While August is Malaysia’s Independence month, it seems that there have been many issues involving our national identity. Recently, influencers and Steady Gang members Haoren (朱浩仁) and Tomato (李明鴻) found themselves in hot water for disrespecting the national anthem.
For those unaware of the issue, it stemmed from a video that Haoren posted over the weekend. In the video taken at an award ceremony, the influencer, along with his Steady Gang group mate Tomato, were singing along to the national anthem, “Negaraku”. However, their gestures and playful antics while singing the anthem sparked outrage, with many netizens calling it disrespectful. Haoren quickly deleted the video and issued an apology.
Unfortunately, the apology didn’t seem to fix the situation. The video also caught the attention of local politicians, who then called for authorities to investigate the influencer. At the same time, many netizens were also calling for authorities to take action against Tomato, who at this point have yet to issue an apology. A couple of days after the issue first blew up, the two media personalities took to their socials to once again apologise for the controversy.
In his apology letter written in Mandarin and Malay, Tomato expressed regret over his actions. The public figure, whose real name is Lai Hong Ming, also said that he will take responsibility and learn from his mistakes. Meanwhile, Haoren’s second apology, also written in Mandarin and Malay, included an explanation for why he took the video. According to the influencer, he wanted to preserve a memory of the event. Still, he had no intention of disrespecting the “Negaraku”.
Both Steady Gang members stated they’re cooperating with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in its investigation. Netizens have since reacted to the two apology letters, thanking Haoren and Tomato for taking responsibility for their mistake. However, some voiced scepticism, arguing that this isn’t the first time the two public figures had caused controversy.
Since the MCMC investigation is still ongoing, it’s unknown whether Haoren and Tomato would receive punishment for the controversy. Regardless, we hope everything goes well for them and that they will reflect on their mistakes.
