Amid Online Uproar, Sabah MP Deletes FB Post About Veveonah

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Social media users have criticised Deputy Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Bakri after he maintained Veveonah Mosibin had lied about climbing a tree to obtain Internet connection for an online examination.

Earlier, Communications and Multimedia Deputy Minister Zahidi Zainul Abidin passed the buck to Rahim after coming under fire for previously accusing the student of lying to garner publicity.

In a Facebook post yesterday evening, Rahim defended the information.

He said that Veveonah lives in town and her family no longer had a house in the kampung where she claimed to have climbed a tree to sit for the exam.

Lim Huey Teng/Malaysiakini

He also accused Veveonah of deliberately creating a drama to seek attention and publicity.

Veveonah was propelled to fame recently after having posted a video on her YouTube channel three months ago about spending 24 hours up a tree in the jungle in order to get the best internet connection so that she could sit for her exams online.

Facebook

Rahim said Veveonah’s account was inaccurate and baseless.

Netizens lambasted him for the accusation, labelling him “bully” and a person of “low IQ”.

Facebook user Boo Ching Ong was among those who came to Veveonah’s defence.

“These two deputy ministers are trying to divert the important issue. The fact is many rural areas either have unstable internet coverage or don’t have coverage at all,” he said.

“What the ministry of communications and multimedia should focus on is how to improve the coverage or at least try to solve this matter. Why keep on focusing on the genuine story of whether that girl was having her examination or not!”

Another Facebook user, Anthony Sumin, said: “Don’t know what kind of wakil rakyat is this. Condemning his own people rather than helping to fight for the right.”

After sparking an uproar among netizens, Rahim deleted his Facebook post.