The Chairman of the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission or KPI Agung Suprio called the ‘Upin and Ipin’ show a form of Malaysian propaganda to the outside world. Agung, as reported by Suara.com, said that the ‘Upin and Ipin’ show has managed to introduce the image of Malaysia being multicultural, friendly, and religious to the outside world. He said,
“Upin and Ipin can be called propaganda, positive propaganda. Upin-Ipin can introduce Malaysia or the image of Malaysia to the outside world which is multicultural, polite, friendly and religious.”
He also revealed the reason why television stations rarely broadcast Indonesian-made cartoons as it is very expensive to produce such shows. In his statement, he also said that allegedly, the production cost of ‘Upin and Ipin’ is subsidised by the Malaysian government. Therefore, he said that Upin and Ipin is ultimately propaganda of the Malaysian government.
Watch his full explanation in regards to his statement here:
It is undeniable that ‘Upin and Ipin’ is very popular among children in Malaysia and a few countries in the region. However, at the end of the day, it is a show that carries so many moral values as well as life lessons. It is not really propaganda. It is just a great show with great intentions.
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