THE youth wing of Malaysia’s ruling party is stealing the spotlight from a Singaporean comedian, calling for a ban on the performer after he jokingly called Prime Minister Najib Razak a “thief”.
Yesterday, Selangor state Umno Youth chief Zainuri Zainal urged Malaysia’s Home Ministry to block Fakkah Fuzz from entering the country over his “insolent” remark in his recent definition of the prime ministerial post.
“Fakkah Fuzz had rudely made a comparison on the definition of a thief in Singapore and Malaysia. He had likened the definition of a thief in Malaysia to the prime minister which is very disheartening,” he said in a statement, as quoted by The New Straits Times yesterday.
“This should not have happened, taking into the consideration that both countries have enjoy a good diplomatic relationship and have so long recognized our respective sovereignty.”
Zainuri said Fakkah should use other ways to entertain audiences instead of using Malaysia’s leader as the butt of his jokes.
“The act of using a leader of a neighbouring country as a joke is not mature and does not respect the sovereignty of Malaysia,” he said.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. Pic: AP.
“As citizens of Malaysia, Selangor Umno Youth is affected by this rude joke and we call on the ministry to bar Fakkah Fuzz from coming into Malaysia. Fakkah Fuzz should not meddle in the matters of Malaysia.”
In a skit, Fakkah said Singaporean Malays call a thief “penuchi” (thief), while Malaysian Malays call a thief “perdana menteri” (prime minister), Free Malaysia Today reported.
The joke was widely shared on social media over the last week.
Fakkah’s joke alluded to the controversy surrounding Malaysian premier Najib Razak who is embroiled in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal involving billions of dollars in state funds.
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Meanwhile, Fakkah has since apologized for the remark, saying he did not accuse anyone of stealing but was merely joking about current events, according to MalaysiaKini.
“I’m just saying what I hear, not saying ‘this person is guilty of this’. Not at all. Please don’t take what I said out of context as I’m not out to slander anyone,” he said in a Facebook post.
“Having said that, everyone needs to open their minds, be a little less sensitive and learn to take a joke once in a while.”
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