Datin Paduka Shuhaimi Baba at a press conference, the poster of ‘Tanda Putera’ seen in the background. Shuhaimi claimed that critics of the film were 'paid' and backed by the opposition.— Picture by Choo Choy May

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 — Opposition politicians hired cyber thugs to mount a protracted offensive against “Tanda Putera” as part of a larger political agenda against the Barisan Nasional (BN) government, the film’s director has alleged.

In a series of posts on the movie’s Facebook page, Datin Paduka Shuhaimi Baba linked the prolonged attacks to “cyber bullies” paid for by the opposition as part of a larger conspiracy directed against the country’s leaders, by inciting fights among Malaysia’s races.

“Many who enter Facebook with endless condemnation and ‘dissatisfied’ attacks are deliberate... They are—cyber bullies—Many of them have opened new accounts are only have 5-8 followers.

“Meaning they really planned an agenda to enter Facebook with a certain mission. Some use Malay or Indian names to fight and incite.

“Critics (who) are clearly pro-opposition will slam this film,” she said in her latest post, published yesterday in a four-parter to defend the controversial film.

Shuhaimi has received much flak for featuring a scene depicting an ethnic Chinese man urinating on a flagpole at the then-Selangor Mentri Besar’s residence.

Opposition politicians, namely from the DAP, had hit out at the director and the film after a photograph bearing a caption alleging its adviser, Lim Kit Siang of urinating at the flagopole, was posted on the “Tanda Putera” Facebook page last year.

The picture and caption were later removed and the producers, Pesona Pictures Sdn Bhd, have since apologised.

But criticism against the film and its director have continued, which prompted Shuhaimi’s Facebook rebuttals.

Her replies were written in Malay.

She started posting from September 30, after being asked if the attacks against her was because of her gender as a woman, or if she was targeted because of her racial identity as a Malay filmmaker.

“Certainly there are those who were hired to attack us. We can recognise when the writings are deliberately made and distributed for certain agenda, to break the spirit of filmmakers. So that we stop from producing historical films.

“Certainly the history of this Country will be based on the success of leaders, and most of those leaders are from the Barisan Nasional party,” she said in a post on October 2.

However, she did not name any one person or faction in her replies.

“Politicians and their supporters certainly know how to differentiate between politics and statehood as well as National leaders. But to enable them to make comments that are unethical, they pretend to be stupid. Pretend to not know.

“Opposition leaders are not stupid, they know what is fictional film and historical facts as the basis of films. But they choose to pretend to be stupid, so there’s an excuse to attack this film and directly attack the government,” she said in the third part of her reply.

She added: “Politicians in the opposition pact choose to be narrow-minded so they can act as they like. To cover up the truth—they are not as democratic as they proclaim.

“All this is planned as part of a bigger conspiracy. Many are not aware. We will tell this story later in detail because this involves the future of this country’s citizens.”

“Tanda Putera”, which cost RM4.7 million, is ostensibly a retelling of the friendship and sacrifice between the late former prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein and his late deputy Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman set during the country’s biggest racial unrest in 1969.

The film was released this August 29 after some delays in the past. Its run in the cinemas ended last month but the movie has made it to the home screen on satellite broadcaster Astro’s pay-per-view channel.