Cinemas today, what next tomorrow?
It is sad and worrying to see where Malaysia is heading. A country where it is sinful to celebrate Valentine’s Day but closes one eye (or both) when RM250 million of the rakyat’s money is spent on buying properties and cars for the select few.
Dr Kamal Amzan, The Malaysian Insider
One politician is adamant not to allow cinemas to operate in Bangi.
His words, according to The Star report published on February 15, 2012, were: “Why do you need to go to the cinema when you can watch movies from TV and the Internet?”
At that moment I wonder why he needed to speak when it was better for him to just keep quiet.
For me, it is for the same reason we eat out instead of eating at home (though the latter food is better): choice.
Why do we go to the beach in Perhentian Island instead of that in Port Dickson.
Or enjoy a teh tarik at a mamak stall instead of at home.
Choice.
Money wise, not everyone can afford a 3D TV at home.
Looking at the world today, I cannot help but notice one by one Muslim countries falling to religious extremism. Syria, then Egypt comes to mind, with the banning of alcohol sales, and the latest is the Maldives where they destroyed a museum and smashed statues of Buddha.
I just learned that as Islam is the Maldives’ official religion, the open practice of any other religion is forbidden and liable to prosecution.
Just so the readers know, this is not Islam. I do not know what they teach elsewhere because Islam clearly says: “To you your religion, to me mine.”
It is sad and worrying to see where Malaysia is heading. A country where it is sinful to celebrate Valentine’s Day but closes one eye (or both) when RM250 million of the rakyat’s money is spent on buying properties and cars for the select few.
Where we spend billions on education which is severely lacking in quality, and graduates who are unemployable. A land where we make our own standards because international standards are “not applicable” to us.
Where RM500 is handed out as aid to the rakyat while the other hand is dipping into the EPF to finance questionable projects.
A country whose home minister on February 13 said, “I will not compromise. Do not look at Malaysia as a safe transit… do not think you can come in and out of Malaysia” when there are so many arrested Iranians, Nigerian drug traffickers and China dolls of late.
Though many are caught, I believe this is just the tip of a bigger iceberg.
And now, we want to add to all this the banning of cinemas.
If we allow this precedent, what else will they ban? Motorbikes? Or two-seater cars? Darkness? Will they eventually ban everyone from walking around after sunset unless we wear “glow-in-the-dark” costumes?
