COMMENT | Mujahid Yusof Rawa, a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department recently ordered the removal of a couple of portraits from a George Town Festival exhibition. The portraits removed were of Nisha Ayub and Pang Khee Teik, who are well-known LGBT activists.

While the portraits displayed at the public gallery were part of the “Stripes and Strokes” exhibition held in conjunction with the upcoming Merdeka celebration, Mujahid justified the removal of the portraits by claiming that it was promoting a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) lifestyle and as such, was in line with Putrajaya’s policy of not supporting the LGBT culture in Malaysia.

Honestly, I do not understand how portraits of two decently dressed people holding the Jalur Gemilang can be seen as promoting anything but pride of being a Malaysian. I suppose Mujahid must have a special power enabling him to read something no ordinary person can.

According to Fuziah Salleh, deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, the removal of the portraits of the LGBT activists should not be seen as an act of discrimination because icons such as Nisha and Pang are unsuitable as role models in the first place...