Zainuddin: I never banned song by M. Nasir

taken from The Star 21 January 2008

KUALA LUMPUR: Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin has denied allegations that RTM had banned a song by M. Nasir from being aired on its radio stations.

He said the matter was raised in Parliament by Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang who claimed RTM had stopped playing the song, which repeatedly mentions the word bersih.

“The truth is I never banned M. Nasir’s song that he sang with Tan Sri S.M. Salim. Its actual title is Cak Kun Cak. All this is a misunderstanding,” Zainuddin said yesterday.

He added that the M. Nasir song, in any case, had nothing to do with an illegal gathering organised in the city by a group calling itself the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (its Malay acronym is Bersih).

“I only came to know about the matter after it was brought up by the DAP in Parliament.

“We ourselves were taken aback by the DAP’s allegations and it is only proper that I clarify matters because I don’t want M. Nasir to have a negative perception of RTM,” he told reporters after opening a seminar organised by the ministry’s Special Affairs Department here.

Zainuddin also said that he would lift the ban on singer Faizal Tahir from appearing on RTM’s television programmes after the latter had served the three-month suspension slapped on him by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.

Faizal had removed his T-shirt and bared his chest while performing at a concert broadcast live by a private TV station on Jan 13.

Zainuddin said a newspaper report saying that Faizal would still be able to appear on RTM’s programmes was wrong, and that the singer would only be allowed back once he was freed by the commission. – Bernama