Breezy Explainer: Why are countries cutting ties with Miss Universe competition?

The group that sends Vietnam’s Miss Universe delegate to the annual competition has broken connections with the competition, blaming the “business orientations” of the global pageant’s new owner.

On Sunday, Unicorp of Vietnam joined businesses from Ghana, Belize, Mauritius, Seychelles, and Indonesia in cutting ties with the Miss Universe Organization over the implementation of a new economic model that forced them to bid for the rights to host pageants in their respective countries.

Unicorp announced it will continue to stage the annual Hoa hau Hoan vu Viet Nam beauty contest but would “suspend co-operation with Miss Universe”.

The decision was made “after a period of careful consideration and realizing that the new business orientations of Miss Universe were no longer consistent with the strategy and long-term development goals of Hoa hau Hoan vu Viet Nam,” it said.

What is the Miss Universe controversy?

The controversy arose when Miss Universe’s new owner, Thai millionaire Anne Jakrajutatip, implemented a new regulation requiring organizations and their national directors desiring to stage competitions to pick Miss Universe delegates to submit a bid on an annual basis.

Pageant aficionados said that the new criteria would mean that organizations with a long history with the Miss Universe Organization would no longer be guaranteed the privilege to host the event. There were also concerns that the decision would spark a bidding war, with the rights to host the competition going to the corporations with the greatest pockets, rather than necessarily to entities with the best interests of the candidates in mind.

“In the application, you will be asked for your highest bid for the opportunity to hold the Miss Universe license. Please be advised that proposed license fees deemed not aligned with the market value in your region will be rejected,” read a Miss Universe memo sent to national directors and shared online. (canadianpharmacy365.net)

Miss Universe: Who is no longer associated?

Malz Promotions, which has been sending a representative from Ghana for the past five years, announced its withdrawal from the Miss Universe competition on February 10.

“The new and sudden implementation of the Miss Universe business model under the JKN Global Group’s leadership is not aligned with Malz Promotions’ brand objective and would hence like to discontinue the relationship with Miss Universe,” its chief executive Menaye Donkor Muntari said in a letter posted on Instagram.

On the same day, Nevin Rupear, the country director for Miss Universe Mauritius and Miss Universe Seychelles, informed the Miss Universe Organization that he was stepping down.

In the letter released by pageant site Sash Factor, Rupear said “bidding is not for me”.

“I am worth so much more than someone else bidding more to overtake all the hard work my team and I have put in since 2016. This cannot be quantified,” he said.

They were followed by Miss Universe Belize national director Romeo Escobar, who announced his intention to withdraw from the competition because the bidding system “does not align with the way I conduct business and believe it is not a sustainable way to maintain a long-term partnership with its directors.”

Several organizations, such as Yayasan Puteri Indonesia, which has sent delegates for the past 30 years, said they were being ignored despite having a long relationship with Miss Universe’s former owners.

YPI stated on Instagram, claiming it was “shocked” to find that another company had been awarded the license and “disappointed” by the lack of openness in the bidding process.

At a glamorous occasion in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, Jakrajutatip unveiled PT Capella Swastika Karya as the new owner of Miss Universe Indonesia and Miss Universe Malaysia.

What has Miss Universe said in response?

Jakrajutatip, whose JKN Global Group bought the rights to Miss Universe last year for a reputed $20 million, has moved to settle the “drama” with an Instagram post, saying “something got lost in translation and information”.

“The request of submission was meant to give voice and agency to the current directors — a way that they can speak truth to what they believe their business is worth,” she said.

“How can someone criticize something without getting the right info or interviewing anyone in the organization? Since when [did] the Miss Universe Organisation says that the submission was all about the highest amount of money? It’s making no sense to me and it’s not my business integrity to do so.”What does this mean for the coming Miss Universe pageant?

It’s unclear what the latest backlash will mean, or whether it will affect the number of contestants in the upcoming pageant. Because the rights to organize national competitions are owned by private businesses, another organization may be able to take over the rights and still send their country’s representative to Miss Universe.

El Salvador will host the next event in 2023, but no date has been selected. President Nayib Bukele made the news during the 71st Miss Universe pageant in New Orleans, where Miss USA R’Bonney Gabriel won, becoming the first Filipina-American to do so.