Less than 24 hours after Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak got front row tickets to an unexpected fight at Transformasi Nasional, the public has put in their RM2 on the events that took place.
Recap: Last night during a Q&A session moderated by actor Rosyam Nor, Metrowealth Pictures studio boss Datuk David Teo went on a rant about how the questions were being fielded to the PM, who was steps away. Apparently, only the front row of VIPs were being heard, whilst the back rows were neglected.
Teo’s tone verged on belligerent restaurant customer unsatisfied with their noodles, with a touch of shrill regarding the cleanliness. Nor and the PM be receiving the brunt of his qualms, with the moderator jumping in to remind Teo that there was a level of respect that should be given to the leader.
Faster than you can say “lights, camera ac–“ well, action happened. Veteran actor Sulaiman Yassin, aka Mat Over, went over and slapped the studio head IN FRONT OF THE PM. STEPS AWAY. (Genuinely worried about this security situation).
Teo managed to get a kick/slap in too before security escorted them out like a couple of bickering hens. The situation inside was tense; however, the two were allowed back in and shook hands, made nice in front of the crowd, and somehow were also allowed near the PM again and shook his hands too.
PLOT TWIST! Mat Over later claimed that the whole incident was a stunt, totally staged!
“The incident just now was just a gimmick. It is a part of today’s program,” he said laughing.
Hahaha … Hahahaha … Ahhhh. Right? The ‘ol “Let’s breach national security a bit, argue, and slap each other around in front of the Prime Minister” jig. The public LOVES it (Well, YouTube does!).
Teo had another take on it. He told reporters that he did know Mat Over, therefore couldn’t and didn’t plan any kind of hoax. Instead, he dug himself a little deeper and admitted that he was speaking to Najib about the lesser known artists in the back having their voices heard. Aiyo.
The public, as they are, were unkind. Most found this tone pretty disrespectful, regardless of where on the political spectrum they stood. Many said that the respect they had for Datuk Teo, arguable the most powerful movie man in Malaysia, was gone.
In short: Datuk Teo, no good deed goes unpunished. Mat Over, great way to get in touch with the kids going viral like this. And Malaysian entertainment industry, great way to show your aspirations for the future of our arts industry by fighting like a couple of brats. The Internet never forgets, so thanks for the gold.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHzCNHktY34
