A number of civil society groups, creative organizations, and individuals have issued a joint statement urging the Malaysian government to avoid a "witch hunt" over the film Mentega Terbang, which has copped some serious flak over the past week for supposedly containing elements of religious pluralism.
Mentega Terbang was released in late 2021, and touched heavily on the topic of Malaysia's major religions by following 15-year-old Aishah, a girl who becomes curious about her faith and the concept of life after death, owing largely to her mother's declining health.
Following its release on the Viu streaming service in January 2022, the movie drew criticism from some members of the public, including local singer Caprice and Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra), which lodged a police report against it last week.
Creators should be protected.
In the statement, they called on the government to prioritize creating a safe environment for filmmakers and artists to freely express their creativity.
They emphasized that any creative content deemed offensive by certain individuals and groups must be handled professionally, independently, and transparently to protect the creative freedoms of artists and vulnerable minors.
"We believe that the long-term solution does not lie in tightening censorship, pursuing punitive measures, or allowing religious advisors to decide what is acceptable or unacceptable creative content," they stated.
The signatories of the statement included Aliran, Amnesty International Malaysia, singer-songwriter and academic Azmyl Yunor, the Association of Women Lawyers, writer and musician Brian Gomez, Beyond Borders, the Centre for Independent Journalism, arts practitioner Chi Too, writer and academic Faisal Tehrani, Five Arts Centre, Freedom Film Network, Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM), and GERAK (Malaysian Academic Workforce Movement) among others.
"Resources and energy should be channeled into media literacy and building a Malaysia Madani where adults are exposed, encouraged, and empowered to self-regulate and make informed decisions based on classifications and their own respective tastes, values, and principles," the statement said. "Criticisms of and counter-perspectives to any content should be allowed in a democratic society as long as it is expressed in a non-violent and peaceful manner."
"We must not allow intimidation, threats, and a culture of fear perpetuated by particular groups to silence freedom of expression and undermine the enjoyment of all our rights and the practice of democracy. Any restrictions to our freedom of expression must be legitimate, necessary, and proportionate to the harm."
The joint statement was issued in response to recent allegations of religious provocation by the locally-made movie, which led to an investigation by the federal police after eight police reports were lodged claiming offense over the film's content.
In addition, the coalition also questioned the lack of response to the threats of physical violence and sexual harassment against the creators of Mentega Terbang, saying that the silence "creates a culture of fear that endangers filmmakers and artists".
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Cover image sourced from New Straits Times and Malay Mail.
