In a 10-minute explanation on YouTube, Namewee said he had never touched religious or racial sensitivities in his video shot in Putrajaya, even though the Prime Minister’s Office was in the background.
“I just sang a song about barks by dogs from different countries. You might think it is lewd but it is just for entertainment. As a director, the style of my performances are always creative and never touched on religious or racial issues.”
“Many foreign film crews have shot here (in Putrajaya) with the administrative offices in the background. These films had violence, fights, shootings and even killings.
“And to say it was in front of a mosque is wrong as it never was the case…I hope the media correct this fact as there is a lot of news going around saying that it was in front of a mosque,” he said.
Namewee said when he shot his controversial video on religious harmony at a mosque in Penang, he did so with the advice of the mosque’s caretakers and adhered to sensitivities of the place of worship.
Namewee said he had shot many other videos in Putrajaya, on topics such as robbery, begging, accidents, car races and a festive Christmas video.
He said he was also free from any political influence and was merely expressing himself. He said if there were any political comments, it was just his personal opinion as a regular Malaysian.
“Please do not link me with any political party. Artistes like us have a hard time ‘cari makan’ (to make a living) and live in Malaysia. I hope the government will help us, rather than limiting our creativity and ideas,” he said.
The three-minute video uploaded on Feb 10 shows Namewee seated on a chair in the square fronting the PMO, singing about how dogs are supposed to bark around the world.
While he sings, dancers wearing rubber masks shaped like dog heads, prance in the background.
Namewee imitates the sounds of the supposed different kinds of barks of dogs in other countries, with the Malaysian dog yapping “mari mari, wang wang” (come come, money money), believed to be a sly reference to corruption in the country.
At the time of writing, the video has been viewed 555,000 times on YouTube with 12,000 likes and 1,000 dislikes.
‘Block video right away’, says Umno Youth leader
Federal Territories Umno Youth chief Mohd Razlan Mohammad Rafii called on federal internet regulator Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to block the video right away.
He said the video showed how much Namewee hated the Malays, by showing a background of “a mosque and dogs”, which was disrespectful.
“I believe no Malaysian wants to sow hatred. We need to reject any material that looks down and insults religion or race, as it would only generate more hate from others.
“With at least million views on most of his videos, Namewee is purposely touching on sensitive issues to make himself famous worldwide. And it is not impossible that people would start following his footsteps to be famous.