YOURSAY ‘If we complain every time we see Umno logo, will they take it down?’

Artworks removed because of public distress

Gen2: The Home Ministry distressed many Malaysians with the ‘Allah’ ban. So the home minister should be removed ? The National Visual Arts Gallery (Balai Seni) should credit Malaysians with more intelligence.

Art, in its various forms, will always distress a portion of the public. Giving flimsy excuses is just another example of the BN government's ‘we know best’ attitude towards Malaysian citizens.

Jaycee: What Balai Seni meant to say the artworks of the two artists at the Bakat Muda Sezaman 2013 (Young Contemporaries) competition were causing "BN members a lot of distress".

For the rest of us, we have no "distress" whatsoever.

Not Confused: In most intelligent countries, art is meant to provoke and pose uncomfortable questions and is often non-conforming.

Here in Malaysia, the art lovers are treated like brainless sheep who must not be confused or have their thoughts and views contaminated in any way. Poor fools.

Yahoo: If an art can provoke feelings, that is a very good piece of artwork. Being “distress” when viewing the artwork should not be the criteria for its removal.

CiViC: The only distress it causes is to Umno, isn't it obvious? Balai Seni should have the guts to point this out straight and not blame it on the "public".

Now that they've got media, race and religion, education, movies and music, it only makes sense to make art political as well. Bravo Umno.

I wonder if we all complain every time we see Umno-BN's logo or Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's photo, will they take it down for the same reasons - “for causing public distress"?

Lim Chong Leong: What is more distressing is the way freedom of expression and free will and artistic talent are stifled by bigots and narrow-minded little Napoleons who know nothing other than to lick boots and polish apples under the pretext of protecting right-minded people who can take care of themselves.

Onyourtoes: This is the farting nonsense that I detest most. Who were these “visitors to the gallery” whose feeling was distressed? What about my feeling and feeling of many others?

You know what; I am very distressed too when I see the present bunch of nincompoops managing Balai Seni. I think they are a waste of our tax money and they should all be removed before they cause nausea to more people.

Maplesyrup: More than 50 years after Merdeka, Umno now becomes “the public”, “Malays”, “Muslims”, “royalty”, “bumiputeras” and the list gets longer by the day.

Now any word uttered in criticism of the government, the status quo, the party or civil servants becomes an attack against the Muslims, Malays, the king, etc.

Just how can a party with three million members become so big as against the 28 million Malaysians from all walks of life, is another marvel that can only be described as 'Malaysia Boleh'.

Supercession: A handful of uncultured Umno lovers does not constitute the "public". If Balai Seni doesn't know that, and if it does not understand art as critique, then it should just shut down and save the real public some money.

And if Balai Seni is so philistinic, it should just rename itself as Umno Visual Arts Gallery and get Umno to fund all its activities.

NewMalaysia: Wow, what an outrageous excuse, if the word ABU can cause 'public' distress, then why not remove it from the dictionary and impose a total ban?

Heavenly King: The Balai Seni officials can't understand Bahasa Malaysia or English or both. “Abu” means “ashes”. What is wrong with that?

Gggg: 'Alksnaabknuaunmo' - rearrange the letters and you know why it was banned. But I salute artist Cheng Yen Pheng for her guts.

The Mask: A few nincompoops who know nothing about art complained that it is distressing and you removed it. Such is your mentality and you want to be a developed nation. Go and develop your brain first.

Faz: This is definitely a political decision shoved down the Umno extensions in Balai Seni to remove the artwork, with almost predictable excuses. We have matured beyond our years because of these blatant lies.

Toonarmy: Bakat Muda Sezaman is a premier art competition? From now on it will be a laughing stock, shunned by all except for those aligned to the oppressive minority regime.

My4HOPE: Very soon Malaysia would beat all countries as the most distressed nation, even lifeless ashes can cause an impact.

1Mockery: Really? The 47 percent of the rakyat are distressed while 53 percent of the rakyat say very good, so the painting is removed to appease the 47 percent? There is even this kind of democracy?

Hmmmmmmmm: So much for art when you can't even draw what you feel.

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