KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 — Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz has said that rapper Wee Meng Chee or Namewee should be arrested and charged over his latest controversial music video.
Malay daily Utusan Malaysia quoted Nazri as saying that Namewee’s recent controversial Like A Dog clip had crossed the line.
Nazri had in the past backed Namewee and said that the latter had been “grossly misunderstood”.
He told the local daily that the video, which featured vulgar dance moves near the Putra Mosque, Putrajaya, was rude and could cause an uproar amongst the Muslims.
“We as Muslims, although we are majority in the country, we still look after the sensitivity of other religions. But Namewee has crossed the line.
“What he has done has not only disrupted the country’s harmony but could also anger the Muslims. I urge for the police to quickly complete their investigations. Arrest him and take him straight to court,” Nazri told the Malay daily.
The daily reported Nazri saying that he previously had been fair with Namewee as the rapper had not touched on religious issues, especially Islam, but his latest video clip had crossed the line.
Last week, Namewee uploaded a video clip for Chinese New Year titled Like A Dog that showed people wearing dog costumes dancing suggestively in Putrajaya.
Complaints appear to be focused on a mosque that is visible at a distance in the background.
Namewee is being investigated under Section 298 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for his latest video.
In 2010, Namewee had made a video in reaction to a headmistress in Kulaijaya, Johor Bahru, who allegedly made racist remarks at her pupils using obscene language.
Namewee was also investigated for allegedly producing the seditious music video, which was uploaded on YouTube.
At that point of time, Nazri said Namewee was not a racist, but that he was just a young man who was misunderstood and misrepresented.
