Last week, local actor Hero Tai went viral after he boldly claimed in an episode of a Taiwanese talk show that Singapore had ‘stolen’ several iconic dishes from Malaysia such as bak kut teh and Hainan chicken rice.
On top of that, he also claimed that everything about the city-island was “man-made”, including its tourist attractions and people.
Since the episode aired, Singaporean netizens have reacted strongly towards Tai’s remarks, where they bashed him for being a “sour grape” and “immature”.
M’sian actor says sorry for claiming that SG ‘stole’ M’sian food
Following the backlash, Tai stepped forward to explain his side of the story and also offered an apology for his remarks.
Speaking to The New Paper in an interview, the Malaysian actor said the showrunners wanted to spark a verbal debate between the Malaysian and Singaporean participants.
The entire episode was about two groups of people ‘attacking’ each other purely for entertainment purposes. However, I only realised that my scenes had been specially edited only after the show’s broadcast.
“It looked like I was very dissatisfied with Singapore, but it was really just a performance to suit the entertainment programme,” he said.
Tai added that since the episode’s airing, he had received angry messages from Singaporean netizens who were offended by his claims.
“Some just expressed their unhappiness, but there were also many malicious insults and attacks. There were even those who cursed my whole family to die.
“I feel that even if someone has a different position from yours or you feel that what they say is wrong, they don’t deserve to go and die.
I hope that both the Internet and the real world can be filled with more love and peace. I sincerely apologise to any Singaporeans whom I’ve upset.
Watch the episode that landed Tai in trouble here:
Do you think that Tai’s remarks about Singapore was fair or offensive? Let us know what you think in the comments!
Read more about the controversy here:
