Grey paint covers Fahmi Reza’s haze mural less than four days in

KUALA LUMPUR – Less than four days after its completion, satirist Fahmi Reza’s latest mural highlighting the dire consequences of open burning and the potential return of haze has been painted over.

Shortly before midnight, two unidentified individuals were seen covering the artwork with grey paint, inadvertently matching the hue of the haze that the mural warned of.

While one individual diligently operated the roller paint brush, another stood by his side overseeing the task.

When approached by The Vibes, the individual supervising mentioned that the wooden hoarding on which the mural briefly called home is in fact private property.

Asked if the mural was being covered over because no prior permission had been obtained, he answered in the affirmative.

The building in question that the hoarding is fronting is the unoccupied Wisma Megah located on Jalan Tun HS Lee in the city centre here.

Formerly known as Bangunan Hong Leong, the building was completed in 1976 and stands 16-storeys high.

While it is unclear who the building’s current owner is, the New Straits Times has reported that it was once the property of Mammoth Empire Bhd, the company behind the Empire City development in Damansara Perdana.

The daily also reported that the building was acquired by Mammoth Empire in 2012 for an estimated RM38 mil before being sold for RM43 million six years later in 2018.

The mural, painted bright yellow resembling safety tape, had read: “Caution: Jerebu (haze) is coming back.”

It took aim at Malaysian-owned companies based in Indonesia allegedly involved in open burning, resulting in severe haze across parts of mainland Southeast Asia.

“As usual, every year, opening burning takes place at palm oil plantations in Indonesia, which includes Malaysian-owned companies,” Fahmi said in a TikTok video posted shortly after the mural was completed on Sunday.

The mural’s brief existence has not been without controversy as it was vandalised less than 24 hours after completion and again one day later. – The Vibes, September 8, 2022