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The greatest crime of all: free thought

Posted: 05 Aug 2013 09:32 PM PDT

I have a whole collection of Che Guevara T-shirts. I also have a whole collection of berets -- mainly because Che used to wear one as well -- and I am sure you have seen pictures of me wearing a beret. I have the double-DVD movie of Che and have watched it so many times.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

(TMI) - He has made the news over and over again for about the same reasons – he raps about people and things one doesn't normally expect to turn up in a rap song. And this has incurred the wrath of the authorities from time to time.

For a rapper who is no stranger to controversy, the last thing one expects Namewee to say is he is tired.

"I am just very tired. I have put in so much effort, wasted so much of my time and youth to promote unity through movies, yet they are doing this," he told The Malaysian Insider, referring to attacks from Umno-backed newspapers and rights groups.

He has made the news over and over again for about the same reasons – he raps about people and things one doesn't normally expect to turn up in a rap song. And this has incurred the wrath of the authorities from time to time.

But this time, it is different. This time, Namewee is in the sights because he has come out in support of a movie that was slammed by the weekend newspaper Mingguan Malaysia for glorifying communism.

Yesterday, Malay rights group Perkasa even demanded that his citizenship be revoked.

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Now they want Wee Meng Chee a.k.a Namewee's citizenship to be withdrawn because he is alleged to be 'glorifying' communism. This means glorifying something is now considered a crime in Malaysia.

What does glorify mean anyway?

Glorify means to exalt, honour, acclaim, extol, eulogise, commend, celebrate, laud, sing praises of, etc.

And, that, some Malaysians would like to add to the list of crimes against the nation.

If we classify glorifying as a crime, that would mean we are declaring freedom of thought as a crime as well because glorifying is something embedded in your mind. You imagine or perceive something as worthy of exalting, honouring, acclaiming, extolling, eulogising, commending, celebrating, lauding, singing the praises of, and so on.

I have a whole collection of Che Guevara T-shirts. I also have a whole collection of berets -- mainly because Che used to wear one as well -- and I am sure you have seen pictures of me wearing a beret. I have the double-DVD movie of Che and have watched it so many times.

In that sense you can say that I exalt, honour, acclaim, extol, eulogise, commend, celebrate, laud, sing praises of, etc. -- meaning I glorify Che.

Now, Che is a Communist. Do these people who want Namewee's citizenship to be withdrawn also want my citizenship withdrawn since both Namewee and I glorify Communism?

I perceive Che -- a physician born in Argentina -- as being a fighter. He fought against corruption and injustice, which is a noble thing. The only thing is he was a Marxist.

But then, at that time, in that part of the world, Marxism was chic or fashionable. Most young people, students, revolutionaries, etc., subscribed to Marxism, even those in the west. No doubt some people  grew out of this fad later in life. But many held to the ideals of Marxism in their younger days.

This is what we call freedom of thought. You are free to think what you like. You can even believe that there is a God somewhere up there if you would like to believe that -- or you can believe that there is no such thing as God if you so wish as well.

No one has the right to tell you that you should not believe in God since you can offer no proof of the existence of God -- or tell you that you must believe in God since you cannot prove that God does not exist. Believe what you want to believe. That is your freedom of thought.

Hence, if you also believe in Che, like me, or even in Communism, that is your freedom of thought. No one has the right to tell you what you can and cannot believe.

Okay, some may argue that the Communist Party has been banned in Malaysia. That is well and fine. Since that is the law then we shall respect the law. But we are not talking about forming or registering a Communist Party. If we do then that would be a crime. We just believe in Communism. That is not a crime.

Let me put it another way.

Islam has never outlawed slavery. So, say, as a Muslim, I tell you that I believe in slavery. Is that a crime? If it is then Islam should be banned.

I said I believe in slavery. I did not say I keep slaves in my home. That would be a crime. I also did not raid any neighbouring land and capture slaves to sell, or buy slaves from the slave-market, which would also be a crime.

Hence where is my crime? Is it a crime to believe in something without doing anything about what you believe in?

I also believe in gay rights. I do not have a gay partner or indulge in sex with another man, which would be a crime in Malaysia. So where is my crime when I only believe in gay rights?

Believing is not a crime, even if you glorify what or whosoever you may believe in. That is called freedom of thought. So stop asking for the citizenship of those who practice freedom of thought to be withdrawn. That is silly.

 

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

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