Following heavy criticism from netizens, 8TV has taken off the air its Ramadan commercials which some claims to be racist and stereotypical.

“Hey people! 8TV has pulled out the Ramadan public service announcement (PSA) ads. We apologise for any inconvenience or uneasiness caused,” said the television network in a Twitter posting.

In one of the three commercials, the arms of a Chinese girl who wore a tight and sleeveless top were blurred as she walked through a pasar Ramadan boasting that she is “the centre of attention”, as others frowned at her.

The commercial then advised its viewers not to wear tight and revealing clothes, asking the audience not to get carried away and to understand and respect the significance of Ramadan.

NONE Netizens have not taken kindly to this advertisement, with angry comments directed at 8TV’s Facebook page criticising the commercial.

A comment by one Yee Shan Shan said: “8TV, are you trying to tell us, we Chinese don’t respect bulan Ramadan (Ramadan month) or my Malay friends?”

Another comment by Sergius Tang read: “Hi 8TV thanks for the heads up... Now I know I am loud, rude, greedy, inconsiderate, disrespectful, wear tight and revealing clothes and I get carried away during Ramadan, Thanks 8TV. I’ve been stereotyped because of my race, you guys are awesome! - Please fire your CD (creative director)”.

MCA president Chua Soi Lek also weighed in on the matter, calling on the television station to consider racial sensitivities in their commercials.

“I would say that in a country like Malaysia, people who do advertisements should be sensitive about the sensitivities of other races.

“When you do an advertisement, the best judge is the public. If the public do not accept it, then you (should) withdraw it, that is a form of rejection, that is a form of punishment,” he said.

In an immediate reaction before the apology, 8TV CEO Ahmad Izham Omar told critics to ‘chill’ in a Twitter posting.

“Chill guys. Don't overthink the ads. It’s written, produced and directed by a multi-racial team. If you overanalyse, anything will be bad,” he said.