KUCHING: The Home Ministry will not tolerate the actions of so-called agent provocateurs who stir up racial and religious sensitivities.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is Home Minister, said this when referring to provocative musician Namewee over the latter’s Chinese New Year-themed video ‘Like A Dog’.
“Do not blame the authorities if action is taken against him,” he said, adding that even though the musician may have escaped the law previously, it does not mean he could escape forever.
The police, meanwhile, are in the midst of investigating a report lodged against Namewee for allegedly insulting Islam in his latest music video.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun said the authorities are working with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) on the case, according to The Malaysian Insight news portal yesterday.
“The investigations paper has already been opened.
“MCMC is working with us,” he said at a press conference yesterday.
Fuzi said as Namewee was not in the country, the police would need to enlist MCMC’s help to track him down.
The video clip has led social media activist Kamarudin Ahmad in urging the MCMC to investigate what he claimed was ‘provocatively-dressed’ dancers near Putra Mosque in Putrajaya.
In response to the controversy, Namewee – real name is Wee Meng Chee – said the video was released to coincide with the Chinese New Year celebration.
He said ‘Like a Dog’ was only for entertainment and that he had no intention of disrespecting any religion or race.
He also denied that the video was shot in the vicinity of Putra Mosque, saying it was instead shot by the side of a main road in Putrajaya, with the Prime Minister’s Office a kilometre away in the background.
In the video, Namewee sings that dogs in different countries have different barks, saying that while American dogs go ‘woof woof’ and Indonesian dogs go ‘bow wow’, Malaysian dogs go ‘mari mari wang wang’ (come come money money).
In the background are dancers in dog masks who move suggestively and scatter money to the beat of the music.