This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
The Malaysian government clarifies that it had not issued nor authorized such statements
Claim: The Malaysian government published a Facebook post advising the Malaysian public not to listen to the new pop song by Rosé and Bruno Mars as the lyrics are suggestive and against Eastern cultural values.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The claim was made in an article by Korean pop-culture site, Koreaboo, on October 28, 2024.
It said the Malaysian government raised concerns about the song “APT” by Rosé (of the Korean band Blackpink) and American singer Bruno Mars, and said it was potentially harmful.
The article linked to a Facebook post that was purportedly from the Malaysian Ministry of Health. The post, by a verified page called Public Health Malaysia, reads (in Malay): “Have you heard the song with the catchy lyrics? Apatue, apatue. Apatue, apatue. Apatue, apatue.”
The post went on: “Dissecting the lyrics of popular songs is very important, especially when the song is getting popular and is often used as background music on social media.”
The post then highlighted a set of lyrics from the song:
“Kissy face, kissy face, sent to your phone but I’m tryna kiss your lips for real.
Turn this apatue into a club, I’m talkin’ drink, dance, smoke, freak, party all night.”
The post added: “The use of the term ‘APT.’ or ‘apartment’ as a symbolic meeting place in a seductive context also shows the normalisation of behaviour that is contrary to Eastern cultural values.”
“What is more worrying is how this song is often used as background music in social media videos, making it a part of everyday life without us even realising it. Children may memorise these lyrics without realising the message being conveyed.”
“As parents, educators, and society, we should be more careful and sensitive to the influence of Western culture that is increasingly accepted without censorship.”
The facts: While the Facebook page Public Health Malaysia is verified by Meta, the parent company of Facebook, it is not actually affiliated with the Malaysian health ministry or the government.
According to Singapore news outlet The Straits Times, the page is run by a group of public health professionals.
The Malaysian health ministry, via its official X (formerly Twitter) account, quoted the Koreaboo article and clarified that the statements cited in the article were not issued or authorized by the Malaysian government: “In this regard, we would like to highlight that the posting was made by an entity which is not linked to the Ministry in any form whatsoever,” the X post read.
Koreaboo then edited its original article to reflect the erroneous claim. It also published a new article about the clarification by the Malaysian health ministry, although the new article did not state in its headline that the false report originated from their site. – Rappler.com
Sulaiman Daud is a #FactsMatter Fellows for 2024. He is a writer and editor at Mothership, Singapore’s youth-focused digital news platform.
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at [email protected]. You may also report dubious claims to the #FactsFirstPH tipline by messaging Rappler on Facebook or Newsbreak via Twitter direct message. You may also report through our Viber fact check chatbot. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.