Awesome TV has come under fire from netizens after its news anchor slurred a racist editorial stance by urging Malay voters to come out and vote against certain political power to prevent the government from falling into non-Malay hands.
The racist remarks were made in the news bulletin Berita 7:57 which was broadcasted on 3 November on Channel 123 under TV operator Astro Malaysia.
In a snippet of the broadcast that was shared by former Klang MP Charles Santiago on Twitter, the two news anchors can be heard calling on Malay voters should fulfil their duty by voting to prevent the rise of non-Malay politicians.
STATEMENT: This reporting is racist to the core & seems planted to create fear ahead of GE15 News must be accurate & truthful as it influences public perception. @MCMC_RASMI needs act urgently. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/TuEphj81k4
— Charles Santiago (@mpklang) November 6, 2022
Vote to defend Malay rights
In addition, they also cite the study conducted by the Huayan Policy Institute Centre for Malaysian Chinese Studies that found 80% of Chinese voters are expected to cast their ballots, while around 10% do not intend to in the November 19 polls.
“All Malay voters must come out to vote to fulfil their civic duty if they don’t want political power to be controlled by other races… if they don’t want Pakatan Harapan (PH) to win.”
“If Malays don’t vote, politicians who should not hold power will come into power and marginalise Malay rights,” one of the news anchor said.
At the same time, the news anchor also reminded Malay voters about the ‘failures’ of the PH government during its 22-month rule, accusing it of prioritising issues of the non-Malays.
KKMM should step in
Commenting on the news clip, Charles Santiago slammed the news anchor for being ‘racist to the core’ and said it was designed to plant fear ahead of 15th General Election (GE15).
He also called on the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to take immediate action against the news anchor involved.
“No media should become stooge for the government. It’s a huge disservice to the country and its people,” Santiago said.
“To maintain the integrity of journalism, the media industry must come together to stand up against manufactured content. @awesometv_my TV station is behaving unscrupulously and this must be condemned,” he added.
At the time of writing, Awesome TV has not respond to the backlash.
Stay tuned for more updates!
