Will they help her if she falls?
New Straits Times (Columns)
09 Sep 2006
Suraya Al-Attas

If recent events are anything to go by — yes, I am referring to the showdown between singer Mawi and his ex-fiancee Nordiana Md Naim in the RTM1/Astro Ria joint production titled Mawi… Ina just a little over a week ago — then I’m very afraid of what the future holds for the Malaysian entertainment industry.

To be sure, there is not one person or group that’s solely responsible for what is happening. Everyone, from the print and electronic media, television viewers, fans, even artistes themselves, must take equal blame.

Ever since the high-profile break up of reality talent show Akademi Fantasia 3 champ Mawi and Ina (as Nordiana is better known), the latter has been as much in the news as he has.

Not only that, she has also been inundated with offers, from acting to singing and hosting TV programmes.

And oh… her tell-all book — published by her new employer, Etnik Harmoni Sdn Bhd, titled Catatan Duka Diana Naim (Diana Naim’s Notes of Sadness) is reported to have sold 20,000 copies and there’s now talk of a sequel!

On what basis these offers were made, I have no clue. Apparently, these days, being seen as the wronged woman of an artiste is enough to get you started in showbiz.

The Mawi… Ina show was indeed an eye-opener. It showed us just how low the industry has sunk. In our eagerness to embrace the worldwide phenomenon of reality TV, we forget our morality. We continue to tell ourselves that this is the reality of the entertainment world today but deep down we know we’re no better than vultures.

While it’s wonderful that Ina, a former factory worker from Johor who’s now a marketing executive at Etnik Harmoni in Kuala Lumpur (one of the "rewards" of being Mawi’s ex), has the chance of giving her family a more comfortable life, I do hope she understands what she’s getting into.

She has only seen the attractive side of the industry and what it can offer her.

Whether or not she’s in the industry by default is no longer important.

As she fulfils the many invitations — she recently made her stage debut and is currently busy recording a single for Hari Raya — that come her way, let’s hope she also takes the time to equip herself with the necessary knowledge and skills to stay in the business.

She is currently surrounded by people who tell her that she’s capable of so many things.

The danger is when she starts believing them. She has to know that if she falls, there are not many of them who will help her pick up the pieces.