KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 26 — When news broke that Malaysia would be producing its own version of hit Korean game show “Running Man” last week, hallyu fans here responded with brickbats instead of bouquets.
Malaysians took to Twitter to express their scorn for the local edition of the show, called “Lari”, calling the idea “humiliating” in light of the global backlash due to the fuss from conservative religious authorities over the onstage hugs and forehead kisses from Korean boy band B1A4 to several female Muslim fans dressed in the hijab at a concert here earlier this month.
“Running Man” is a popular Korean game show that pits its guest stars — usually members of boy bands or famous actors — against a house team in competitions that often force the participants to perform comical acts.
Local television channel TV9 is believed to have gained the rights to produce the local version of the show, with flamboyant and controversial celebrity Azwan Ali set to be the host, although its broadcast date has yet to be announced.
Even so, the vitriol has been pouring in under the hashtag #runningmanmalaysia, and gained momentum in the past one week after the B1A4 controversy, which even placing it as the second most trending topic on Twitter at one point.
“Rasa macam tak perlu adalah . Sebab nanti banyak issue . Malaysian people be like sensitif dalam banyakhal . Poyo !” said one Twitter user in Malay under the handle @Miss_NasN, in an apparent swipe on the melee that ensued after the K-pop concert incident.
[In English, it roughly translates to: There’s no need for the show. Because too many issues would arise. Malaysian people be like sensitive in many things. Fakers!]
In a similar tone, another user under the Twitter account @BalqisAinnisha wrote “#runningmanmalaysia sucks ew , stop copying . ur humilating our country , dh bash kpop pstu nk tiru , apa ke bangang !!!???”
[Translation: Running Man Malaysia sucks. Ew, stop copying. You’re humiliating our country. You’ve bashed K-pop and now you copy it, what foolishness!!???]
A Twitter user with the acount @frhshazlein, posted “Dah sdp2 kau kutuk kpop , skang nk copy pulaakk running man korea ? BAGUS BAGUS , CONTOHILAH ;#runningmanmalaysia. [After you’ve dissed K-pop, now you copy Running Man Korea? Good, good, make it an example].”
“I cant face ppl form othr country anymore... wth (what the hell) #runningmanmalaysia,” said xinrulaw.
Much of the tweets aimed at the Malaysian Running Man were such scorchers, with majority of them coming from Malay Muslim themselves.
There were also those who criticised the idea of a Malaysian Running Man as lacking creativity and those who said that the local version would be pale in comparison to the new one.
A teaser advertisement of sorts has also made its way on popular video-sharing site Youtube since July last year.
Malay Mail Online was unable to reach the local television broadcaster for comment.
Observers noted that the angry response to the concert incident underscored the rising religious conservatism in Malaysia but at the same time, it also drove more moderates to speak up.
