YOURSAY 'It looks like Umno is not willing to let bygones be bygones. If hatred is all they have, the people should not feel upset as they belong to a bygone era.'

your say Absalom: The timing of the appearance of the movie ‘Tanda Putera' and its release are a clear indication of just how irresponsible, reckless and desperate the ruling regime can be.

They have no hesitation in trying to stir up racial tension and hatred and potential loss to businesses and the economy. Not that there is much chance of that now since Malaysians of all races have proven to be much more mature and are quite clear what the real issues are, as evident in the Bersih outings.

The fact that Pakatan Rakyat is made up of multiracial parties and PAS - an Islamic party which is getting huge support from non-Muslims - goes to show how far the people have come since 1969.

At this point, Malaysians of various races are not against one another but are together against the prevailing ills of corruption, injustice, abuse of power and poor management which is plaguing the nation.

Kee Thuan Chye: If the account of the film given here by Carrie Rina - that it is one-sided and shallow in its presentation, lacking in depth and hardly thought-provoking - is accurate, I have to say I am thoroughly disappointed that director Shuhaimi Baba has sunk so low as to have become a propagandist.

Kim Quek: So this is Umno's secret weapon unleashed on the eve of the general election - a complete distortion of history to portray the Chinese as aggressors and the Malays, the victims.

This film, which is selectively played to Malay audience, is designed to incite racial hatred and fear, so that Malays will instinctively cling to Umno to seek solidarity and security. Whereas, the truth is: both Malays and Chinese were victims of certain Umno leaders' greed for power, whereupon, hundreds, if not thousands of innocent lives were lost in this ugliest chapter of the nation's history.

Such dastardly election tactic has also unmasked the deceitful and two-faced PM Najib Razak, who would risk engulfing the nation in racial fire so that he and his party could cling on to political power.

We were made sacrificial lambs once (in 1969) - to satiate Umno leaders appetite for power; let us be very determined that we, Malaysians of all races, will not be made suckers again.

Anonymous$&@?: I hope that some young and upcoming indie producer would shoot a short documentary of May 13 based on Kua Kia Soong's book of the same title and put in on YouTube to counter the lies and bull that is being portrayed in ‘Tanda Putera', which everyone knows is an Umno propaganda tool to stoke hatred against non-Malays.

Shows the true intention of PM Najib behind his 1Malaysia slogan, which is just a facade.

Hplooi: Watch this documentary 'The Silent Riot' by a young Malaysian (Nadira Ilana) about the riots in Sabah in 1987 and you may perhaps grasp the mindset and modus operandi of a certain key element in our political ecology.

GeneYen: The Umno-BN leaders are so adept and skilful at playing up something as important as religion against Pakatan, especially PAS. We must be prepared that they will be even better at playing up, and even bringing on, a replay of May13.

We have to be prepared for this possibility if they are booted out of Putrajaya in GE13. Maybe, just maybe, Lahad Datu is a simply a dry run to try out the readiness of the Home Ministry, police, army and the politicians.

Aries46: Whatever tales and propaganda that have been spun over the last 45 years to justify the massacre of the Chinese in May 1969, the perception of the man on the street is that the whole act of terror was planned and executed by Umno in order to seize power through its proclamation of the state of emergency that followed.

And the fact that this same regime can once again after 45 long years resurrect the spectre of May 13 through its ‘Tanda Putera' propaganda merely to strike fear into the Malay electorate is most despicable and reprehensible.

It is heinous actions of this nature that shapes the perception of the layman as to what constitutes BN.

Ruben: Despite the cabinet deciding against releasing the movie, it has made its rounds with the intention of stirring up ugly memories and also unnecessary racial tension.

I don't believe the version of Malaysian history as recorded in school books and pro-government media, as they are often twisted to suit the ruling party.

That is why this GE is so important - we cannot let the government literally get away with murder, corruption, racialism, lies and untold number of scandals.

Hopeful123: Who would believe that the minority Chinese wanted bloodshed? The minorities would be the losers, since the army, police and every other civil service are under the Malays. The Malays of today cannot be conned or bluffed anymore.

Cogito Ergo Sum: With the screening of this movie, BN has confirmed that it has overstayed its welcome.

A vote for BN in the old days was a vote for moderation. It is now a vile and racist party that is no longer relevant to the modern world, out of touch with the people's aspirations and has a warped vision of the future.

Wanderer: I was there when this sad event unfolded at that time. Two of my Malay friends who were playing golf with me asked me to go home right away without finishing our game because I had to drive through a Malay kampung.

They were top civil servants who had received advance information of trouble in Kuala Lumpur. I was grateful to these two fellow Malaysians.

Relevancy: It looks like Umno is not willing to let bygones be bygones. If hatred is all they have, the people should not feel upset as they belong to a bygone era.

We should just show Umno and BN the exit.

Opah: The best part of this movie is that we, the Malaysian taxpayers, paid for it - a ‘free' movie for Umno to propagate its lies and to frighten Malays into voting for BN in GE13.

Does Tanda Putera signify like father, like son?

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