Petaling Jaya — Entrepreneur Mohd Nor Kharoni Kamisan announced via Instagram on May 25, Saturday, that a hip-hop music video that featured former Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak would be released the following day.
Mr Kamisan included a 45-second clip of a video of a song entitled “BBB,” which has had more than 86,000 views. “BBB” is short for “Bukan biasa-biasa” meaning “not the usual,” which he coined last February, and bukan biasa-biasa is sung repeatedly in the clip.
The hip-hop track is sung by two artists: RASH the Warchild, described by Star Online as an “underground breakout star,” together with “little-known rapper ADK.”
Interestingly, the teaser clip features Mr Najib sitting in a white Toyota van, escorted by the police.
The former prime minister also shared the teaser clip on his Facebook account on May 25, where it has been seen over 20,000 times and shared almost 2,000 times.
The clip also features Mr Kamisan, a fervent and very public supporter of the Prime Minister, rising to his feet as the door of the white van opens, revealing Mr Najib. When Mr Kamisan makes a thumbs-up sign, Mr Najb does the same.
The door closes and the white van drives away, leaving Mr Kamisan and his three friends smiling.
The video then cuts to the artists. Interestingly, the official video of BBB was released on YouTube late on Sunday evening, May 26, and features only the artists R.A.S.H x ADK, without the portion that shows Mr Kamisan, his friends, and the former Prime Minister.
Some of the lyrics of the song, when translated from Malay, are as follows:
“Let’s move forward
This is not the end
With this, I present
A prayer for success”.
A catchphrase also associated with Mr Najib, “Malu apa bossku” which means “What’s the shame, my boss,” is also featured prominently in the song.
Why Mr Najib is featured in the song has not been officially explained. However, the catchphrase “Malu apa bossku” is seen by some as part of a campaign to rehabilitate Mr Najib’s image, and reinvent him as a man of the masses.
In an article entitled “Najib presenting himself as champion of poor in ‘bossku’ wave” published on May 26 in the New Straits Times has retired ambassador Datuk M. Santhananaban expressing the hope that this “fad” is a “passing one.”
He writes, “Translated loosely as ‘what is there to be ashamed, boss’, it implies that former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who has been charged with graft, has no reason to be ashamed of anything.
What this implies is that despite Najib being hit with 42 charges, he has been venerated and elevated to the status of a folk hero.
Najib, on his part, is relishing his role as a cult leader.
One can speculate that he has reinvented himself as a leader who champions the cause of the poor and downtrodden.
He also wants to present himself as a campaigner against the imagined marginalisation of Malays and Muslims.
The irony is that other leaders are not saying that society abhors all crimes, including those perpetrated by white-collar criminals who subordinate public funds and assets for their private agenda and greed.”
The former ambassador expressed alarm over the far-reaching implications of the bossku fad and urged that justice be pursued.
“With this ‘bossku’ wave, Najib has hijacked the causes of justice, accountability and the wellbeing of the people, the very basis that gave PH traction in garnering support.
It is important that in spite of the ‘bossku’ wave, Najib will continue to get a fair and full trial.” / TISG
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