Talk show organisers should apologise to Nurul Izzah, says Hannah Yeoh

© Provided by Malay Mail Hannah Yeoh speaks at the ceramah in TTDI Kuala Lumpur May 5, 2018. — Picture by Ham Abu Bakar

KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 — Organisers of the ‘live’ talk show where Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar was confronted by a caller commenting on her “revealing attire” must be held responsible for what happened, Hannah Yeoh has said.

Yeoh, who was elected as the country’s first female speaker in Subang Jaya in 2008, said that organisers of the show should apologise over the “embarrassing incident” and should have ensured questions asked were relevant to Nurul Izzah’s work.

“Sometimes, the organiser has to take the blame. We do a lot of these engagements with politicians and others while putting them on the spot, then when we lose control, we embarrass our guests,” she told Malay Mail when contacted.

“Some sort of filter should be put in place beforehand. The comment was absolutely disgusting and nobody has the right to comment on someone’s attire.”

“The organiser should apologise to Izzah; whether or not it was in their control, it still happened on their show,” added Yeoh.

A caller named “Azrul” made comments about Nurul Izzah’s attire being too revealing on certain occasions, claiming it allowed him to see “her underwear and breasts.”

She also said that organisers of such ‘live’ events should reconsider their strategy when interviewing politicians or corporate figures where they could potentially be put in similar humiliating situation.

Yeoh also urged the public to exercise their right to free speech wisely and judge politicians based on their work instead of making trivial comments.

“Perhaps we should rethink on-the-spot engagement. Is it fair for anybody? Would you do this for a corporate boss?” she remarked.

“Freedom of speech comes with common sense and decency. Freedom of speech must be accompanied by decency.”