Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir’s invitation to MPs and state assemblypersons to watch the screening of Tanda Putera has riled up a Pakatan Rakyat member of Parliament.

Alor Setar MP Gooi Hsiao Leung expressed shock that the Kedah government is hosting the movie screening as an official state event at Wisma Darulaman.

NONE The movie will be screened tomorrow at 7.30pm in conjunction with the Merdeka celebrations.

Members of the Kedah royalty and movie director Shuhaimi Baba will attend the event.

“As far as I am aware, except for Mukhriz, no other MB in the country or even for that matter, the PM himself, had even considered the official hosting and screening the screening of Tanda Putera in Putrajaya, and rightly so,” said Gooi, who held a press conference in Alor Setar today.

“I am sure Mukhriz is not oblivious to the controversial nature of this film,” he added.

NONE Gooi ( left ) listed down the controversial nature of the movie as firstly, portraying the Chinese as being communists, and being responsible for the May, 13, 1969 riots.

He said the film was heavily criticised for “being biased and not based on historical facts”, especially on the scenes leading up to the May 13 events.

“The film has the propensity to incite racial hatred and animosity between the races, in particular, pitting the Malays against the Chinese,” he said.

“It is highly deplorable and disappointing that Mukhriz has chosen to use Wisma Darulaman to politicise and give its state blessings and support to this highly controversial and divisive film which can only worsen racial relations between the Malays and Chinese in Kedah during this Merdeka month,” he added.

“By doing so, it is a disservice to the effort in achieving national unity and reconciliation,” he stressed.

Gooi said it is still not too late for Mukhriz to cancel the event to prove that he is an MB for all Kedahans, regardless of race, in support of national reconciliation in the spirit of Merdeka.

The movie has received negative reviews especially by the DAP, with Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng saying it is filled with lies and slander.

'State should not endorse movie'

When contacted, DAP Derga assemblyperson Tan Kok Yew said it was not acceptable for the state to endorse such a controversial movie.

"We encourage local films, especially those which promote history but not one that distorts historical events to benefit only certain groups."

When asked if a boycott of the event would be seen as unpatriotic as it is related to the Merdeka celebrations, Tan said their patriotism should not be questioned.

"We will be attending other Merdeka-related functions although we object to the screening of this movie, which we do not support due to its controversial nature," he said.

Meanwhile, PAS Alor Mengkudu assemblyperson Ahmad Yahaya said the movie failed to promote the spirit of patriotism and statesmanship in conjunction with the country's 56th Independence Day.

"Such a big theme was instead translated into scenes to gain sympathy for these leaders (former premier Abdul Razak Hussein and his deputy Ismail Abdul Rahman).

"We regret that this film tends to highlight racism, extremism and inter-racial conflict. We fear that this may lead to suspicion and racial prejudice and fear among the different communities," he added.

Ahmad said PAS was willing to accept this movie as a national treasure only if it was improved by being genuinely and consistently based on historical credibility.