Singaporean Fakkah Fuzz apologises and hopes that people can still turn to comedy in troubled times

SINGAPORE — Singapore funnyman Fakkah Fuzz is in hot soup after he poked fun at Malaysia’s Prime Minister, with a group lodging a police report against him and others calling for him to be blacklisted and barred from entering the country.

But the comedian, who had apologised on his Facebook page on Saturday for unintentionally hurting “his brothers and sisters across the causeway”, reiterated that he meant no harm.

Speaking to TODAY over the phone, Fuzz, whose real name is Muhammed Fadzri Abdul Rashid, said he is sorry he caused any hurt and offended anyone.

“I have no intention of taking any political side or cause any unrest,” he said. He added that he did not accuse anyone or mention any names in his original video. “I am just a stand-up comedian. And comedians talk about current events and what is said by everyone else. I’m not interested in taking any political stance or making a political opinion,” he said.

“I don’t stand for any political views nor am I making any personal judgement. It’s a group of people who feel that I didn’t have the right intentions or felt that I’m trying to provoke.”

Fuzz had posted up a video clip last week in which he had compared the lingo between Singaporean Malays and Malaysian Malays. In one instance, he said Singapore Malays call a thief ‘pencuri’ while Malaysian Malays call a thief ‘perdana menteri’ (prime minister).

The video, which quickly went viral, has since been taken down.

In the latest developments of the saga, the Malaysian Artistes Association, which claimed to have 5,000 members, wants the police to investigate him for his comments, according to The Malay Mail Online today.

“We lodged a police report because what he said was an insult and it could ruin the good relations enjoyed by both countries,” said Hafiz Nafiah, the group’s secretary-general to reporters, after lodging a complaint at the Dang Wangi police district headquarters.

“We also want the Immigration Department to blacklist his name and bar him from entering our country. We don’t need people like him here,” he added.

Reports from Malaysia’s media outlets also said that the Selangor Umno Youth wing is urging the Home Ministry to bar him from entering Malaysia.

“Fakkah Fuzz had rudely made a comparison on the definition of a thief in Singapore and Malaysia. He had likened the definition of a thief in Malaysia to the Prime Minister which is very disheartening,” said Zainuri Zainal, the chief of Selangor Umno Youth, in a statement yesterday.

“This should not have happened, taking into the consideration that both countries have enjoy a good diplomatic relationship and have so long recognised our respective sovereignty,” Zainuri was reported as saying in the New Straits Times.

In response to this, Fuzz said he hopes audiences in this region can turn to comedy during these turbulent political times in the world, and to use it to “have a break and a laugh”, just like in the West. “Until we can understand that this is just comedy, people will keep getting offended,” he explained.

While he feels affected by what happened, Fuzz is grateful for the support from friends and fans who have encouraged him to “stand strong”. “If there’s anything I’m grateful for following this episode, it’s that people who haven’t heard of stand-up comedy or watched stand-up comedy now know about it,” he said. “Stand-up comedy is my passion. I will continue making jokes and to stand up for stand-up comedy.”