DEC 30 — The news that the Home Ministry has decided to do away with the Film Censorship Board has definitely caught me by surprise.

Apparently, the ministry has declared that now filmmakers need to practise self-censorship when it comes to their works.

As someone who has been directly affected by decisions made by the board, I’m really not too sure how to react to the news.

In the past, I’ve had my films — which to my own eyes were harmless — get ridiculous ratings like 18PL.

I even had a film banned two years ago for no apparent reason (by the Prime Minister’s Office, no less!).

So when the government says that the responsibility now lies with filmmakers to make sure that their films do not contain undesirable elements, what do I do?

As a media liberal, I’m happy that there are no longer restrictions and filmmakers like me are now free to express ourselves however we want.

I’ve always believed that Malaysians are mature enough and intelligent enough to make up their own minds about what they consume in the media.

So, although I was caught off guard by the news, I can really say that I’m happy and, honestly, relieved the government has that much confidence in us.

Well, it’s about bloody time!

But I’m also shocked at the reaction from several parties that have actually expressed dissatisfaction with the abolishment of the Censorship Board.

PAS, for example, has declared that it is against the decision because it feels that filmmakers do not have the moral capability to self-censor.

Thank you PAS for being the oppressed opposition who, all this while, has screamed that the media has been controlled and biased, now going the other way.

PAS (and of course the rest of the opposition) has always fought for freedom of expression in the media. So what’s up now?

Then there is the Malaysian Youth Council, who says that self-censorship is a cause for concern as it “would be detrimental to the country’s youth.”

Seriously? You are representing the youth (one of the most vocal demographics against censorship) and you are acting all conservative and old fashioned?

I, for one, think that the youth should have more faith in themselves when watching films and movies. Do they doubt their own maturity?

I definitely do not doubt any Malaysian’s maturity, intelligence or morality when it comes to the consumption of content in the media.

My only concern is that, if the government is passing the baton over to the filmmakers themselves, are the filmmakers expected to form their own censorship board?

Who will determine the panel that will make up the board? Who will determine the guidelines that the board will abide by?

Will this new censorship board run the risk of being a gatekeeper just like the previous government-run one?

Or, even worse, will the new censorship board be used by certain groups of filmmakers against other filmmakers they deem as competition?

If this happens, then there would really be no difference between a censorship board that is run by the government and one that is run by filmmakers.

If you ask me, I think that filmmakers should just be given the freedom as individuals to practise self-censorship in their own works.

There would be an initial risk whereby, drunk on freedom, all kinds of unnecessary and rubbish content would be churned out.

But eventually, all that will be weeded out. Then, the really good stuff would surface. Stuff that really pushes the boundaries of film as an art form.

* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.