Four more countries cut ties with Miss Universe Organization
The Miss Universe Organization has lost four more countries in its roster, a loss attributed to its controversial "bidding wars" policy.
"Congratulations to all of the national directors around the world! I can feel the joy, happiness, and excitement from our global announcement today. You guys deserve it. I’m so proud of everyone and also feel honored to do our service as the global women’s empowerment platform for you," Miss Universe Organization owner Anne Jakrajutatip posted on Saturday, March 4.
"I like women who are fearless and not afraid of disruption. She must be open-minded and would love to compliment instead of making the complaint during the time of change," Anne added.
There are several countries that will no longer participate in the prestigious beauty pageant amid the newly introduced policies under Anne's leadership.
Most recently, the Cayman Islands government gave up its Miss Universe franchise, with Minister of Tourism and Transport Kenneth Bryan explaining, "The Cayman Islands tourism industry is still in recovery and the Ministry is heavily focused on driving visitation and returning tourism arrivals back to pre-pandemic levels."
Before this development, the national directors of Argentina, Cambodia, and Vietnam similarly stepped down from their posts.
The Miss Universe Organization debuted a rule requiring organizations that wish to host Miss Universe competitions and send representatives to submit an annual bid. “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," the Miss Universe Organization said in a statement.
Anne previously responded to these highly publicized pullouts with a personal statement. "Seems 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. I saw some fake news, drama swirling plus some funny comments and doubt that how can someone criticize on something without getting the right info or interviewing anyone in the organization."
The new rule shortly backfired, with at least four national organizations departing from the annual pageant. These include decades-long participant Puteri Indonesia, Miss Universe Ghana, Miss Universe Seychelles, and Miss Universe Mauritius.
