Government to review film censorship guidelines - The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Film censorship guidelines drawn up 15 years ago will be reviewed before a decision is made whether they need to be changed with the times.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said the Government wanted to strike a balance between liberal and conservative thinking.

It would seek the views of the Film Censorship Board members and the public, he said.

“There are already guidelines which were seen to be applicable during that period of time but may not be applicable now,” he told reporters yesterday after meeting members of the Film Censorship Board and Film Appeals Committee.

Asked whether the board was now too lenient or strict, he said while the majority of the board members were “old timers,” there were those who were seen to be too rigid while others were too lenient.

He said that in the era of globalisation there was no way to prevent films from being made and not being shown as there were alternative channels for viewing them.

[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/7/nation/21170885&sec=nation]