THE Malaysian Artiste Association (Seniman) wants Putrajaya to strip Namewee of his citizenship, following his latest music video controversy.

Bahasa Malaysia daily Harian Metro reported today that Seniman president Rozaidi Abd Jamil, better known as Zed Zaidi, said the rapper had repeatedly caused controversies and was not sensitive to the nation’s cultural diversity.

“We (from Seniman) think Namewee is a rude person. Maybe he has been living abroad for too long till he doesn’t understand religious and cultural sensitivities,” he was quoted as saying.

Rozaidi also called for the banning of Namewee’s public performances in Malaysia to prevent other artistes’ reputation from being hurt.

Namewee, whose real name is Wee Meng Chee, has courted controversy over his Like a Dog music video, in which he sings that dogs in different countries have different barks, and that while American dogs go “woof woof” and Indonesian dogs, “bow wow”, Malaysian dogs go “mari mari, wang wang (come come, money money)”.

He is under investigation for allegedly insulting Islam in the music video, and police are reported to be working with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) on the case.

Namewee is being investigated under Section 298 of the Penal Code for causing religious disharmony, and Section 233 of the MCMC Act 1998 for improper use of network facilities or network service.

Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has warned the rapper that he will be punished for his provocative actions sooner or later.

Namewee has released another video, denying that he had insulted Islam or any race, and saying Like a Dog served only entertainment purposes.

A relative of his was reported as saying the rapper was merely spreading Chinese New Year cheer, and that the music video was meant as a joke.

The Malaysian Insight is still awaiting a response from Namewee on the matter. – February 21, 2018.