Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email I agree with the demand by MIC Youth. What were Nanban editors thinking of when they allowed the advertisement to be published? Which company did the advertisement? The MIC Youth should make formal complaint to the AAAA (if I’m not mistaken).
MIC Youth demands an apology from Indian daily
Tamil Nanban and a beer company for an insensitive Deepavali
advertisement that appeared in the newspaper yesterday.
They also lodged a police report against the
newspaper and the Skol beer company claiming it was insulting to the
Indian community.Its secretary, C. Shivarraj, said the advertisement by Skol printed on
page 5 could lead to misperception on the Indian community as well as
convey a wrong message to Indian youth.“They are insulting the
Hindus’ Rangoli kolam by putting the beer bottles in the middle and
stating that the Deepavali celebration will be more enjoyable with Skol
beer,” said Shivarraj at the Sentul police station here yesterday.He said members of the public who saw the advertisement might get the wrong idea that Indians were fond of drinking.
Shivarraj added that Indian youth might also get the wrong idea that it was a norm to get drunk when they were adults. “This misperception and wrong message of the Indian community must stop,” said Shivarraj.He called for an apology from the newspaper and the beer company before Deepavali on Oct 27.
The report was lodged by MIC Youth, Culture and Religion Bureau chief, K. Sathasivam, who was accompanied by Shivarraj.
The guilty parties are the advertising firm, the alcohol selling company, and the newspaper. But I think there are another two culprits as well. Do readers remember that alcohol advertisements were once banned from print media? When and who allowed it again? Did you recall reading about it anywhere? I can’t. So is it legal for such advertisements to be published or not? We can even see alcohol advertisements in cinemas.
The other culprit is the community itself. Alcohol has forged deeply in our festivals and daily lives – in the name of socialising, modern lifestyle, and stress reducer. We can find minibars in affluent and middle-income Hindu houses nowadays, while restaurants and samsu shops still cater for those who are in lower income category and outskirts of towns. We hear our politicians given names related to alcohol – such is the level of humilitation we bring onto ourselves.
We console ourselves by saying that some pubs and alcohol outlets are run by our Indian brothers – must give them business. Well, did anyone point a knife in their backs and force them to sell alcohol?
So, I think we deserve being given such a “gift” in the Nanban paper. Yeah, laugh about it. “Small matter” – yup, I can hear some saying that. Well, wait till your 13-year old kid comes home drunk (what’s the big deal when his dad drinks?) or your loved one ending up in the hospital after being hit by a drunk 18-year old car driver, then we’ll see how small the matter is.
SAY NO TO ALCOHOL.
when MCA is challanging BN and UMNO for their status and position and MIC was no where, not even one demand for the indians …here they are talking about beer and advert as a big issue. Not saying this is not but why MIC only knows to harp on small matters and not the REAL ISSUE?
MIC is INVALID? DEFUNCT?
not sure if you guys heard of a management concept that called “trees and forest” . In the lay terms “small and big picture” .
This kolam and the other Vinayagar on non-vege are small issues . But of course need attention . Then what about the bigger picture? Who gonna look at that ?
We read the “macho” speech by Kah Ting and Keng Yaik when they are about to resign . They spoke the truth and facts . But only when wanna resign ! I can clearly see the GR and MCA getting tougher … under Tee Keat’s leardership i can sense umno going to have headache .
By having a ‘lifetime’ leadership in MIC …. dont expect much …
Gerakan and PPP wants BN to become single party with direct membership and everyone to contribute in the effort to enhance racial unity.
UMNO is saying yeap good idea!! first close down all chinese and tamil schools and send all children to national schools then we can talk about racial unity….if you want to retain your race identity dont talk about BN becoming single party.
After listening to this one PPP maybe will agree,gerakan will surely oppose because they want umno to compromise and tolerate on everything but what will be gerakan contribution??
if we line up 10 non malays most probably 9 cannot complete national anthem, all of them wont be able to complete state anthem…………but day in and day out they will say we msian give us our right.
Beer ads is coming day in and day out in star newspaper…which also give misperception about all msian not only indians. beer Ads in major newspaper are urging all msian to savour the great “liquid gold” taste
Guiness,carlsberg and heineken always publish one full page of ads in the star
one beer company even change the sacred phrase of communism “worker of the world unite” to “drinkers of the world unite” and publish it in the star newspaper some time ago.
Beer ads is coming out in all the paper not only tamil paper….if MIC youth wants to oppose they should oppose all the paper which publish beer ad not only tamil press.
Maybe they prefer to attack msian nanban because samy vellu failed to get court against them couple of weeks ago.