Penang Malay Association (Pemenang) Chairman Yusoff Latiff, who is also the P Ramlee Fan Club president, said the comment that P Ramlee was a destitute at the end of his life was inappropriate and not acceptable.

Yusoff, who is also president of the Penang Malay Culture and Arts Association, said Teo was also seen as looking down on the late artiste’s commitment and dedication towards arts in the country.

He said Teo was not aware that P Ramlee was never interested in becoming a wealthy man and only wanted to elevate the national film industry.

“Although he (P Ramlee) was not a rich man in terms of money, he had a big heart. We should not look at money alone,” he told a press conference here today.

Penang Malay Heritage and Tourism Association (Sahabat) President Syed Kamalrul Sufian Syed Kadiron Mustafa said the late P Ramlee was an artiste and not a businessman.

“P Ramlee had succeeded in changing the viewers’ paradigm to have an identity which the audience today have inherited.

“Compare his (P Ramlee) work with films produced by MiG.

“Can they compete with what P Ramlee had created?” he said while expressing his disappointment.

Teo, in a statement in a news portal on July 7, advised artistes under his wing to ensure they led a decent life to the end unlike P Ramlee who had a difficult life in his final years.

The statement drew strong criticisms from local artistes, including among the young.

Teo subsequently released a statement denying he made such a statement, claiming that the media had misquoted him.

– BERNAMA