SHAH ALAM - US-based comedian Jocelyn Chia breaks silence and stands by her infamous Malaysians can't fly joke.
Last week, the Singapore-born entertainer inadvertently sparked a wave of anger and heated reactions across social media as a clip of her making a joke about the safety of Malaysian planes in an apparent reference to the disappearance of flight MH370 went viral
Chia in her comedy skit incorporated thet history between Singapore and Malaysia, which used to be one sovereign nation before 1965, which she said she never had any issues performing over a hundred times for a year and a half, according to a CNN report.
However, things turned ugly when recently, the particular segment performed at the Manhattan's Comedy Cellar was edited out and placed into a short video which according to Chia left out some necessary context.
In the clip, she was caught saying, "What? Malaysia Airlines going missing not funny, huh?” which raked in some laughter before delivering her punchline: "Some jokes don't land."
After the clips of her jokes went viral, the lawyer-turned comedian had said that she stood by her joke.
"I do stand by my joke, but with some caveat. I stand by it in its entirety when viewed in a comedy club.
"Upon reflection, I do see that having this as a clip that gets viewed out of a comedy club context was risky,” she told CNN.
According to her, Singaporeans and Malaysians have always had playful banters which was part of the essence of her joke.
Following the unsolicited responses, she revealed that she kept no grudge against Malaysians.
In addition to that, she also pointed out that it is common for comedians to roast their live audiences.
Chia said throughout her career, she has had Malaysian audiences come up to her after her shows to tell her how much they loved her performances which showed that 'they clearly did not take offense'.
Despite Chia's insistence that joke was just a joke, the viral clip of her has earned the wrath of Malaysians and Singaporeans
In Malaysia, a political part youth wing (Umno) had marched to the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Friday to protest what they perceived was a huge insult to Malaysia.
About 100 protesters and representatives handed a memorandum to the US diplomatic outpost according to the youth group's chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh who stressed that the comedian's remark was unacceptable for the whole nation and that freedom of speech must come with sensitivity.
The country's neighbour Singapore, had distanced itself from Chia and apologised to Malaysia.
Singapore's High Commissioner to Malaysia Vanu Gopala Menon in a statement online wrote, "The Singapore government does not condone words or actions that cause harm or hurt to others, Chia's views does not in any way reflect our views,"
Menon referred to the present American citizen's joke as "gratuitously offensive comments" before sending a sincere apology to all Malaysians for "her hurtful remarks."
Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on Twitter expressed that Chia "certainly does not speak for Singaporeans" and that he was "appalled by her horrendous statements."
"We treasure our ties with family and friends in Malaysia, and are sorry for the offense and hurt caused to all Malaysians," he added.
His Malaysian colleague Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said the former legal practitioner's lacked sensitivity and empathy towards Malaysians especially families of the victims.
Malaysian national news agency Bernama reported him as saying that, "This video also clearly depicts behaviour that is contrary to the values of an Asian country that is known for its manners and morals."
As for Chia, she argued that at the end of the day, a comedian's goal is to only put a smile on people's faces.
"We all know in the comedy club context that this is the comedian trying to get a laugh and there is no actual malice behind it," she told CNN.