Mat Rempit and drag queens OUT
2009/07/19
By Meor Shariman
KUALA LUMPUR: Mat Rempit and transvestites will soon be missing from Malaysian movies and television.
A new ruling by the Information, Communications and Culture Ministry two months ago bans local filmmakers from showing Mat Rempit and men in women’s clothes in their productions.
The directive follows a letter from Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan to the Home Ministry to ban the term “Mat Rempit” in film and TV productions, and to ban scenes showing illegal racing and activities involving Mat Rempit.
Sources said it was one of the government’s ways to fight immoral activities linked to both groups.
It is a fact that each time a movie about Mat Rempit is shown in the cinemas, police have to be on high alert.
The most recent example was the box-office hit Bohsia: Jangan Pilih Jalan Hitam. The same week the Skop Productions’ film hit cinemas, police had to double operations against illegal racing in major cities.
The media had a field day reporting Mat Rempit high jinks throughout the period the movie was screened.
It was the same when KL Menjerit Episod 1 and Remp-It were screened in 2005 and 2006.
The new rule will affect two high-profile films — Remp-It V3 and Anu Dalam Botol. Remp-It V3, by Metrowealth Movies Production, is completed and is waiting for the okay from the Censor ship Board.
But with the new rules, will this film ever see the light of day? It will not be a problem to drop the word Remp-It from its title but to snip all scenes that show Mat Rempit?
That will be impossible because the movie, as the title suggests, is about the life of Mat Rempit. The controversial Anu Dalam Botol is a film about a gay couple — Brokeback Mountain Malaysian style.
The story revolves around a man who went for a sex operation to show his undying love for his lover. Produced by Raja Azmi Raja Sulaiman, the film is expected to begin filming by the end of year.
Films featuring illegal racing do well at the box office. KL Menjerit and its sequel, KL Menjerit Episod 1, Remp-It and Bohsia are three movies that focus on the life of Mat Rempit and did well at the box off ice.
Many Malaysian films have at least one scene on Mat Rempit and a man dressed in women’s clothes (not necessarily a transvestite). Hit films that featured a scene or two of Mat Rempit and men in drag are Sifu & Tongga, Jangan Pandang Belakang Congkak and Senario The Movie Episod 1. How will this new rule affect the booming local movie industry? Only the filmmakers have the answer.
Truth be told, I don’t know what I feel about this completely.
I absolutely don’t agree with people who want to ban portrayals
of gays or transvestites.
But the bikers.
Hmmmm.
First I thought that any film portrayal of a real life phenomena
is justified, fair and totally sound. But as art imitates life,
in this case, I’ve learnt over the last year that
life really imitates art.
Speaking to Prof Rozmi a few months ago over
the Mat Rempit issue gave me a few things to think about.
Having researched Mat Rempits for many years, (hanging out
with them, joining police blocks etc) he had told me
that these kids really do watch the Mat Rempit
movies and want to emulate them.
That sounds like such an easy, cop out thing to say, doesn’t it?
Chope.
I remember when I was around 16 and 17, and
all of us kids went crazy over that rollerblade movie.
Remember that? Airborne, which came out in 1993.
We all got those damn rollerblades and tried doing
all sorts of shit with it.
I swear, we got a lot of knee injuries trying to
out-cool each other with those blades on our
very rollerblade-unfriendly tar roads and pavements.
(Bear with me)
And then we watched Hackers in 1995.
And were so entranced, it wasn’t funny.
And it wasn’t just because we fell for Angelina Jolie
or Jonny Lee Miller.
And all fancied ourselves cyber geniuses.
Ohhh did we want to be those cool computer experts.
Experts okay. Not geeks!
We IRC-ed our pants off trying to … what was it,
irc bomb each other? (I never knew how to do it, damn it)
Some guys went seriously ape shit trying to
out ‘hack’ each other. It was a badge of honour
or respectability if you knew how to ‘bomb’ others
for your friends or kill their online biznaz halfway.
I got so furious at some points when I would get attacked
and my programme would turn off suddenly
or my computer would blank out.
Sigh.
And then in college those Young and Dangerous movies (really
cool Hong Kong triad series that portrayed the
deadly Hung Hing gang) came out in 1996 and beyond.
WOW. I swear all my guy friends started strutting around
with some kind of new macho swagger.
Of course, they couldn’t do the crazy things the Hung Hing
characters were doing, ie. chopping people up
and all, but I do remember in the realm of boy-dom
at the time, there were a lot more fights.
Ohhh yes. I remember some hospital visits,
y’know.
Ahem. Boys will be boys ;)
Years later a lot of them would get similar triad-ish
tattoos, but I guess that’s something else altogether lah.
Ah well.
Anyway, I think there must be around 4 or 5 major Rempit
movies now. And more were supposed to come.
Judging by the Hung Hing movies, which came out
in delicious series, I suppose in the lives of the Malay boys
who have bikes (let’s face it, there aren’t Cina or India rempits),
these films are really THE movies to look forward to.
And I’ve seen some of these movies, they really do make
them look cool.
The boys who do stunts get the girls and the glory.
Prof said the boys want the lifestyle, and so they ape
the actions.
Remember, these young men can’t go pubbing, clubbing, go to
nice restaurants or movies for entertainment.
With RM5 they get to have fun on their bikes the whole night,
and so they do. They race, they bet on the winners,
maybe win some money, maybe catch the attention of their honeys.
I was told by some entertainment writers that apparently some of
the young actors in the Rempit movies are former
Mat Rempit idola themselves. Mat Rempit “done good.”
Can you imagine how … inspirational that must be in a way
for them?
Remember how you wanted to be like somebody
or do something, just by watching those movie characters?
But is it wrong to deny them of the entertainment they want
and like?
Isn’t it just showing what happens in real life?
(Or, er… does it really?)
Is zero-ing on movies just a cheat, and not
tackling the real problem of vicious Mat Rempit?
Prof Rozmi said when he talked to them, many seemed
“not to care about a lot of things”, as if they had little
hopes or goals for the future. As if they were lost.
That part disturbed me greatly.
