The real beast is the hypocrisy of puritanism - from around the blogs

The real beast is the hypocrisy of puritanism  

What could possibly go wrong with Malaysian movie-goers enjoying a gay scene in theaters?

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Either the Malaysian government is playing coy or it has come to believe the delusion that it is the absolute keeper of the nation’s morality.
This explains the many implausible decisions to ban local works, reading materials and films that go to great length to challenge Putrajaya’s conservatism and refusal to think out of the box.
In 2012, a children’s sex education book ‘How to Talk to Your Child About Sex?’ left the government blushing, enough to get the book banned, claiming its contents “could threaten moral values”.
The 44-page illustrated book, by British author Peter Mayle was published in 1984 with the aim of helping parents explain to children topics such as sex, conception and birth.
Really, will all the misplaced embarrassment do the nation any good? That teachers are ‘uncomfortable’ to broach sex education as a subject is a classic example of how Putrajaya’s endless but futile “blushing” has affected the process of critical thinking.
It is this very “shame” that the government has assigned to the subject of sex education that has led to Malaysians unwilling to come forward and help curb the crime of sexual violence.
Maybe “embarrassment” is also the problem why Malaysians still struggle to address the human anatomy for what it is, instead clutching tightly to euphemisms like ‘private part’ when having to talk about ‘penis’ , ‘vagina’ or even the ‘breast’.
Has the government’s obsession with morality resulted in a destructive spin-off effect, with Malaysians showing less inclination in helping put a stop to ills like child sexual abuse and getting rid of their homophobic tendencies?
Malaysia’s Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) for one wants the society to drop its apathy and help the government tackle child sexual crimes.
Suhakam chairperson Razali Ismail recently said while there was no denying or shrouding the reality that child sexual crimes happen in Malaysia, there however was no reason for the society to be embarrassed to report the crime.
Razali hoped too the government’s move to table the Child Sexual Offences Bill 2017 to specially address child sexual crimes in the current session of parliament would spur Malaysians to lend a helping hand in curbing sexual crimes against children.
Illogical rationale
While Razali opts for optimism, Putrajaya on the other hand remains firm in protecting the ‘morality’ of the people.
So it came as no surprise when it was no-go for Walt Disney’s classic ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in Malaysia, until and unless a gay scene in the movie is ditched by Disney to meet Putrajaya’s morality radar.
So a tug-of-war of ensued between the Malaysian Censorship Board which stood determined in disallowing the 2017 American musical to be screened depicting the homosexual scene.
Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed on Monday (March 20) validated the Censorship Board’s decision demanding that the gay scene be snipped before ‘Beauty and the Beast’ can see the light of day in the local theaters.
The movie was slated for release in Malaysia on March but got stalled after Disney refused to get rid of the gay scene to meet Finas’ demands.
Nur Jazlan refuted that the movie was banned saying the Censorship Board had approved the flick but with censorship which however was not welcomed by Disney.
“The movie was approved with censorship with a PG13 rating. Claims that it was banned is untrue,” Nur Jazlan told the Dewan Rakyat.
“The decision against screening was made by Disney. They appealed against the decision. If they disagreed, it is not the ministry’s fault.”
Then the deputy home minister went on to make a jaw dropping remark, one which no less had him stirring the hornet’s nest.
Nur Jazlan thought the gay scene, the very premise that has left the fate of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ hanging in the balance in Malaysia, inconsequential.
“The scene was not integral to the storyline. You can watch it at home.”
Interestingly, it leaves you wondering what made the deputy home minister conclude the said gay scene was unimportant to the movie’s plot.
Democracy holds sway
For a long time, the state has held veto power over the likes and dislikes that would appease Malaysians. From books to movies, Putrajaya has decided it ‘knows best’ only to end up being reminded time and again that democracy still holds sway in the 59-year-old Malaysia.
The double standard imposed is appalling; the government has no issue with the people watching ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in its entirety in the comfort of their homes but not in outdoor settings.
Why the hypocrisy? Does it boil down to the fact that homosexuality is a crime in Malaysia of that the true and intense diversity of the human life rattles an old guard Putrajaya to the core?
There is nothing detrimental in watching this or any other gay scene, unless a homophobic Putrajaya is confident it will spin the country’s towards apocalypse.
This latest furore involving Disney continues to vouch for the fact that Malaysia indeed has one of the world’s strictest forms of media censorship, all done under the pretext of safeguarding morality.
Is the rise in Islamic conservatism in the country to be blamed for handicapping the Censorship Board in failing to gauge the worthiness of a movie?
Over a decade ago, Malaysia’s film censorship guidelines came under heavy scrutiny where nudity and sex scenes were deemed mortifying to public viewing while kissing scenes and cleavages too left the Censorship Board red in the face.
What could possibly go wrong with Malaysian movie-goers enjoying a gay scene in theaters? Have both the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) and the Home Ministry no understanding of what constitutes sexual orientation?
Or does the Malaysian government subscribe to the primitive thinking that homosexuality is “contagious”?
So much excuse for playing keeper of the nation’s morality; the government has proverbially speaking once again failed to separate the wheat from the chaff while movies like ‘Beauty and the Beast’ go on to smash box-office records with its stupendous earnings.