A viral video circulating online has provoked the ire of many Malaysians recently, showing a vendor at a bazaar in Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, wearing a military outfit with a red star logo associated with communist ideology.
Originally shared on TikTok, the video has since been reposted on other social media platforms, including this viral post on X (formerly Twitter) by @alif_haidar.
A food vendor goes viral for wearing a communist military uniform at a Kuala Terengganu bazaar
In the video, an individual can be seen manning the grill pan while wearing a generic military uniform. The uniform includes a headgear commonly worn by the Japanese army during World War II.
However, rather confusingly, a five-point red star was embroidered into the headgear, which is a symbol associated with communism.
In fact, the same symbol was what the communist insurgents wore during the Malayan Emergency from 1948 to 1960.
After a few seconds, the camera then pans to the other individuals at the stall. Notably, there were two other people dressed up in costumes, one as an Arabian character, who was also smoking a cigarette at the stall, and the other as a historic kampung villager.
Based on the TikTok post, the location of the stall is at Dapo Pata Kontena, located at Pantai Tok Jembal in Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu.
There are various stalls at the bazaar with unique themes, and based on the costumes worn by the individuals in the video, the stall likely has a theme based on classic P. Ramlee movies.
However, rather than dressing up as the Japanese army in the movie Sarjan Hassan, the communist symbol was likely added to what should be a World War II Japanese military uniform.
Watch the video here:
Malaysians share their two cents on the video
In the replies to the X post, many Malaysians criticised the man for wearing the communist military costume, saying that he should’ve realised how sensitive such a uniform is in our country.
Several commenters were perplexed by how the uniform closely resembles the one worn by the World War II Japanese army but with a communist symbol, especially since both sides were at war against the other.
Meanwhile, another commenter said that someone should’ve reprimanded the individual for wearing the costume, as he should’ve known how sensitive the communist logo is in Malaysia.
Besides that, one commenter sarcastically said that maybe the man wanted to remind the public that the communist insurgents tried to take control of Malaysia in the past.
Another commenter noted something else in the video, which is the other person in costume casually smoking at the food stall despite it being against the law.
So, what do you guys think of the video? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.