8.18.2007
Sacrilegious sedition
News source: Student faces rap for mocking the national anthem
Youtube video: Negarakuku by Namewee (may be removed)
He may have broken the law, but has the law broken him?
Wee Meng Chee, a Malaysian final year student at a Taiwanese university, recently sparked unabated debate in his home country by uploading a satirical video clip onto the video-sharing website Youtube. This clip allegedly insinuates Malaysia, as well as her national anthem Negaraku. Its contents include fragments of Negaraku, divided by portions of mostly Mandarin rap, which criticizes the police, the government and its Bumiputra policies, and Malays themselves.
It is necessary to first examine various justifications that have been put forth to substantiate Wee's actions.
A prominent one is that Wee was unaware of the consequences. However, I feel that simply feigning ignorance cannot excuse him from the full force of Malaysian law. As an adult, and as a university student, Wee should have known better than to proceed with something which was obviously controversial, without first checking if this could potentially be considered illegal. Personally, I sense that this was not a rash act or a case of misplaced angst, but rather that Wee truly believes in the perspective that he advocates. It was a conscious choice of his to distort Negaraku as a means to his ends.
Yet another attempt to absolve Wee has centered around the concept of freedom of expression in a democracy. But how valid is this point without accounting for the possible illegality of his actions? Furthermore, freedom does not come without responsibility. One cannot allow the freedom of expression beyond the bounds of reason. Wee's views were largely unsubstantiated and provocative, which directly led to the backlash. Had he taken more care to back up his opinions, his video would have been an insightful one, raising pertinent Malaysian social issues in a careful and considered manner.
While his actions are legally inexcusable, the crux of the matter is far more fundamental. Perhaps the very inkling that Wee is adamant about holding such strong opinions, and is willing to propagate these views on the internet to his fellow Malaysians, is indicative that the issues he raises do have a certain magnitude in Malaysia. If he is really feeling subjugated by his own government, then as a believer in equality, I do have some sympathy for his cause. If his sentiments are indeed representative of significant portions of the Malaysian population at large, the government should take notice of the discontent and work to resolve it promptly.
It should be noted that while the issues raised could be true, and the cause he advocates could be valid, his methodology is unforgivable. Whether he intended it or not, Wee ended up in much trouble for insulting his national anthem, his national government, and his nation's Malays.
Wee has since apologized, but does he truly mean it? He may not be the only one in danger of being charged with sacrilegious sedition.
# posted by splot @ 23:04 
