PETALING JAYA, Feb 13 ― Local artistes are advised to be cautious when accepting job offers, especially when there are sensitive issues involved.

Malaysia Karyawan Association general manager Ahmad Abdullah said they should be careful when accepting such jobs or be prepared for the repercussions.

“They should avoid disrupting national harmony at all times. We’ll never know how our work will  be received by the public,” he said.

“Always take into account the views of the audience because some may not perceive it well if it indirectly offends them.”

Ahmad said artistes were merely doing their jobs as entertainers when accepting offers but they should also be responsible and be aware of what they were getting into.

“Public figures have admitted that they need artistes to attract the masses but the artiste has to be well aware of the consequences,” he said.

On Tuesday, actress Lim Ching Miau was called up by police to give a statement in relation to Seputeh MP Teresa Kok’s online video, Onederful Malaysia CNY 2014. Lim was one of the three actors in the video.

Yayasan Artis 1Malaysia president Datuk D.J. Dave said Malaysian artistes should not express anything that will disrupt the nation's peace and harmony.

He agreed they should not be involved in controversial productions that might be viewed as insensitive and stir sentiments which could affect their career.

“They should not be in productions that touch on religion, politics or propaganda,” he said.

Comedian Douglas Lim said when comedy was performed in a theatre, the audience paid to watch them and they knew what to expect.

However, he said  Kok was not an entertainer and she may not know the right time or place for her brand of comedy.

“If any other artiste had done it, it may have been taken lightly. But since she’s a politician, the consequences are different,” he said.

“As long as there are things that remain unquestionable, Malaysia has got a long way to go before reaching artistic freedom.”

Adibah Noor said if they believed in a controversial issue, he or she had the right to participate in that production.

“But they need to be prepared mentally with facts and arguments to defend themselves,” she said.

Songwriter Omar Khan said the nation’s society was not open-minded enough to be poked fun at.

“Everything starts from home, people need to tell their children to be more open, rather than to be narrow-minded about things,” he said.