The controversy involving singer and rapper Caprice and well-known preacher, Ebit Lew, became a trending topic on Twitter. Local media previously reported that the controversy was allegedly sparked by Caprice when he reprimanded Ebit Lew after he claimed that he was confronted by the people in Gaza over photos of Ebit Liew giving toys to Palestinian children.
Caprice, who is currently in Gaza on a humanitarian mission for Palestine, claimed to be disappointed with the famous preacher for using pictures of children in Gaza as social media content. On Friday (17th July), Caprice, whose real name is Ariz Ramli, took to his Instagram to share several pictures of a young Palestinian receiving a toy from Ebit Lew and asserted that Gazan people find it unpleasant as such situations have happened many times before.
“The same poor girl… receiving the same toy. But why does she have to pose for the camera twice? Why does the photo look similar to a photoshoot? This poor girl’s identity was not kept private,” he captioned, ironically sharing the photos showing the girl’s face himself.
“I have been your number one supporter this whole time. The issue about the toy became a controversy after the people of Gaza told me about the pictures,” Caprice wrote in another Instagram story. According to the 32-year-old rapper, he had sent a long message personally to Ebit Lew but the singer claimed that he was blocked from Ebit’s Instagram page.
Caprice had left Malaysia to join a separate humanitarian mission for Palestine led by UMNO Welfare Bureau chairman Datuk Seri Azeez Abdul Rahim on 24th June. He later revealed on Instagram that he is currently staying in Cairo, Egypt waiting for approval to enter Gaza.
The singer’s revelation on his social media sparks negative reactions from netizens, especially among the supporters of the respected preacher and philanthropist. Caprice was criticised for attacking Ebit Lew who had just lost his father on Tuesday (12th July). Netizens are also hoping that the issue between the two can be resolved without having to create a fuss on social media.
Following the heated outcome of the event, an individual known as Hafiz Rahim appeared on Facebook to share the full story of the Caprice vs Ebit Lew incident. In the post, he wrote how Caprice’s allegation was based on his dissatisfaction over the different treatment he received upon arriving in Gaza.
“Basically Caprice thinks that he is the biggest, he has the biggest ‘cable’, and everyone must heed to his words. He is embarrassed that he cannot enter Gaza easily, unlike Ebit Lew’s team who was granted permission to enter the land. Due to his dissatisfaction, Caprice started to fabricate a story about Ebit Lew,” Hafiz captioned in the long post.
What is the extent of truth behind the individual’s story? Today (Monday, 19th July), the singer posted a public apology on his Instagram after the myriad of rumours following the controversy. Caprice publicly apologised to Tunku Mahkota Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, Senior Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein and Ebit Lew.
Through the Instagram post, Caprice admitted his mistake of acting emotionally. “What happened was my own fault and it does not involve other parties. I would like to thank Datuk Seri Hishammuddin, the Malaysia-Egypt Embassy and the Egyptian government for their kind hospitality, support and 24-hour protection during my stay in Egypt,” he pens.
In the same entry, he also thanked the Chairman of the UMNO Malaysia Welfare Bureau (BKUM), Datuk Azeez Abdul Rahim whom he regards like a ‘father’ to him during their stay there. Caprice also apologised to his parents for worrying them about his condition there.
“Apologies to Malaysia and fellow Malaysians. InsyaAllah, I will return after fulfilling my responsibilities and promises to the Palestinian people. I’m sorry,” he concluded in the post.
Sources: The Vocket, Astro Gempak, Says, Kosmo!, Utusan Online, MuraiMy
