It's Decided: 700 Cinemas Nationwide Will Play 'Negaraku' & More

The decision to play the national anthem, Negaraku, in cinemas before the screening of films in conjunction with the 56th National Day will be implemented from Aug 28 to Sept 3 in more than 700 cinemas nationwide, Communication and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said today.

Ahmad Shabery said he hoped that all cinema patrons would stand up as a mark of respect when the national anthem was played.

themalaymailonline.com

He said two independence promotional video clips would also be screened along with the national anthem by the five cinema operators, namely Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) (in 238 cinemas), MBO Cinemas (185), TGV Cinemas (170), Lotus Five Star (100) and Cathay Cineplexes (30).

themalaymailonline.com

He said the two patriotic movie clips are the 90-second long 'Last Message' (Pesanan Terakhir) which commemorates the fallen heros of the Lahad Datu intrusions and 150-second long 'My Birth Place' (Tanah Tumpahnya Darahku), which portrays patriotism.

malaysiakini.com

The promotional clips and the national anthem would be for a duration of five to six minutes, he told reporters after a meeting with the cinema operators, here.

theborneopost.com

"The movie-goers shall stand up when national anthem is played to show respect. And cinema operators will in charge of monitoring this. "I hope I don't have to arrange police personnel to station in the cinema," Ahmad Shabery quipped.

malaysiakini.com

“The sacrifice of the security forces is most meaningful. Standing up for two minutes when the Negaraku is played is a small sacrifice in appreciation of the national heroes who died defending the country’s sovereignty,” he said.

Under the Section 8 (2) of the same Act, any person who knowingly shows disrespect towards the national anthem in any public place shall be liable to a fine not exceeding RM100 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one month.

malaysiakini.com

“We will study the response of the cinema patrons during this period and consider whether we should continue playing the national anthem throughout the year,” Ahmad Shabery Cheek said.

The government is toying with the idea of playing the national anthem at cinemas before the screening of the featured show. Communication and Multimedia Minister said the proposal is in conjunction with the 56th Merdeka Day celebrations and will be discussed with cinema operators next Wednesday.

fz.com

Cinema operators Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) and TGV Cinemas Sdn Bhd (TGV) have expressed willingness to play the Negaraku before the start of a movie in conjunction with the 56th Merdeka Day celebrations.

Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek said last week that the Negaraku could be played two or three days before and after August 31, adding that it could also continue until Malaysia Day (National Day) on September 16.

thejakartapost.com

On whether the proposal could be continued on a daily basis, he said: "We will see first...we have done that in the past but was stopped when the people considered it was a normal procedure and there was no awareness when played daily, apart from being difficult to enforce."

Ahmad Shabery said many countries, including Thailand and India, were still practising the tradition of playing their nation anthems in public places daily.

bernama.com.my

"To me, this is only a minor sacrifice for us as citizens to appreciate our independence and remind ourselves of those who made sacrifices in defending the sovereignty of the country," he told Bernama when contacted in the capital, Friday.

bernama.com.my

Ahmad Shabery also encouraged cinema operators to come up with initiatives to ensure the audience stood up when the Negaraku was played, such as by switching on the lights.

asianewsnet.net

But for us, there should be no force used as it is our responsibility to stand, in respect of the national anthem and that should be our practice. "If it could be done during football matches, why can't the same be done in cinemas for only a few days, in conjunction with Merdeka Day?," he asked.

GSC general manager Irving Chee said it supported the Communication and Multimedia Ministry’s proposal to “promote the patriotic spirit” by extending national day celebrations to the cinemas.

“The ministry is meeting up with cinema operators on Wednesday and we will work out the details with them,” he told The Star.

thejakartapost.com

TGV Cinemas Sdn Bhd (TGV) is prepared to play the Negaraku before movie screenings at its nationwide chain of cinemas if such a proposal is implemented.

malaysiakini.com

"We're honoured to play a role in helping to strengthen the spirit of patriotism among our country's multi-racial community," TGV chief executive officer Gerald V. Dibbayawan told Bernama when contacted on Saturday.

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