George Clooney Slammed After Claiming Malaysia Is Considering Death Penalty For LGBTs
He singled out Malaysia and Indonesia in a recent interview with television host Ellen DeGeneres.
By Jia Vern Tham — 15 May 2019, 12:48 PM
US actor George Clooney, who spearheaded a boycott of Brunei following news of gay death penalty, singled out Malaysia and Indonesia in an interview with television host Ellen DeGeneres last week
Clooney, who was on US talk show Ellen on 10 May, spoke about the effectiveness of the boycott he led against Brunei after the country announced plans to stone LGBTs to death.
Brunei has since temporarily suspended the law following global outcry – a move which Clooney credited to the economic pressure from boycotting the country's hotels.
The actor then said that the ban faced by Brunei will serve as a "warning shot" to Malaysia and Indonesia, who he claimed are "considering these laws"
The moment Clooney singled out Malaysia and Indonesia during the interview with Ellen.
Image via Sumisha Naidu"It sends a warning shot over to countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, who are also considering these laws," Clooney said to DeGeneres during the interview.
"The business people, the big banks, those guys are going to say 'don't even get into that business'," he added.
Clooney's remarks has since sparked criticism from a few Malaysian activists
Pelangi Campaign president and prominent LGBT activist Numan Afifi told the US actor to "mind" his "white saviour complex" in a tweet yesterday, 14 May.
Activist lawyer N. Surendran also chimed in and said Clooney's statement is "slander and pretty irresponsible".
Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Marzuki Yahya thinks the US actor should "watch what he says"
New Straits Times reported that Marzuki reaffirmed the government's stance on LGBTs yesterday, 14 May despite the "warning" from Clooney.
"We must stand fast to our principles as a sovereign Islamic nation... I think (Clooney) better watch what he says," the Deputy Foreign Minister said.
"(If something) is against Islam, we will reject it," he added.
Nonetheless, Marzuki denied that Malaysia supports the death penalty for the LGBT community.