PUTRAJAYA: The decision to play the national anthem, Negaraku, in cinemas before the screening of films in conjunction with the 56th National Day will be implemented from Aug 28 to Sept 3 in more than 700 cinemas nationwide, Communication and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said yesterday.
He said two independence promotional video clips would also be screened along with the national anthem by the five cinema operators, namely Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) (in 238 cinemas), MBO Cinemas (185), TGV Cinemas (170), Lotus Five Star (100) and Cathay Cineplexes (30).
The promotional clips and the national anthem would be for a duration of five to six minutes, he told reporters after a meeting with the cinema operators, here.
One of the promotional clips, titled ‘Pesanan Terakhir’, was of 90-second duration and the other, titled ‘Tanah Tumpahnya Darahku’, of 150-second duration, and they were produced by the National Film Development Corporation of Malaysia (Finas), he said.
Ahmad Shabery said he hoped that all cinema patrons would stand up as a mark of respect when the national anthem was played.
“The sacrifice of the security forces is most meaningful. Standing up for two minutes when the Negaraku is played is a small sacrifice in appreciation of the national heroes who died defending the country’s sovereignty,” he said.
Ahmad Shabery said the ministry would prepare a standard operating procedure (SOP) for all the cinema operators to follow when screening the promotional clips and playing the national anthem.
“The SOP is expected to be completed over the next two days,” he said, adding that it involved the screening of the promotional clips, switching on the cinema hall lights and ensuring that the patrons stood up when the national anthem was played.
The minister said the cinema operators should take the initiative to ensure that the patrons stood up when the Negaraku was played.
He said Thailand and India were continuing with the tradition of playing the national anthem in public places and cinemas daily.
“This is not something extraordinary in Malaysia.
“It is indeed our responsibility as Malaysians to stand up as a mark of respect for the Negaraku.
“We will study the response of the cinema patrons during this period and consider whether we should continue playing the national anthem throughout the year,” he said. — Bernama