Harith Iskander: That Bangsa Johor post specifically for my home fans

SEPANG: Saying it is his job to unite people, Harith Iskander (pic) clarified that he had no intention to divide Malaysians with his Bangsa Johor posting soon after winning the Funniest Person in the World contest.

Realising that his social media post, which specifically paid tribute to his supporters from his home state Johor, had ruffled some feathers, Harith said:

“That particular post was for Johorean bloggers and the Johor online community for helping to promote me among Johoreans.

“When you post something online, people tend to take it out of context. I thanked all Malaysians in a previous post, but people don’t see my previous post.

“In fact when I received my prize, I unveiled the Malaysian flag, which took the host by surprise because previous winners did not do that,” Harith told a press conference upon arriving at KLIA from Finland, where the finals of the competition organised by US comedy club chain Laugh Factory was held, on Wednesday.

“My job as a comedian is to unify people. If by that post I had split the people, then I feel bad about that. Sorry for that, that was not my intention,” said Harith.

On Monday, Harith posted a tribute to fans from Johor on his Instagram posting after his victory in the competition.

Harith beat 88 other comedians from around the world in the competition and won a cash prize of US$100,000. He will also be given the opportunity to perform at shows in the United States.

Harith said that he would throw a “kenduri” for his supporters, among other things, with the prize money.

“Let me clarify here, if there are any tax people in this room. I am not getting the cash prize in lump sum.

"It will be given to me in stages, US$10,000 each time I go to the US for my shows. These people (organisers) are quite smart.

“If I had all US$100,000 I would not be going to the US, instead I’ll be sitting in a big house,” he joked.

Harith said he hopes he can promote Malaysia in the US and the world during his American tour.

“Not many people know of Malaysia or where it is at, so I hope to promote the country during this tour,” he said.