PETALING JAYA, Feb 10 — Malaysian rock outfit Drama Band has apologised for their performance at last night’s Anugerah Juara Lagu 34 (AJL34) which sparked controversy for featuring actors dressed as Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor in clown makeup.
The band’s vocalist Aepul Roza apologised on Instagram this morning in a now-deleted post.
“We would like to apologise for our mistakes.
“For those who were offended, please forgive us. (The performance) was just the story of life, whose colours we sometimes may not find pleasing,” read the statement.
The spoof occurred during the band’s performance of their self-titled hit Drama which parodied several scandals from Malay entertainment and politics.
At one point, a man dressed in corporate attire and a woman in a baju kurung with several luxury handbags came onstage as Aepul uttered the infamous line, “Can I advise you something?”
The phrase referenced a recorded phone call between Rosmah and Najib that was released by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Malaysiakini reported that Media Prima, who operates channel TV3, was not informed of the political nature of Drama Band’s performance.
Media Prima Television Networks chief executive officer Johan Ishak expressed disappointment that the group did not fully disclose their concept prior to the live broadcast.
“This is an example of when a finalist comes up with a gimmick that oversteps boundaries.
“During the rehearsals, there was no such concept (to do with politics),” he said.
Johan added that action would be taken against the group if they are found guilty of breaking any broadcast content codes as laid out by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
Source: MALAYMAIL