Singapore-born Jocelyn Chia used the plane’s disappearance as a punchline in a New York stand-up, shocking Malaysians.
Singapore’s foreign minister and the country’s high commissioner to Malaysia have apologized after a Singapore-born comedian performing in New York made the disappearance of MH370 into a joke.
Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said she was “appalled” by the “horrific statements” made by comedian Jocelyn Chia.
“We cherish our ties with our family and friends in Malaysia and are sorry for the offense and harm caused to all Malaysians,” he wrote on his Twitter account on Thursday.
High Commissioner Vanu Gopala Menon said he was “appalled by the gratuitously offensive comments” Chia had made during the performance at the Comedy Cellar in New York.
“The Singapore government does not tolerate words or actions that cause harm or injury to others, and Chia, who is no longer Singaporean, in no way reflects our views.”
Many Malaysians were shocked after Chia, who used his post to mock the long-standing rivalry between Singapore and Malaysia, chose to joke about MH370, which disappeared en route to Beijing in 2014 with 239 people on board.
The audience didn’t seem to find this element of the show funny, and Chia responded, “Some jokes don’t land.” This joke kills in Singapore.
The short video went viral after Chia uploaded it to her social media account.
In comments under the video, Intan Maizura Othaman, the wife of Mohd Hazrin Mohamed Hasnan, who was part of the MH370 crew, accused Chia of a “tasteless low blow” to gain popularity.
“Inferiority and insecurity can sometimes turn people into an ugly, hateful character and manifest as a clumsy and heartless (or perhaps brainless) comedian,” she added.
In a statement Wednesday evening, Malaysian Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir said Chia had shown a “complete lack of sensitivity and empathy towards Malaysians and the families of the victims.”
Malaysian comedian Harith Iskander echoed this view, saying that while freedom of expression was necessary for comedy, Chia’s joke had gone too far.
“It is equally important to demonstrate a certain level of sensitivity and empathy when reporting on certain topics, especially on deeply personal or tragic topics,” he said in a video uploaded. line.
A few debris of MH370 has been found on the beaches of Indian Ocean islands and East Africa, suggesting that the Boeing 777 likely crashed in a remote part of the southern Indian Ocean. Multi-country efforts to search for the planewere, however, unsuccessful.
Singapore was briefly part of Malaysia before becoming an independent nation in 1965.