PRO-UMNO COMEDIANS' antics fall flat, backfire on radio station

The antics of a pro-UMNO comedian in belittling Pakatan Rakyat have backfired on the radio station where he hosts a morning programme.

Salih Yaacob, who attempted to poke fun at PR leaders, has however invited wrath from netizens, leading to a video clip of his sketch on YouTube getting heavily 'disliked'.

But it is Sinar FM, a Malay-language radio station owned by Astro, which appears to bear the brunt of the protests against Salih.

Netizens took to flooding the station's Facebook page with comments condemning Salih, urging the management to axe him for playing politics, while many called on listeners to join a boycott of the station.

Salih is joined by another local comedian Ahmad Nabil in their sketch, part of a series called 'Bangkang Dari Longkang' (Oppose From The Gutters) bearing a strong political message. Standing against a backdrop of banners bearing the same colours of PR's three component parties PAS, DAP and PKR, the duo take turns poking fun at the coalition's manifesto and electoral promises.

But many who posted comments feel that the jokes were flat.

"It's fine if you want to make fun of BN or PR, but let it be funny!" writes an irate viewer on YouTube.

One of the video clips has attracted more than 100,000 viewers at press time, but the verdict was clear: close to 6000 dislikes against about 450 likes.

Not long ago, local actors Afdlin Shauki and Harun Salim Bachik had their audience in stitches when they impersonated the prime minister's wife Rosmah Mansor. Days later however, the pair appeared on mainstream media to announce their UMNO membership.

-Harakahdaily