ONE of the most shocking revelations from Netflix’s recently-aired Man on the Run documentary about the 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Bhd) saga was that the ex-premier’s wife had wanted the Hollywood flix Wolf of Wallstreet to be screened in schools.
As we know, the movie starring Leonardo Di Caprio was about corporate greed, and was ironically, funded using money stolen from the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund. However, the movie was so laden with expletives and suggestive scenes that it didn’t even pass our Censorship Board.
What was surprising was not that the movie did not make it into Malaysian cinemas but that ex-self-proclaimed FLOM (First Lady of Malaysia) Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor had wanted The Wolf of Wall Street screened in schools to impressionable kids.
We get that there’s maternal pride in seeing the movie produced by her son Riza Aziz, earned several prestigious awards, including the Golden Globes and a handful of Emmy nominations.
But what kind of values did she think the movie would impart to schoolchildren if the screenings had taken place? That it’s fine to be greedy? What about the swear words, sex scenes and scantily-clad actors and actresses? And if the Censorship Board snips these scenes away, there would be nothing left to watch!
And now, her husband, ex-PM Datuk Seri Najib Razak wants the Madani government to pull the plug on Man on the Run which reveals the shenanigans surrounding 1MDB. Najib is now serving a 12-year jail sentence for corruption and abuse of power over 1MDB. He also faces a litany of other charges related to 1MDB.
It doesn’t make sense that Najib who was willingly interviewed in Man on the Run weeks before he was sent to the slammers is now compelling the unity government to pull the plug on the highly-acclaimed documentary.
His rationale that the documentary was “subjudice” must have been an afterthought since his interview was made voluntarily. He must have agreed to the interview because he had wanted to give his side of the story. One can’t have the cake and eat it too.
I think the Government should not just ignore Najib’s request to ban the show on Netflix, it should also screen the documentary in schools and have them dubbed in different languages.
Unlike Wolf of Wall Street, the documentary Man on the Run helps to impart a sense of patriotism, especially when various parties like the Opposition leaders and the media recounted how they remained steadfast in unravelling the wrongdoings, despite the pressure from the Najib administration.
This helps to imbue among schoolchildren that they ought to walk the straight and narrow path, no matter how great the temptation is. It also sends the message that Malaysia has no qualms about acting against those in the highest echelons of power if they had done wrong.
On that note, the Education Ministry should seriously look into screening the documentary in schools soon. – Jan 18, 2024
