COMMENT | Doublespeak puts citizens on tenterhooks

Finas chairperson Zakaria Abdul Hamid, when contacted, confirmed that all forms of video recording must seek a licence from his agency because their job was to ensure that the material produced did not incite unrest or cause a public nuisance.

Zakaria stressed that Finas would only enforce the law against companies for now and might only be enforced on individuals on a case-by-case basis. He advised those who were unsure to seek Finas’ advice before filming.

“Usually, we are not that strict,” he added when asked if the law applied to ordinary citizens who might upload their videos.

- Malaysiakini, July 21.

COMMENT | To fully understand the issues behind the compulsory licence for videos, reading and digesting the above is of paramount importance. It is also a reflection of the mindsets of the powers-that-be. Analysis and deciphering of keywords and phrases provide plenty of different takes on the issue.

Forget the minister’s first reply in Parliament yesterday. It was like an indictment read out by the Public Prosecutor – the law says so and you have to comply. Saifuddin Abdullah (above) made it clear: “It is mandatory for film producers to apply for a film production licence and filming certification letter, regardless of whether they are mainstream media or personal media that publish their film on social media or traditional channels.”

Wasn’t the minister aware that the Finas Act was promulgated for film-making and not for social media? Didn’t his officers offer their views or were their views sought before such an earth-shattering pronouncement was made in front of lawmakers?

Forget the ad-hoc, slipshod and arbitrary answers that were provided to questions raised in and outside the House – they provided little relief to concerned citizens.

Forget even his statement which came late in the day – “Finas Act is not meant to stifle personal freedom” – it was not convincing either...