Miss Eco International recently concluded with its coronation ceremony held on 4th April 2021 at Baron Resort, Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt. The competition was successfully held in Egypt as the delegates enjoyed three weeks full of pre-pageant activities and participated in preliminary contests.
The pageant saw delegations from 40 countries prove their worth for the title. The pageant followed the selection of Top 20-Top-10-Top 5 as the winner and the four runners-up were announced. The Top-10 finalists faced the interview round where they were required to talk about a certain topic given by the judges for a minute.
During this question-answer moment, the Indonesian representative, Intan Wisni Permatasari, became a concern because she answered the jury's questions with the help of an interpreter as she was not proficient in English at the international event, because of which Intan has also drawn sharp criticism from netizens.
Before listening to the jury's question, Intan requested the host to arrange for an interpreter. Not long after, a man came on stage to translate the jury's question into Indonesian and translate Intan's answer into English. When the jury asked her to give a remark on illegal immigrants, her interpreter was evidently confused by her answer.
Intan said, “Illegal immigration is where country and immigration that is approved and allowed by that state, and has an agreement like something for that country and produces something for that legality including in the United Nations. Sorry. Thank you.”
The answer by Intan was immediately translated by the translator who was standing beside her, "The illegal immigration is a contradiction to the law, who the law that the united nation has committed law."
While netizens have been throwing the blame for the horror showing in all directions, including at Intan for her inability to string words together to form a coherent sentence, and at organizers for sending someone so unprepared to compete in the contest, she is being called an embarrassment in her home country following her disastrous showing at the Q&A session of the contest.
Intan recently offered an explanation on Instagram opening up about being mocked stating that she gets nervous easily and that she had not brushed up on the issue of illegal immigration prior to the contest.
She also said, “I remain here, standing tall and loud where I am. I am still strong, because I have a vision and mission to keep strengthening others. A thousand people opposed and laughed at my struggle, one sentence from my mother, "I'm proud of you", became a source of my strength. While the diva received a lot of criticism, she has now been receiving love and support from the pageant world.