After being criticised by the netizens and also publically called out by Henry Golding, there’s more to come for the beauty queen.
Malaysians started petition
A petition has been launched online to urge the Miss Universe Malaysia Organisation (MUMO) to strip Samantha’s title and crown following the controversy.The petition says “Samantha Katie James was crowned Miss Universe Malaysia title in 2017. Yet she has failed to uphold her title as she prides on her own racist remarks and ignorance on her Instagram stories.”
“She is a public figure with over 160k followers on Instagram. She misused her platform and social media presence to voice out her blatantly racist and ignorant remarks.”
“Her ignorance and lack of self and privilege awareness do not reflect the Miss Universe Malaysia title and with this petition, we hope she will be stripped of her title. For someone who is so blatantly ignorant should not represent Malaysia in any capacity.”
The petition has almost reached its goal of 25,000 signatures, gaining over 20,000 at the time of posting.
MUMO has previously released a statement stating that they are no longer affiliated with the former beauty queen and apparently, she has chose to end her three-year contract earlier than its expiry date.
Easier said than done
Although many would like to see Samantha’s title and crown being taken away, it’s not as easy as it seems.MUMO national director Datin Elaine Daly told the Malay Mail that she isn’t sure if that’s possible as of now.
“Her contract with us is over and this is unprecedented,” Daly said.
“Nobody has ever won a title and been stripped of it, I don’t know what the legal consequences are so it’s not so easy just to say ‘Okay, I strip you of your title’, there’s so much that goes into it.”
To view the petition, click here.