KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 — The Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry has apologised for its controversial Chinese New Year greeting in a local paper yesterday, which depicts a rooster “barking”.
In a short statement published on its Facebook page, the ministry apologised over the full-page ad in the Sin Chew Daily, which depicted a rooster although the Chinese New Year celebrations this year heralds the coming of the Year of the Dog.
“This is due to a technical error in the advertisement,” it said, without elaborating further.
“We apologise a million times for this advertisement having been published,” it added.
The ministry is headed by Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.
Already, some Malaysian businesses are skirting around or playing down the portrayal of canines in Chinese New Year decorations this year, wary of offending the country’s Muslim majority in the Year of the Dog.
