KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian producer and director Erma Fatima apologised to Singaporeans regarding her recent statement directed at Sarah Yasmine, the 'illicit lover' of actor Aliff Aziz, which was seen to be a potential powder keg to ignite a row between the two neighbouring countries.
But the 56-year-old artiste, whose real name is Fatimah Rahmad Ali, remained adamant that Sarah's actions were wrong since it has tarnished the local entertainment industry and sullied the dignity of women.
"Don't let one bad apple spoil the whole crop. I accept that there are people who are not satisfied with my statement.
"I apologise if I have offended Singaporeans, but I stand by my position that this woman's (Sarah Yasmine) actions have sullied the dignity of artistes and the dignity of women," she said in a Harian Metro report today.
Erma shared the apology which was read by Singapore-born host Roslan Shah via a live video broadcast on his Instagram (IG) account, last night.
She said that her lawyer did not permit her to issue any direct statements on the issue.
"I have no enmity towards Singaporeans. What I don't like is the way this woman has insulted people who had nothing to do with Aliff's case.
"There's no reason for me to make enemies with Singaporeans. I brought Datuk Aaron Aziz and Datuk Adi Putra into this industry and they have been well-accepted because they behave well," she said.
It was previously reported that Erma had told Sarah to go back to her home country after the Singaporean began escalating a controversy involving Aliff that dragged the names of several local celebrities into the scandal.
Sarah's attention-grabbing actions included exposing various alleged screenshots of conversations between Aliff and actress Ruhainies, which has since become the talk of the town and resulted in various parties denying any involvement.
