Maszlee apologises for dialogue degrading women in TV drama

Former education minister Maszlee Malik has apologised for uttering a dialogue that was degrading towards women in a TV drama he acted in.

Maszlee - who starred as a jailed former prime minister in the TV series “Kudeta” - said the words he used should not have been uttered.

"I, Maszlee, wish to make an open apology to all, especially to women wherever you may be," he said in a statement today.

He was responding to criticism of a scene in which his character, Jammal Banna, insults the new prime minister played by Vanida Imran by crudely implying she was no longer sexually desirable.

He is then slapped for the insult.

The academic-turned-politician-turned-actor thanked all those who criticised and advised him.

Maszlee (above) also hoped Astro - which aired the series - would censor the scene.

At the same time, he encouraged people to watch “Kudeta”, which he described as a political action-thriller, as it has much to offer beyond the five seconds of controversy.

The eight-episode series aired on Astro Ria from Nov 20 last year to Jan 8 this year.

One of the writers, Imran Sheik, worked on the political movie “Daulat”, which was loosely inspired by politics after Pakatan Harapan's 2018 electoral victory.

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