CONTROVERSIAL comedian Jocelyn Chia who recently drew flak for her “joke” about the disappearance of flight MH370 has denied that she bears any grudge against Malaysia, saying that it was common culture for comedians to “roast” their live audience.
Chia told CNN that her routine has been performed “more than a hundred times” for a year and a half without an issue, but when this particular segment was taken out and condensed into a short clip for social media, some of the necessary context went missing.
“I do stand by my joke but with some caveat – I stand by it in its entirety, when viewed in a comedy club,” she was reported as saying.
“Upon reflection I do see that having this as a clip that gets viewed out of a comedy club context was risky.”
Malaysian audience members often come up to Chia after her shows to tell her that they loved her gig, she said, which showed “they clearly didn’t take offense”.
Meanwhile, Singapore officials have apologised to Malaysians for “gratuitously offensive comments” made by Chia.
In a statement issued on Thursday (June 8), Singaporean High Commissioner to Malaysia Vanu Gopala Menon slammed Chia for the gratuitously offensive comments she had made in her 89-seconds long video.
“The Singapore Government does not condone words or actions that cause harm or hurt to others and Chia, who is no longer Singaporean, does not in any way reflect our views. I sincerely apologise to all Malaysians for her hurtful remarks.
“Comments such as those made by Chia are unhelpful and undermine the close trust and friendship that both our countries and peoples enjoy,” Vanu added.
Singapore’s foreign affairs minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan also said he was appalled by Chia’s horrendous statements.
“She certainly does not speak for Singaporeans as we treasure our ties with family and friends in Malaysia, and are sorry for the offence and hurt caused to all Malaysians,” he said on his twitter.
His Malaysian counterpart, Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir also slammed Chia stating that she showed a total lack of sensitivity and empathy towards Malaysians and MH370 victims’ families.
“This video also clearly depicts behaviour that is contrary to the values of Asian countries that are known for their manners and morals.
“I believe this is not a stance or action accepted by any country, let alone reflect the official stance of any government,” he added, adding that any such action or attempt should be stopped. – June 12, 2023
