Namewee calls Utusan ‘sampah’

By Patrick Lee

Rapper and Nasi Lemak 2.0 director comes out with a scathing YouTube video in response to attacks by Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia

PETALING JAYA: In his usual acerbic style, rapper Wee Meng Chee (better known as Namewee) has come out guns a-blazing against Utusan Malaysia for their attacks on him.

Through a YouTube video entitled “Namewee F–k Utusan!!!”, the Nasi Lemak 2.0 director slammed the Umno-owned newspaper for claiming that he had offended the Malays.

“(The role of the) newspaper is to report, report! You are judging people. You don’t write to shiok sendiri (please yourself).”

“That kind of newspaper runs down Malaysians, runs down the people… You have a pen, you have a keyboard and you’re considered a reporter,” he belted out sarcastically in Malay, along with a series of expletives.

“Trash newspaper! Scum of society! Trash writer!” he added.

Wee was responding to an article entitled “Bukan Nasi Lemak 2.0, soalnya Namewee” (It’s not Nasi Lemak 2.0, the question is Namewee) by Utusan feature writer Fauziah Arof.

Fauziah stressed that she would not watch Wee’s Sept 8-released movie even if she was given free tickets.

In several volleys against the rapper, she claimed that he had offended Malaysians, especially the country’s “Malays and Muslims”.

The newspaper said it was strange for Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz to receive Wee without taking action against him.

Fauziah also claimed that the rapper was given “too much face” and rubbished Wee’s support of the 1Malaysia concept.

“Who is this Namewee, and what is so special about him?” she asked, adding that she had no problems with local films, and was willing to spend money to watch “Malay films”.

In his nearly three-minute-long video, Wee did not appear to be amused with Fauziah’s words.

Do you understand my lyrics?

He said the least the Utusan writer could have done was to watch his movie before making her comments.

“You think all the other newspapers are stupid? If it wasn’t good, they (would) write that it wasn’t… they can write (that) because they have gone to watch the movie!”

“What about you? Have you done your research?” he asked, and offered to buy the Utusan writer two tickets to watch his movie.

Wee also asked if the newspaper understood what his songs meant, and attacked it for claiming that he was a racist.

“Do you understand what my songs are about? Do you understand (what) my lyrics (mean)? … I told people not to be racist … to work properly,” he said.

“Where is your certificate? Is it from the drain? If you don’t know what it means to be a reporter, go back to school. Tell your boss, you and all your friends to go back to school!”

Utusan Malaysia’s salvo against Wee was one of many attacks levelled against the rapper in recent weeks.

A few weeks ago, protesters in Ipoh demanded a boycott of Nasi Lemak 2.0, linking it to the recent Bersih 2.0 (Coalition for Free and Fair Elections) demonstrations.

Umno-friendly bloggers have also been critical of the rapper, with some threatening physical violence against him should he allowed to meet Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.