PETALING JAYA, Sept 9 — Malaysian singer Siti Sarah Raisuddin has apologised in person to Orang Asli representatives for making insensitive remarks about the community on social media.

Siti Sarah, 35, told Astro Gempak that she was grateful for the community’s willingness to meet with her and hoped that her explanation would clear things up once and for all.

“I would like to humbly apologise once again to the Orang Asli community in Malaysia who were offended by what I said.

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“I’m grateful that they received me so warmly and I can’t describe how I felt when they accepted my apology with an open heart,” said Siti Sarah.

The Kesetiaan singer said she could not rest easy until she met the community face-to-face to apologise.

She added that it was important for her to show that she had no intention of insulting the Orang Asli as her family has close relationships with indigenous people.

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“It never crossed my mind to insult (the community) because I myself have an adopted younger sibling named Rainbow who is from this minority group.

“My grandparents are also very close to the community, so why would I insult them? I regret saying the wrong thing which hurt so many people as a result.”

Siti Sarah shared a video of her saying sorry to the Orang Asli community on Instagram, adding that she was advised to do so by a representative named Tok Batin.

Siti Sarah explained that she stayed silent on social media before this because she didn’t want to cause further controversy and denied claims that she was trying to sweep the matter under the carpet.

“All this while, I’ve been careful of what I post on social media. I stayed quiet not because I wanted to shirk my responsibilities but because I didn’t want the issue to get out of hand.

“I will admit that this incident has taught me to be careful with my words, who I choose to befriend, and who I speak with.”

The former One in a Million contestant sparked controversy this week after she made derogatory comments about Orang Asli hair in a TikTok video promoting a salon.

She later apologised through a press statement issued via her agency Indigital Sdn Bhd and claimed that the video was posted without her prior approval.