Malaysia TV station Ramadan Ads sparks debate

Umno lawmakers have brushed off the controversy over 8TV's Ramadan advertisements which depict a socially-inept "Chinese" girl eating in public and wearing a tank-top when visiting a Ramadan bazaar, appearing to offend the Muslims around her.

Media Prima, which runs the channel, pulled out the public service announcements (PSA) off the air this afternoon after growing criticism for stereotyping Chinese behaviour during the fasting month.

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has also called on the Umno-controlled media group to take responsibility over controversial Hari Raya advertisements that have aired two years in a row, with a PAS lawmaker stating that heads should roll for implying that Islam is an oppressive religion.

But Pasir Salak MP Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman said it was a "petty issue and there is no case at all."

"As long as they have obeyed the law, what is the problem? We are a mature democracy but if 8TV feels it should pull the ads, then it is up to them to do what they think is right," the Felcra chairman told The Malaysian Insider.

Kota Belud MP Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan also said that "a society which is able to laugh and poke fun at itself is a confident, open and matured society."

He told The Malaysian Insider that it was strange that opposition leaders have called for action to be taken when "this mature democracy was what they wanted when they supported Bersih," referring to the July 9 rally calling for free and fair elections.

"Media Prima has pulled the PSA, so it shouldn't roll over into further controversy. The fact that it has angered the public shows that we are still too sensitive and we are not ready for total freedom of expression," he said.

The PSAs showed the girl eating in public, wearing revealing clothing and being loud and obnoxious during the Muslim fasting month.

The advertisements then suggest that non-Muslims refrain from such behaviour while in public, urging them to "please understand and respect the significance of Ramadan".

However, Pulai MP Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed disagreed with his colleagues, saying "someone should be sacked for stirring up racial tension."

"The ads imply that Chinese don't know how to behave during Ramadan when most people respect each other's religion. It is as if we should have PSAs every time there is a religious festival telling others how to behave," the UDA Holdings chairman said.

Media Prima had previously drawn flak from Muslims last year for airing a Hari Raya commercial with alleged Christmas overtones on TV3, another channel in its stable which also includes ntv7 and TV9.

Like 8TV's Ramadan commercials, the Hari Raya advertisement was taken off the air after it stirred a storm of protests online.

Prior to that, 8TV was fined RM50,000 by the Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for airing an advertisement by Danish beermaker Carlsberg during the Euro 2004 championships.