Finally, Malaysia is making its name on the world stage. With multiple wins through its surprise entry, ‘Operations Disrupt East Timor Conference’ aka ‘ Ops Apcet II ’ , it has embarrassingly turned the ‘Oscars’ into an Malaysian event.

The Malaysia’s haul includes:

Best Picture - ‘Operations Disrupt East Timor Conference’, produced in 1996

Best Director - Megat Junid Megat Ayob, then deputy home minister

Best Actor - Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, then Umno Youth secretary (issued apology in 2001 for his 'wrongful performance')

Best supporting actors - Zainal Abdin, then Dang Wangi OCPD, various Youth leaders of MCA, MIC and PPP

Best visual effects - the company of BN Youth

Commenting on the film, the judges have this to say: ‘The plot was very meticulously planned and executed, the trickery involving government machineries and abuse of authoritarian powers so skillfully mastered… that it can only be true in real life.’

However, unknowing to the judges is that, the film was indeed a recording of a real event in 1996 in Kuala Lumpur. This was confirmed by trustworthy sources close to the film and details subsequently appearing in court confirm it.

Set in 1996 in Kuala Lumpur, the story was about a group of ‘patriots’, led by Saifuddin, under the order of Megat Junid, storming the venue of a conference called Asia Pacific Coalition for East Timor II. Under the name of patriotism, the ‘patriotic gangsters’ were ordered to act patriotic, by disrupting the conference and threatening the participants of the conference.

With the coordination of Megat Junid and the police, the gang knew that their violent acts would not attract any trouble from the law. In fact, at the end of the performance, according to Saifuddin’s admission in his apology, he was given a nasi kandar treat by the police at the police station. It was a hilarious ending.

Best Director, Megat Junid Megat Ayob, who was then the deputy home minister, effectively took the law into his own hands when he convened a meeting of BN Youth leaders and instructed them ‘to disrupt the conference’, according to Saifuddin Nasution.

‘Megat Junid asked BN Youth to undertake the responsibility to stop the seminar as he said the government’s stand must be respected… He said matters related to the police have been arranged and the police will arrive at the seminar hall in 30 minutes, where everything will be settled then.

‘He added that a few of us might be arrested in this task… Megat Junid said in carrying out this task, few (BN Youth) members and I will be arrested but he told us not to worry because everything will be over if I can successfully perform the duty,’ said Saifuddin during the award ceremony recently, attributing the success of the film to the director.

Best actor, Saifuddin Nasution, then on the wrong side of history as Umno Youth secretary, followed the instruction of the Best Director to lead the disruption acts at the conference and in the end won the Best Actor Award (and treated to nasi kandar by the police too).

In a rare public apology by a politician, which we should all cherish as a distinguished political culture, for his ‘wrongful performance’, Saifuddin elaborated:

‘At 4pm, Oct 9, 1996, I was called by Megat Junid. I went to meet him, escorted by a few senior police officers. The (director) then told me, ‘By hook or by crook, you must stop the conference’.

‘I then called up Zahid Hamidi (Umno Youth chief) (about the plan) and he consulted Dr Mahathir Mohamad who gave his support. Hishammuddin (Umno Youth deputy chief) also supported the action. I then organised a 1,000-strong team with the order to stop the conference.

‘The angry mob broke the doors to the conference hall, overturned tables, threw chairs and verbally as well as physically assaulted the participants. The police, who are normally quick in stopping illegal demonstrations, did not appear for one full hour to stop the fracas.’

Saifuddin added that after the successful attempt in stopping the conference, he was brought to the Bunga Raya VIP room at the Subang Airport by Megat Junid and was introduced to Mahathir upon his arrival from Ghana.

‘I do not have any significance of the struggle of the independence of East Timor. On that spirit, I apologise to all of you and to those who were detained by the police (for my wrongful performance in the film),’ said Saifuddin during his apology at the awards ceremony, to the applause of the crowd. (Bravo!)

One of the Best Supporting Actors, Zainal Abidin, then OCPD of Dang Wangi, played the important role for the police. The performance of Zainal Abidin yielded the most startling outcome in public order enforcement: the wrongful detention of 100 participants of the conference versus the arrest of seven demonstrators led by Saifuddin.

The 100 participants were detained between one and six days for no crime but for holding a private, in-door event in a hotel peacefully. Whereas, the Umno Youth protestors were briefly arrested as a show and Saifuddin admitted being treated to a nice nasi kandar meal at the police station.

Incidentally, Zainal Abidin is also involved in another famously staged drama recently at Cheras, Selangor. He is now executive director of the infamous Grand Saga Sdn Bhd, the concessionaire of Kajang-Cheras Highway.

His performance at the barricade tussle and the ensuing police brutality on helpless residents is being reviewed and could land him with another ‘Oscar’, probably for Best Actor or Best Director. (The academy is appealing for more information to help in their judgement.)

The truth of the winning film could not have surfaced if not for the court case, which has dragged on for years, filed by the victims of the wrongful detention, and the admission in Saifuddin’s public apology.

What is certain for Malaysia after winning these awards is that it has become the best location in the world to make films. Not because of any superior film making infrastructure or talents, but because ‘real’ events can be planned and executed even with the help of the police and other government agencies, all above the law and without fear of punishment by the law.

In short, take the law into your own hand or flout the law with impunity. Hollywood is advised to identify and partner the right Umno cronies for any film-making partnership, given that the political party’s leadership is yet to be finalised before the end of March.