PETALING JAYA, Feb 3 — Ipoh-born actress Raja Ilya unwittingly offended Malaysians for making a comparison between wedding ceremonies held during lockdown here and in Australia amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Papadom star took to Instagram on Monday to post two undated images, one showing a Western-style wedding ceremony with photographs of guests in an empty house of worship while the one in Malaysia was packed with guests who did not socially distance.
“Swipe left (for) Perth full lockdown wedding versus Malaysia lockdown,” the Perth-based actress wrote on the day the Western Australia city went into a full lockdown.
While the 35-year-old explained in the caption that she uploaded the post in jest using an old photograph, some of her fellow Malaysians failed to see the humour in Ilya’s comparison.
The post attracted unkind comments from the public who accused Ilya of making Malaysia look bad, saying she had insulted her country.
“Is Malaysia not your country? Good or bad it’s still our country, no need to insult our citizens,” @sabariahzakariah commented.
“Just three days of staying in Perth and you’re condemning your own country – maybe you’re jealous you’re not getting EPF, Bantuan Prihatin Nasional (BPN),” @sofea_sofean_shah added.
“Slandering your own country,” another wrote.
Despite the negative comments hurled at her, others came to the actress’s defense.
“I think she’s merely addressing some truth ... Perth has only one case, total shutdown, Malaysia has 5,000 case and people are still seen going here and there,” 1675nmn said.
“Try to think why she posted these images in the first place,” @syah_99_ chimed in.
“I totally get you, the movement control order here isn’t strict, it doesn’t feel serious at all,” another replied.
The barrage of comments the post received prompted Ilya to respond to the accusations in an Instagram video yesterday.
The actress said she had no intentions of demeaning her country.
“Hey guys, seriously, I wasn’t expecting those photos to go viral.
“This is just saying that people in Perth are so paranoid to the point of a full lockdown and those images are just for illustration purposes.
“It’s got nothing to do with bringing down the country’s dignity.
“Don’t take it so seriously, do you really think I’m the sort of person who forgets where I come from?
“I’m so sorry if you think that wasn’t funny but for those who did, I’m so glad you understand,” Ilya said.
The actress whose real name is Raja Ramilah Begum Raja Mohammad has been living in Perth since marrying Australian businessman Trent Garrett in December 2018.
Perth announced a snap five-day strict lockdown for its two million residents on Monday after one case was discovered in the community.
Australia came in at eighth place in The Covid Performance Index compiled by the Lowy Institute while Malaysia ranked 16th.
As of yesterday, Australia reported zero new cases while Malaysia recorded 3,455 new cases and 21 deaths, the country’s highest daily number of deaths.
