The Miss Universe organisation has officially cancelled Miss Universe Malaysia 2023 in light of the sexual harassment accusations made by Miss Universe Indonesia contestants.
This is due to the fact that the Indonesia-based company, PT Capella Swastika Karya, is the licensee for both Miss Universe Indonesia and Miss Universe Malaysia.
Taking to their Twitter page, they shared a statement in regards to this matter.
— Miss Universe (@MissUniverse) August 12, 2023
“PT Capella Swastika Karya and its principals will not be moving forward with Miss Universe Malaysia 2023 and will not be given any additional contracts within our organization.”
“We will be cancelling Miss Universe Malaysia 2023, and will make arrangements for the Indonesia 2023 titleholder to compete in this year’s Miss Universe pageant,” they wrote.
More than half a dozen women competing in the Miss Universe Indonesia beauty pageant have reported organisers to police over allegations of sexual harassment, their lawyer said Tuesday.
The complaint came after the seven finalists in the contest, held in the capital Jakarta from July 29 to August 3, were unexpectedly asked to strip for a supposed body check two days before the pageant’s crowning ceremony.
Officials from the license holder of Miss Universe in Indonesia, PT Capella Swastika Karya, insisted they had “to examine any scars, cellulite or tattoos on their bodies”, the contestants’ lawyer Mellisa Anggraini told AFP.
“The finalists were not aware that they would be subjected to such a procedure, as it was originally planned to be a fitting,” Anggraini told AFP.
She said all 30 finalists in the pageant were subjected to the unexpected body check, and five of them had their pictures taken. The number of contestants coming forward with complaints could rise, she said, as more finalists have given her the authority to report the incidents.
Jakarta police spokesman Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko told reporters on Tuesday that a police report had been filed by the contestants.
Police launched a probe into the complaint using the report as “the basis for our further investigation”, he said.
Poppy Capella, national director of Miss Universe Indonesia, did not confirm or deny the allegations in an Instagram post, but expressed gratitude to those who had shared “their views, feelings and perspectives with us” over the incident.
“Your comments are not mere words: they are a potent force,” she wrote.
Miss Universe’s global organisation did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
Broadcaster Kompas TV showed the women holding a press conference about the allegations, hiding their identities as they spoke.
The competition was held to choose Indonesia’s representative at this year’s Miss Universe contest, which was founded in the 1950s.
© AFP
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