Jocelyn Chia Explained: Singapore Apologises to M’sians for Jocelyn Chia’s MH370 Joke

Malaysia and Singapore have always enjoyed close relations, including friendly rivalry, with banter exchanged between its citizens mostly about the quality of food in our neighbouring country and the exchange rate for SGD to MYR. However, stand-up comedian Jocelyn Chia took it too far with an insensitive joke about the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.

The aircraft went missing in 2014 which caused the presumed fatalities of the 239 passengers onboard and caused the whole nation to grieve over the unfortunate incident. This is especially true for the family members of the passengers who are still seeking the truth about the incident nine years on.

The ‘Joke’

During her stand-up comedy routine in the Comedy Cellar in New York, Singapore-born Chia joked about Malaysia being far behind Singapore. "My country, Singapore, after we gained independence from the British, we were a struggling little nation. In order to survive, we formed a union with a larger, more powerful country, Malaysia.”

"When my prime minister went on TV to announce that you guys had dumped us, he cried because he thought we were not going to survive without you. But then, 40 years later, we became a first-world country. And you guys? Malaysia, what are you now? Still a developing country,” she jeered.  

Chia continued with her ‘joke’ saying, "Why haven't you (Malaysia) paid me a visit in 40 years?" Presumably mimicking a Malaysian, she said, "I tried, but you know, our airplanes can't fly," as a graphic of a Malaysia Airlines plane flashed on the screen. This drew the audience's gasps and laughter, prompting her to say, "What, Malaysia Airlines going missing is not funny, huh?”

"Some jokes don't land," she said, in reference to the plane going missing. “This joke kills in Singapore.”

“You’re definitely getting a bad Yelp review” one man from the audience remarked. Yelp is an American business review and social networking site. Chia laughed it off saying, “I’m getting a bad review from the Malaysians. That’s okay, they don’t have internet.” She ended by cackling at her own monologue.

This is not the first time that Chia has joked about our country, as her previous comedy sets have also compared the developing states of Malaysia and Singapore.

Watch the video here:

Who is Jocelyn Chia?

Now based in New York and a naturalised American, Singaporean-born Chia is a lawyer turned comedian. According to her website, “she has been in Vulture, Her World, South China Morning Post, and cnbc.com, and was recently named one of Singapore’s top comedians by Buro. She has been a guest comedian on the Howard Stern Channel of Sirius XM, and a guest host on MTV.”

Backlash to insulting jokes

Chia has drawn outrage and backlash over her comments, with Singaporean top government officials chiming in on the matter. Chia responded to a negative comment on her Instagram page saying, “Tragedy plus time = comedy. It’s been long enough man.”

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Singapore, Vivian Balakrishnan criticised her comments, saying “I am appalled by her horrendous statements. She certainly does not speak for Singaporeans. We treasure our ties with family and friends in Malaysia and are sorry for the offence and hurt caused to all Malaysians.” He was responding to a tweet by politician Syed Saddiq who said that the joke was in “bad taste” but “let's not allow one bad seed to tarnish our whole outlook to our neighbour”.

I am appalled by her horrendous statements. She certainly does not speak for Singaporeans. We treasure our ties with family and friends in Malaysia, and are sorry for the offence and hurt caused to all Malaysians.

— Vivian Balakrishnan (@VivianBala) June 7, 2023

Singapore’s High Commissioner Vanu Gopala Menon has also spoken out and stressed that she is no longer Singaporean, “I am appalled by the gratuitously offensive comments made by stand-up performer Jocelyn Chia. The Singapore Government does not condone words or actions that cause harm or hurt to others and Chia, who is no longer Singaporean, does not in any way reflect our views. I sincerely apologise to all Malaysians for her hurtful remarks.”

You know you’ve messed things up in a major way when your former country doesn’t even want to acknowledge you.

According to NST, Foreign Minister Dato’ Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir condemned Chia’s actions saying, “This video also clearly depicts behavior that is contrary to the values of Asian countries that are known for their manners and morals. I believe this is not a stance or action accepted by any country let alone reflect the official stance of any government," He added it lacked sensitivity and empathy towards Malaysians and the victim’s families and that any action or attempt like this should be stopped.

Malaysian comedian and actor Harith Iskander, known to be outspoken on various issues and advocate for cross-border relations between Singaporean and Malaysian comedians, piped up about the issue.

“The loss of the plane was and is a deeply traumatic event for Malaysians. As a comedian, I respect the freedom of expression that we comedians require to do our job. But it is equally important to exercise some level of sensitivity and empathy when doing certain material, especially topics that are deeply personal or tragic.”

My response to Jocelyn Chia's clip which has riled up Malaysians pic.twitter.com/dbP1GBz1As

— Harith Iskander (@HarithIskander) June 7, 2023

As the video was previously posted on one of Chia’s social media pages, Intan Maizura Othaman, wife of MH370 crew member Mohd Hazrin Mohamed Hasnan, left a comment on the video. "When you attend a show that features an incompetent lawyer turned unfunny comedian, this is what you get. Epitome of heinous human!"

Social Media Pages Deactivated

Although her website remains active, her social media accounts can no longer be accessed although it remains unclear if they were deactivated or suspended. Her Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter accounts are no longer accessible, and users are met with blank pages instead of the usual content.

Her YouTube page, which remains active has been flooded with comments from social media users such as “As a family member of those affected by the MH370 tragedy, I feel disappointed and hurt. It is a serious matter, and you make your joke out of it showing you (are) insensitive towards (our) family’s feelings. Shame on you.” Her TikTok page also remains active.

As of time of writing, Chia has yet to issue a public statement or apology over the issue.

Image credit: @harithiskander, facebook.com/intan_maizura