Kualalumpur(Pahichan) December 10 – Films with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) characters and on elements of gangsterism can be approved for viewing in Malaysia if they carry important cautionary lessons.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman said that this was in line with guidelines from the Film Censorship Board that did not approve films that promoted deviant lifestyles at their very core.

He said films with characters who were gangsters needed to have critical moral lessons, such as depiction of members of the public assisting the police in clamping down crimes.

“We view this matter seriously. The Home Ministry is quite strict on film releases (in Malaysia).

“When a film (with elements of gangsterism or LGBT) is approved, it should come with a lesson,” he said, adding the ministry based its ruling on fatwa and guidelines issued by the religious authorities from time to time.

He was answering a supplementary question from Datuk Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid (PH-PKR-Kapar) during Question and Answer Session at the Dewan Rakyat today.

Sani had asked on steps taken by the government to ensure that youth audience in the country were not influenced by the LGBT characters and gangsterism in films.

In reply to a supplementary question from Ahmad Amzad Mohamed @ Hashim (Pas-Kuala Terengganu), Azis said the government would not hesitate to ban films that promote LGBT explicitly.

He noted that films with LGBT elements were approved for distribution when they carried certain cautionary lessons.

“In some films, we do not deny there are ‘mak nyah’ (transgenders) characters. However, these films make a strong (cautionary) lessons on such characters.

“We approve these films as there are lessons to be learnt.

“In regards to advertisements (that may have elements of LGBT), the ministry has guidelines (on that),” he said.

Source : www.nst.com.my