Berita Harian yesterday reported a family member, who declined to be named, as saying the video was produced to make people laugh and sing along.
“It’s nothing… He always does things that we agree with (dia selalu buat apa kita bersetuju dengan dia),” the man in his 40s was quoted as saying when met at Namewee’s house in Muar.
“It was a joke… The video is to make people laugh, sing,” he added.
He said Namewee, whose real name is Wee Meng Chee, had never disturbed the people who may have reacted to his videos.
Asked about the singer’s whereabouts, he claimed that he was uncertain as Namewee had many programmes.
“I think he may be in Penang now… He always has programmes. There were a lot of performances during the Chinese New Year,” he was quoted as saying.
“We always talk to him through Whatsapp only,” he added.
The man also said Namewee seldom returned home and had come back before the lunar new year which began on Feb 16, but went off after a meal as he was busy with his activities.
Bukit Aman CID director Wan Ahmad Najmuddin Mohd had said yesterday that police were looking for Namewee who was believed to be abroad.
He said investigations were being carried out together with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
The case is being investigated under Section 298 of the Penal Code (for uttering words et cetera with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person) and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (for improper use of network facilities).
Last week, Namewee uploaded the video clip in conjunction with Chinese New Year. It featured a group of people wearing dog masks with the Perdana Putra building, where the prime minister’s office is situated, in the background.
On Feb 15, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Namewee “may not be so lucky this time” after he escaped action following an earlier controversial video in 2016 over a scene shot in a mosque.
In a new video posting on Feb 17, Namewee defended “Like a Dog”, saying it was made to celebrate the year of the dog this Chinese New Year.
In a 10-minute explanation on YouTube, he said he had not touched on religious or racial sensitivities in the music video.
Cops sniffing out Namewee’s whereabouts over his ‘Like a Dog’ video