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Australian company apologises for wombat ad in KL

KUALA LUMPUR — The Australian company at the centre of the wombat furore has apologised for any offence it might have caused over its Hari Raya adverts featuring the animal in baju melayu and songkok, which some Muslims here mistook for a pig and complained.

The Servcorp wombat has appeared in ads all over the Middle East, the company says, without incident or complaint. Photo: Servcorp website

The Servcorp wombat has appeared in ads all over the Middle East, the company says, without incident or complaint. Photo: Servcorp website

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KUALA LUMPUR — The Australian company at the centre of the wombat furore has apologised for any offence it might have caused over its Hari Raya adverts featuring the animal in baju melayu and songkok, which some Muslims here mistook for a pig and complained.

Servcorp, a serviced and virtual office service provider, said in a statement on its Servcorp Malaysia Facebook page: “Servcorp would like to extend its sincerest apologies for any confusion caused due to the use of a wombat in a recent digital advertisement in Kuala Lumpur.”

“Servcorp is an Australian company and uses the wombat as its company mascot.”

“The wombat is a small furry bear-like animal that belongs to the Koala family and is native to Australia.”

“It would seem that some people mistook the wombat for a pig and during Ramadan this might lead to some sensitivities.”

“As an international business it is not Servcorp’s intention to offend any race nor religion and indeed, there have been no prior issues globally with the use of our mascot inclusive of Servcorp’s many Middle Eastern and Saudi Arabian offices.”

“Despite the advertisement depicting a wombat and having the prior approval from Kuala Lumpur City Hall, the advertisement has now been removed.”

Kuala Lumpur City Hall instructed the company to retract its advertisement, which was displayed on a digital billboard in the capital city.

City Hall director-general Mohd Amn Nordin Abdul Aziz said this was to overcome public misconceptions.

However, the episode has embarrassed other Malaysians, who voiced their displeasure on social media.

Vocal among them was Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Supreme Council member Latheefa Koya.

In a Facebook post, she said: “This is Servcorp's mascot, a wombat, not a PIG.”

“So please don’t embarrass Muslims by reacting like a crazy person just because you are paranoid that everything is an agenda by the Chinese and Jews… you are just portraying Muslims as stupid and sensitive with little respect for others.”

Responses to the announcement on the Servcorp Malaysia Facebook page were apologetic.

Ms Rachel Loke said: “Not everyone in Malaysia failed their science and biology lessons in school. Some of the intelligent ones among us can certainly differentiate between pig and wombat.”

Mr Sergius Tang told Australians not to take the issue to heart because recently someone had made a fuss over the word “church” on chicken sauce. THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER

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