Malaysia apologizes for CNY ad that featured a barking rooster

In response to widespread mockery, the Malaysian trade ministry has issued an apology for the Chinese New Year’s ad it ran in the Chinese-language press earlier this week.

The full page spread displayed a rooster with the Chinese character used to represent a dog’s bark emerging from its beak, under stylized text wishing readers a prosperous Year of the Dog on the final day of the Year of the Rooster.

The government’s statement — published on the Facebook page of the Domestic Trades, Cooperatives, and Consumerism Ministry (KPDNKK) — claimed the gaffe was a “technical error.” It was mostly apologetic boilerplate, thin on details as to how such a glaring error could have occurred.

Some speculated that the design was an intentional, if ham-handed, attempt by the government to avoid offending the country’s Islamic community, for whom dogs are traditionally considered impure.

Several outlets are reporting that Malaysian businesses seem hesitant to feature canine imagery in their Chinese New Year displays this year.

[Images via CNN / Facebook]

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