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Tv & Radio > News & Features Sunday April 15, 2007
Dented pride
AIR RAVES
By ANTHONY THANASAYAN
NEWS reports about Malaysia appear to be a regular item lately on the BBC World Service radio.
Some of the stories aired by the London-based international broadcaster have been so striking that I imagine every time the word “Malaysia” comes up in the news nowadays, audiences everywhere are likely to prick up their ears and pay attention.
One of the hottest news pieces so far was aired on April 4. The news, which also made it to the BBC Online pages, even got our Members of Parliament engaged in a live debate.
“Malaysia lambasts Top Gear host,” screamed the headlines under the Asia-Pacific section of the 75-year-old radio station which is usually picked up on short-wave frequencies.
Here’s a quick background to the story as to how I understand it. (I say this because the BBC itself did not make clear some of the facts in its reporting.)
Some months ago, the host of Top Gear, the British TV motoring show, Jeremy Clarkson, went out and bought himself a Malaysian-made Perodua Kelisa car.
No sooner had the popular presenter-writer transacted his purchase than he got into his car, drove it a short distance away and started to wreck the car using a sledgehammer and explosives.
The whole incident was filmed and aired on Top Gear.
The BBC reported that because of what he had done, the Englishman came under fire in the Malaysian parliament for “labelling one of the country’s cars as the worst in the world”.
Clarkson, according to the BBC, had described the car as an “unimaginative junk, with no soul, no flair and no passion” and added that its name was “like a disease, built in jungles by people who wear leaves for shoes”.
The BBC also reported the reaction of a Malaysian minister (Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Abdul Raman Suliman) in defence of Perodua, Malaysia’s second national carmaker.
He likened Clarkson to a football commentator who does not play football and pointed out that “Perodua had not received a single complaint from British owners”.
The broadcaster said the minister also accused Clarkson of trying “to boost sales of the Top Gear magazine” with his comments.
The BBC did not make clear in its report why the Top Gear episode, which apparently was aired almost a year ago, had only now created a furore among Malaysian lawmakers.
Prophet’s birthday
IT was not surprising that Ikim.fm, operated by Institut Kefahaman Islam Malaysia (Institute of Islamic Understanding), took the lead among local FM stations to mark Prophet Muhammad’s birthday (which fell on March 31) with a week of special programmes from the eve of the religious observance.
One show explained the Prophet’s struggles in order to fulfil his godly mission. In another, listeners shared the most profound lessons they have learnt from Muhammad’s teachings and his life.
Then there were special segments that catered to child audiences – almost a rarity on other stations.
A feature on April 2 offered an interesting look at the entrepreneurship side of the Prophet.
On April 4, Ikim.fm ran a mid-morning special about scientism – a tendency to idolise the natural sciences – which, reported the station, clashes with Islam’s understanding of knowledge and science as taught by Prophet Muhammad.
The only downside to tuning in to Ikim.fm during the birthday occasion and even last week was that its homepage (http://ikim.gov.my/ikim.fm/index.php) remained stagnant no matter how many times I clicked on its various features. A glitch that, hopefully, will be rectified by the webmaster immediately.
Despite living in the cyber age, the writer insists that radio still provides a unique window on the world. When he isn’t scanning bandwidths, he helps to raise awareness of positive living with pets through his organisation, Petpositive (Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association).
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