Ultraman finally meets his match

I was flabbergasted when I heard that the Malaysian Home Ministry had banned Ultraman.

What? I cried out when a friend said: “Hey, did you hear the news? Malaysia’s ultra-men have defeated Ultraman.”

Although I don’t follow the adventures of this fictitious Japanese character anymore, there was a time when I watched with awe as he defeated alien after alien to save the world – on television.

I didn’t even realise, at that time, that he was Japanese. He was the hero. That’s all that mattered. And he always triumphed in the end. That’s all that mattered.

Those were the days, I suppose, when people were just people; when religious beliefs and ethnic egoism had not yet begun to strangle Malaysians.

Why would the Home Minister ban a comic book character, especially one who is popular in Malaysia?

Many puzzled people took to the social media to lambast and lampoon the Home Ministry, or Kementerian Dalam Negeri (KDN).

There are some lovely comments from social media users, such as this one from someone with the handle @anthraxxxx: “I can understand KDN’s reason to ban Ultraman’s book. When Ultraman drops on a city fighting monsters, it will create chaos and destruction.”

Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin asked in a tweet: “Apa salah Ultraman?” (What is wrong with UItraman?).

It was reported that celebrity model Carmen Soo (@Carmensoo) said: "I grew up watching #ultraman and just heard it's now banned in Msia. How utterly stupid is that?????????

‏One gentleman with the handle @LoganRaj posted a very telling tweet: “#KDN ,why not stop illegal gambling shops ,prostitution centers and corrupted ministers , why #Ultraman?!"

LoganRaj certainly has a point. Why not concentrate the energy and personnel of the ministry in resolving these major problems?

According to a Bernama report, the Bahasa Malaysia edition of the comic book, Ultraman the Ultra Power, had been banned because it contained elements detrimental to public order.

The ban had actually come into effect on Feb. 18 under Section Section 7(1) of the Printing and Publications Act 1984.

Now this is one Act that needs to be repealed or changed drastically to allow more freedom. It is not in consonance with today’s inter-connected, instant news, Web world.

Then, I realised that the Home Ministry had not actually banned Ultraman or Ultraman comic books. It had banned one particular Ultraman comic book tittled Ultraman the Ultra Power.

This is something that we have to be careful about: misinformation. Sometimes, the first information we receive may not be the whole truth and this incident, once again, shows that.

So, Ultraman is somewhat safe and children can still continue to watch his exploits on television or read about it in comic books.

And the latest news I hear is that the ban is related to the ongoing tussle over the use of the word Allah between the government and the Christian church.

Apparently, there is a sentence in the comic book that reads: “Beliau dianggap sebagai, dan dihormati sebagai, ‘Allah’ atau Elder semua wira Ultra.” Translated into English it reads: “He is considered, and respected as, ‘Allah’ or the Elder to all Ultra heroes”.

An Associated Press report gives the clearest picture of why the comic book has been banned. It reads: “The Home Ministry says the Malay-edition of Ultraman, The Ultra Power contains elements that can undermine public security and societal morals.

“It says Ultraman is an idol for many Muslim children and equating the lead character, Ultraman King, with Allah will confuse them and shake their faith. It warns such irresponsible use of the word Allah can provoke Muslims and threaten public safety.”

I am sad at the way the Allah issue is unfolding and dividing Malaysians. And the latest victim is Ultraman, and this book. I am also sad that Malaysia has become the butt of jokes around the world because of this one word.

Amidst all this, the Home Ministry has yet to explain fully its reasons for the ban. Why? Doesn’t it know that it is duty bound to explain its actions to the people? Doesn’t it know that if people understand an issue better, they will be more reasoned in their comments and reactions?