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'All I said were good things': Agnez Mo responds to interview controversy
Agnez Mo has responded on her official Instagram account @agnezmo to the controversy over comments she made during a recent interview.
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Rocking the stage: Singer Agnez Monica performs at the Ayo! Indonesia Bisa concert. She sang both new songs and pieces from her back catalog. (JP/Arief Suhardiman)
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gnez Mo has responded on her official Instagram account, @agnezmo, to the controversy over comments she made during a recent interview. She said on Wednesday that she had said only good things and that she regretted those who want to spread hatred by twisting her words.
"Why don't you cut and edit this part? Shame on people who only want to spread hatred by twisting my words and my intention. All I said were good things, that even when I’m a MINORITY, i got to share this amazing diversity that i learn in my country. I have always shared that in ALL my interviews (national and international). I can’t choose my blood or my DNA, but I always STAND for my country, I ALWAYS HAVE, and NOBODY could take that away from me. Learn to watch the whole thing instead of taking things out of context. For people who support me, i love you. For people who want to misunderstand me, i love you and i forgive you. Believe me, i don't have a single ounce of grudge or anger towards you. For all the clout chasers, I pray for you so you could find peace in ur heart #TheBibleTellsMeSo My heart is full. No matter what you say #Indonesia represent. #AGNEZMO Love & Forgive," read the post, which included part of the interview in which she said she had always wanted to incorporate Indonesian culture into her work.
Agnez sat for an interview to discuss her new music with host Kevan Kenny during the BUILD Series, a video of which was uploaded on YouTube on Nov. 22. Her statement that she didn’t “actually have Indonesian blood” in the over 27-minute-long video immediately caught netizens' attention. Some thought it disregarded the Youth Pledge, the acknowledgment of Indonesia as one motherland, one nation and one language.
“I actually don’t have Indonesian blood whatsoever, so I’m actually German, Japanese and Chinese. I was just born in Indonesia and I’m also Christian. The majority there are Muslim.”
“So I’ve always been kind of – I’m not going to say that I felt like I don’t belong there because I always felt like the people accepted me for who I was, but there’s always that sense of, ‘I’m not like everybody,’” she told Kenny.
A statement from an international law expert with the University of Indonesia, Hikmahanto Juwana, made news as he called on the Immigration Directorate General to check Agnez Mo’s nationality status.
In a press release made available to The Jakarta Post, he said an individual could not claim an Indonesian nationality based only on birthplace.
“Indonesia does not acknowledge nationality based on birthplace or ius soli. Indonesia is a nation that acknowledges nationalities based on ancestry or ius sanguinis,” he said. “If Agnez Mo has obtained Indonesian nationality, then [we] need to question where she obtained it from. If her parents are not Indonesian nationals but she is, then chances are, she obtained her nationality illegitimately."
Indonesian-born singer Anggun C. Sasmi, who has long been hailed as a successful Indonesian artist in the global scene, also joined in the conversation on Twitter.
"I was told, ‘Don't say you're an Indonesian since you are a French national. She was told, ‘Are you so ashamed of your country that you say you don't have Indonesian blood at all?’ So which one is important, Indonesian blood or an Indonesian passport? The most important thing is to learn not to judge others. Gitu aja kok repot [why fuss
Yang paling penting 😊 pic.twitter.com/o8i3oVNB2X
— Anggun Official (@Anggun_Cipta) November 27, 2019
