 2006) afternoon, noting that although the censors had approved the film, the ministry decided to ban it.

The semi-musical documentary inspired by the early life and legacy of Chin Peng, exiled leader of the banned Communist Party of Malaysia, was scheduled to make its debut at Golden Screen Cinemas in Penang's Gurney Plaza, Kuala Lumpur's Midvalley Megamall and 1Utama on May 18, 2006 as well as at a private charity event in Ipoh the following day.

Among public protests to the movie were news reports and editorials in Malay dailies, particularly over the last week that highlighted objections from veteran politicians, members of Parliament and historians.

One editorial in Berita Harian by Akmal Abdullah said while it might not be fair to punish the film without watching it, especially since the LPF had already approved its screening, the movie was a "tribute" to a Communist leader and the Communist struggle.

The assistant entertainment editor said Communism was not dead and could be revived at any time.

First blog review

A Singaporean bloke took the trouble to write a review after the SIFF screening here. He even has a video-clip of me doing the Q & A. Such enterprise! Once our own National Service brats grow up, I can only hope they will be as hard-working.

From Berita Harian, 5 May

PFM, PPFM anggap ‘filem komunis’ tidak wajar

Mereka terkejut filem Lelaki Komunis Terakhir mendapat lampu hijau Lembaga Penapisan Filem Malaysia

Berita Harian. 5 May

PERSATUAN Pengeluar Filem Malaysia (PFM) dan Persatuan Pekerja Filem Malaysia (PPFM) mengaku tidak tahu menahu mengenai penerbitan filem dokumentari Lelaki Komunis Terakhir sama ada di peringkat awal hingga posproduksinya kerana tenaga kerja serta penerbitnya bukan ahli mereka.

Dua persatuan perfileman yang berpengaruh itu juga menyifatkan penerbitan filem itu tidak wajar dalam konteks Malaysia yang berdaulat pada masa kini dan akan datang, selain Lembaga Penapisan Filem Malaysia (LPF) juga tidak sepatutnya meluluskan filem itu untuk tatapan rakyat.

Presiden Persatuan Pengeluar Filem Malaysia (PFM), Ruhani Abdul Rahman, berkata beliau hanya tahun filem Lelaki Komunis Terakhir muncul apabila ia mula menjadi sebutan beberapa penggiat filem dan kemudian mengetahuinya menerusi media massa apabila bakal ditayangkan bermula 18 Mei ini.

Kata Ruhani, secara peribadi dia sendiri terkejut apabila dokumentari mengenai Chin Peng dihasilkan dan dalam diam-diam sudah hendak ditayangkan kepada umum.

“Penerbit filem dokumentari ini bukan ahli PFM. Kami tidak tahu menahu dan tidak pernah terbabit dalam memberi kerjasama. Saya juga terkejut apabila LPF sendiri boleh beri kelulusan terhadap filem ini. Bila masanya Amir mengarah filem ini? Kita pun tidak tahu siapa pembiaya dan penerbitnya?

“Apa yang kita kesalkan, kalau untuk bercakap mengenai perjuangan sejarah, tidak adakah cerita yang dapat mengangkat martabat perjuangan tokoh nasionalis bangsa dan negara kita, daripada mengambil cerita mengenai komunis dan pemimpin Parti Komunis Malaya (PKM) yang terbukti dulu banyak memberi kesan sengsara terhadap rakyat.

“Tidak adakah wira Melayu yang boleh Amir angkat menerusi filem dokumentari. Kita belum ada filem dokumentari mengenai tokoh kita seperti Datuk Onn Jaafar, Tunku Abdul Rahman malah tokoh radikal seperti Ibrahim Yaacob atau Dr Burhanuddin Al-Helmy? Kenapa pilih Chin Peng?

“Memang kita tidak lagi menonton cerita Lelaki Komunis Terakhir, tetapi soalnya kenapa subjek itu dipilih? Ini mengundang sensitiviti masyarakat. Ia akan menjadikan rakyat mungkin marah dan tidak suka. Inilah masalah pembikin filem generasi baru yang lebih berkiblat cara filem Barat. Di Amerika, pembunuh diberi kemasyhuran dengan menerbit filem mereka untuk mempromosikan kejahatan mereka itu menerusi teknik cerita yang berselindung bahawa pembunuh itu orang baik. Inikah yang hendak diikut?” kata Ruhani.

Presiden PPFM, Syed Mohamed Hassan turut menafikan ada ahli PPFM menjadi krew untuk filem dokumentari berkenaan kerana pihaknya sendiri tidak tahu mengenai perjalanan produksi dan penggambarannya.

“Kami di PPFM berasakan filem sebegini tidak wajar dibuat apatah lagi ditayangkan untuk umum di pawagam. LPF harus memikirkan soal sensitiviti masyarakat sebab komunis atau PKM menjadi musuh negara. Walaupun persembahannya tidak ada babak perang atau tidak muncul Chin Peng secara fizikal, tetapi semangat, personaliti dan jiwa komunis Chin Peng tentu ditunjukkan secara psikologi.

“LPF kena berani. LPF memang perlu bersikap terbuka tetapi biarlah lebih sensitif. Sensitiviti masyarakat kena ambil kira kerana gerakan komunis memberi penderitaan kepada rakyat di negara ini sama ada sebelum dan selepas Malaysia merdeka.

“Kita dalam dunia filem tahu, filem sebegitu akan dipaparkan dengan babak yang bermain secara psikologi dengan visual dan garapan tersirat. Ini boleh merosakkan pemikiran generasi muda. PPFM tidak bersetuju Lelaki Komunis Terakhir ditayang secara umum.

“Kenapa sebelum filem ini diberi kelulusan LPF, biarlah ia ditayangkan dulu di Parlimen, biar Parlimen putuskan layak atau tidak untuk ditayangkan kepada rakyat Malaysia. Ini filem yang sensitif kerana berkaitan Chin Peng.

“Krew filem ini bukan ahli PPFM. Saya sendiri tidak tahu siapa krew yang bekerja dengan produksi ini dan siapa menjadi pembiaya filem ini. PPFM juga berasakan rakyat Malaysia tidak wajar dihidangkan filem mengenai Chin Peng. Kita kena ada semangat cintakan bangsa dan negara kerana perjuangan tokoh nasionalis dulu membolehkan generasi sekarang hidup sejahtera di negara ini.

“Sebenarnya, apa pun alasan diberi, soalnya apa sangat cerita yang mahu menunjukkan kisah komunis dan mahu menghargai mereka yang menjadi komunis? Kalau kita biarkan negara ini bebas tanpa had kepada sesiapa saja, bermakna kita tidak percaya dengan tokoh nasionalis kita dulu. Kita kena melindungi perkara ini daripada digembar-gemburkan untuk generasi akan datang,” kata Syed Mohamed.

From Berita Harian, 4 May

Filem Lelaki Komunis Terakhir untuk rakyat Malaysia?
Oleh Akmal Abdullah

Berita Harian. 4 May.

SEMINGGU selepas parti bangsa Melayu terbesar dunia, Umno menyambut ulang tahunnya ke-60 pada 11 Mei ini, masyarakat di negara ini pula akan meraikan satu filem dokumentari mengenang perjuangan Parti Komunis Malaysia (PKM) yang diharamkan serta mengenali lebih dekat pemimpin utama kumpulan pengganas itu, Chin Peng.

Ada satu ironi dan sinikal apabila dua parti itu ‘dirai dalam bulan sama’ mengikut cara berbeza. Dua parti yang bertentangan ideologi. Umno sebagai tonggak parti sah yang menerajui kerajaan sebagai ketuanan politik di Malaysia diraikan atas kesedaran meneruskan survival bangsa era ini dan masa depan, manakala PKM sebagai parti yang diharamkan kerana gerakan subversif untuk merosakkan ketenteraman negara serta kefahamannya menolak kewujudan Tuhan. Perjuangan PKM sejak 1930 hingga 1989 nyata sia-sia.

Kelahiran filem berjudul Lelaki Komunis Terakhir yang mendapat bantahan pemimpin dan veteran politik negara, tokoh sejarah dan ahli Parlimen itu bagaimanapun diberi kelulusan Lembaga Penapisan Filem Malaysia (LPF) dan bakal ditayangkan di Malaysia pada 18 Mei ini di pawagam terkemuka di Kuala Lumpur dan Pulau Pinang, iaitu kawasan majoriti penduduk Cina serta satu tayangan amal di Ipoh pada 19 Mei ini.

Filem adalah filem. Filem juga alat hiburan. Namun, dalam erti kata lebih besar, filem ialah rakaman kehidupan, sejarah dan budaya masyarakat. Paling besar, filem adalah alat propaganda individu, kumpulan, bangsa, komuniti, negara mahupun kerajaan. Maknanya, dalam konteks ini, filem dokumentari Lelaki Komunis Terakhir yang dihasilkan pengarah generasi baru, Amir Muhammad mempunyai signifikan dalam konteks rakaman kehidupan, sejarah dan propaganda. Seseorang individu itu akan dikenang dengan pelbagai cara untuk membuktikan kewujudannya masih relevan menerusi falsafah perjuangan, ideologi, keganasan dan agenda politik.

Adalah tidak adil kita terus menghukum filem Amir itu tanpa menontonnya terlebih dulu apatah lagi LPF sudah meluluskannya. Kita sedar, apabila LPF sudah beri kelulusan, barangkali cerita filem itu tidak memberi kesan kepada keselamatan negara. Namun, filem dalam bentuk dokumentari itu juga kita akui tidak akan dapat lari daripada satu tribute untuk pemimpin komunis, satu pergerakan atas nama PKM untuk mengajak rakyat di negara ini mengenang semula susur galur Chin Peng yang menjadi teraju utama pemberontakan bersenjata komunis di Tanah Melayu sejak Jun 1948 untuk mengambil alih kuasa pemerintahan di bumi tercinta ini.

Chin Peng atau nama besarnya Ong Boon Hu, anak Sitiawan, Perak sudah menjadi ahli PKM sejak berusia 18 tahun dan dilantik menjadi Setiausaha Agung PKM dalam usia 26 tahun selepas Lai Teck melarikan diri. Di bawah pimpinan Ching Peng, ramai anak watan derita dan nestapa, darah menjadi mainan anggota PKM dan beribu-ribu nyawa melayang. Akibatnya, Chin Peng sehingga ini dilarang masuk ke Malaysia.

Catatan sejarah membuktikan, kekejaman PKM menyebabkan kematian 2,461 penduduk awam dan 1,851 anggota keselamatan maut, selain 1,383 penduduk cedera serta 807 orang hilang! Kita berharap Lelaki Komunis Terakhir tidak lagi mengembalikan kenangan dan mencipta glamor terhadap Chin Peng yang mengetuai pemberontakan dan serangan ke atas balai polis, lombong bijih timah, ladang getah dan penduduk kampung. Tragedi Bukit Kepong yang difilemkan Jins Shamsuddin menjadi mimpi ngeri kita betapa pergerakan kejam komunis sanggup membunuh polis yang menjaga keselamatan negara, lalu kanak-kanak kecil menjadi yatim dan isteri menjadi janda. Kehidupan masa itu menjadi ‘neraka’ kerana komunis sanggup membunuh nyawa orang kampung semata-mata mahu mendapatkan beras dan gula.

Diharap, filem Amir itu tidak memuliakan kekejaman Ching Peng dan anak buahnya untuk mencapai cita-cita mewujudkan Republik Komunis Malaya. Walaupun kita tahu PKM sudah diharamkan dan gencatan senjata sudah dibuat, tetapi ideologinya tidak pernah mati, bila-bila masa ia boleh dihidup dan disegarkan semula. Namun, kita yakin, Lelaki Komunis Terakhir tidak mungkin cenderung ke arah itu kerana ia sudah diluluskan LPF. Namun, kena ingat atas nama filem juga, propaganda boleh digunakan dengan teknik persembahan secara halus jika ada unsur mengangkat biografi dan kronologi kehidupan Chin Peng diwujudkan meskipun tanpa babak perang atau aksi ganas dalam hutan. Kita harap selepas ini, Amir dan pengarah Melayu generasi baru lain lebih prihatin kepada perjuangan tokoh nasionalis bangsanya sendiri seperti Ibrahim Tok Janggut, Tun Perak, Datuk Maharaja Lela, Mat Kilau, Datuk Bahaman, Tok Gajah, Dol Said, Mat Salleh, Tok Naning, Rosli Dobi, Temenggung Jugah, Abdul Rahman Embong, Tengku Kudin, Long Jaafar, Datuk Sagor, Sultan Abdullah (Perak) dan Sultan Abu Bakar (Bapa Johor Moden) mahupun Datuk Onn. Mungkin, Amir tidak kenal mereka ini.

Kata orang, luka lama berdarah kembali, mimpi negeri zaman datuk nenek mula menghantui kita...

From Berita Harian, 3 May

Censors accused of being insensitive

By Norfatimah Ahmad, Jalal Ali Abdul Rahim, Masrina Mohd Yunos and Adha Ghazali

Berita Harian. 3 May

KUALA LUMPUR: The decision of the Malaysian Film Censorship Board (LPF) to allow the screening of the documentary Lelaki Komunis Terakhir which talks about the life of the former head of the Communist Party of Malaya, Chin Peng, is described as not appropriate.

Various people who were contacted for reactions concerning the issue criticised the LPF's action because it it seen as insensitive to the people of this country especially the victims and families who suffered atrocities committed by the communists.

The head of Puteri Umno, Datuk Noraini Ahmad said the LPF's action is not appropriate as it is not right for anyone to glorify the communist leader when the country has much more credible people that we can learn from.

She said, the issue relating to the production of this documentary and whether it was appropriate to be approved by the authorities was discussed earlier but did not continue because it was thought that the film would never become a reality.

History figure, Professor Emeritus Datuk Khoo Kay Kim said the LPF should not have been hasty in giving approval for the documentary but should have consulted experts especially about the potential effects of screening it to the public.

"Before passing it, let experts view it first. In this case I think the LPF doesn't really understand if we were to ask them to explain communism and the history of the Emergency."

"The cruelty of the communists caused suffering to the public and security forces. Screening it will only make them feel uneasy," he said when asked to comment on the LPF's decision to allow the documentary by Amir Muhammad to screen in cinemas from 18 May.

However the documentary was passed for only three screens operated by Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) namely Mid Valley and One Utama, Kuala Lumpur; and Gurney Plaza in Penang.

UMNO veteran. Tan Sri Aziz Tapa said the documentary should have been banned from screening because hatred towards Chin Peng is very deeply felt especially by the victims of the Communist Party's cruelty and although the wounds have disappeared, the scars remain.

"Just mention Chin Peng and people will get angry. The screening will cause this anger to resurface especially among families of victims and we are worried 'old wounds will bleed again'" he said and also suggests that the approval might have been made by a young LPF officer who is too eager for 'democracy' without realising the effects.

Another UMNO veteran, Tan Sri Zaleha Ismail said she opposes strongly the screening of the documentary because it will only hurt the feelings of those who suffered atrocities committed by communists.

Meanwhile, the Director of the National Internal Security and Public Safety Department, Datuk Mustafa Abdullah said he is unsure about the approval status of the screening of the documentary.

He said that until now, his department had not received any information about the making or screening of the film but is certain the Special Branch unit of Police Headquarters knows about it.

"Whatever it is, I am sure there is a reason for the approval given by LPF for the documentary to be screened," he said and refused further comment.

The President of the Former Armed Servicemen Association of Malaysia, Datuk Mohamad Ghani said that the LPF's decision could anger all army personnel especially those who fought against the communists.

"This film seemingly belittles our struggle in the security forces to fight communists but during that time, more than 11,000 policemen, soldiers and civilians were killed."

*Translated from the original Malay.

Off The Edge, May 2006

The current issue of Off The Edge magazine (with Nicol David on the cover) has a photo-essay by Albert Hue on some of the Perak locations we went to for this documentary. The photos are best appreciated in context so they will not be reproduced here. Do check it out at a good news-stand near you. For RM10 you will even get to keep a copy. How cool is that?