PETALING JAYA, July 29 — Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin today aimed an angry barb at the DAP’s Lim Guan Eng after the latter pointed out the “hypocrisy” of formalising ties with China’s Communist Party whilst condemning a local film for allegedly glorifying the now-defunct movement.
The row erupted after “The New Village” — a movie on the relocation of Chinese settlers to the film’s namesakes during the Malayan Emergency — moved Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia to criticise authorities for allowing it to be screened even as another controversial film, “Tanda Putera”, was delayed following complaints.
Joining the chorus of critics, Khairy spoke out against the film and said it should not be shown if it glorified the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM).
This led the DAP secretary-general to label Khairy and the Barisan Nasional Youth movement he heads as “hypocrites” for attacking the film despite cementing an alliance with the Communist Youth League (CYL) of China.
“Clearly both Umno Youth and Utusan Malaysia are hypocrites and practise double standards for failing to ask for action against BN Youth chairman Khairy Jamaluddin for glorifying communism by forming an alliance between BN Youth and the CYL of China,” Lim said earlier.
The now-defunct CPM had led an insurrection against the Japanese invaders and, after World War II, the British. It laid down arms in 1989 following a peace deal negotiated with the Malaysian government.
Only a handful of its former members are still alive today, most notably former secretary-general Chin Peng, but the movement continues to be vilified and occasionally used to describe those who oppose the government.
“Tanda Putera”, a film on the May 13, 1969 racial riots, had its screening delayed following complaints that it fictionalised the events from Malaysia’s darkest period. It is scheduled to be shown in cinemas on August 29, a year after it was due to be shown.
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