Perkasa wants boycott of Jaclyn Victor

Jaclyn Victor's song, Harapan Bangsa, is claimed by Perkasa as an insult to Islam.

PETALING JAYA (Oct 18): Perkasa has called for a blanket boycott of local singer, Jaclyn Victor by Muslims nationwide over her song which it claims is an insult to Islam.

The song Harapan Bangsa was uploaded on YouTube on Jan 3, 2012 and contains religious connotations pertaining to the Christian faith.

It isn’t clear however when the song was recorded. None of her five albums released since 2004 includes Harapan Bangsa and the song isn’t listed as a single either.

The YouTube video was created by a Kathryn Barry and features Christian imagery, Malaysia and its various races with Harapan Bangsa as background accompaniment.

There were no images, however, of Jaclyn performing or recording the song in a studio. In an accompanying write-up, Barry said that she had created the video to "share this beautiful and meaningful song about Malaysia and Jesus".

In a statement today, the right-wing Malay NGO said it condemned both Jaclyn and the songwriter for their “insensitivity and disrespect” to non-Christians in the country.

Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali referred to a particular line in the song that reads: “Bapa, engkau lah harapan negara ini” (Father you are the hope of the nation) and said that it was a clear insult to Islam as the country’s official religion.

“There is also another line that says “Kau lah satu-satunya harapan di bumi Malaysia” (You are the only hope on Malaysian soil) and this is insulting to all non-Christians since she refers to Malaysian soil,” he said.

“Do all Malaysians believe in and place their hope in Jesus? The songwriter should have been more aware of the fact that Malaysia is made up of more than just Christians and has a Muslim majority.”

Syed pointed out that yet another line says “Yesus engkau lah harapan segala bangsa” (Jesus, you are the hope of all races) and questioned why the lyrics were written as such since Muslims have never worshipped Jesus.

He then expressed bemusement over Jaclyn’s insensitivity towards her Malay fan base especially when her success rode on their shoulders.

“Perkasa is not seeking an apology from her,” Syed clarified. “What is needed is a compulsory boycott by all Muslims of her albums and performances nationwide.”

“We also want the Information Ministry to ban her appearance on all electronic media. Let her feel the pain of her insensitivity. It will be a stern lesson for her.”

Jaclyn, 34, became an overnight sensation after winning the inaugural Malaysian Idol in October 2004.

Her debut album, Gemilang, achieved gold status a week after its release. She has since gone from strength to strength and has built for herself a multiracial fan base.

At the time of writing, fz.com has been unable to reach the singer who is currently preparing for Muzika Ekstravaganza held tomorrow in Singapore.

In an immediate reaction, Parit Buntar MP Mujahid Yusof Rawa has rapped Perkasa for “disrupting the multicultural fabric of society” by exploiting issues that could potentially create racial tension in the country.

The son of the late PAS president, Yusof Rawa, was responding to Perkasa’s call for Muslims to boycott local singer, Jaclyn Victor, over a song that purportedly insulted Muslims.

But Mujahid, who has yet to see the YouTube clip, said that he has never known of any songs by Jaclyn that humiliated other faiths.

“The first question is whether she was the original singer of the song,” he pointed out. “And secondly, for what purpose and occasion was the song written?”

“I will reserve my (comments) on the lyrics as I haven’t heard the song yet but you know, anything can be uploaded on YouTube by anyone.”

Mujahid, who is also the chairman of the PAS National Unity Bureau, however added that he wasn’t surprised that Perkasa was riding on this issue as it was typical of the NGO to exploit issues like this.

“Our country has gone into the dark depths of politics where anything is being used for narrow purposes,” he said. “Even singers are not spared.”

He also warned that it would be “a very bad thing” if the exploitation of this issue was planned for the purpose of creating tension among the country’s different faiths and races.

Mujahid further noted that Perkasa’s harping on racially sensitive issues has had little success, even among the Muslims.

“Perkasa has never ever represented anyone of us,” he emphasized. “We are Muslims who give honour to others and don’t manipulate issues for narrow purposes. Perkasa does not represent us, please tell the world this.”

Former Perlis Mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, when contacted, told fz.com that the reaction from Muslims depends on where the song was played.

"If it is played in public maybe it is not appropriate. But if it is a song to be played in church, then no one can say anything because it is between them and God.

"In Malaysia, we have a law where non-Muslims cannot refer to God as Allah," Mohd Asri said, adding that he heard that song was not new, but from five years ago.

"So (if in this song), you called upon God within the Church among Christians, we have no right to disturb. If you call God and ask whatever you want and it is not against public interest, that is between you and God," he said.

Meanwhile Jaclyn’s recording label, KRU Music, has confirmed that Harapan Bangsa is not part of its catalogue. The singer signed with KRU last September after her contract with Sony Music expired.

A KRU representative told fz.com that at this juncture, Jaclyn Victor has recorded only two songs with KRU, namely Jagalah Diri and Sebelah Jiwaku.