Once every 5 years, politicians in Malaysia reach out to the general public in order to win over as many votes as possible and solidify their stance in the General Election. They’d often times make promises, especially to the lower incomes groups, to help boost their quality of life. Sometimes, they make jokes, which sometimes backfire.
One politician decided that he could pass off a joke about a car he stumbled upon on the road that was in a very bad condition. However, what he failed to realise is that a majority of his voters and those living within the vicinity of his district are categorised under the B40 group.
Fadzli Fahmi, MP for Lembah Pantai, took to his Twitter account to post a now deleted Tweet about an old, badly damaged Proton Wira that was in front of him on the road.
Source: Lobak Merah
Fadzli had written,
“A: This car looks like it’s been through war.
B: It’s qualified enough (to be driven).
Me: It’s not qualified, it just made the cut.”
Netizens were not entirely sure if Fadzli was being serious about the car’s road safety or if he was trying to make a joke, but nonetheless, no one seemed to be amused by his posting and saw it as an insult instead. Riza Tan (@RizaTann), a friend of the owner of the car, came forward on her own Twitter account to defend the owner of the Wira and to call out the minister for his insensitivity.
That is my friends car. He works as grab food driver and takes care of his parents.
We know YB gaji is very high, but pls dont laugh at other peoples poverty, YB. https://t.co/3Gdvw3zCV2
— Riza Tan (@RizaTann) September 8, 2019
Riza pointed out that the car belonged to her friend who delivers for GrabFood to make a living and to take care of his parents, before pointing out that the minister should not make fun of those who earn less than himself.
“We know those with the ‘Yang Berhormat’ titles earn high salaries, but please don’t laugh at other who don’t, YB.”
Netizens also came to support Riza, highlighting that most of those who voted for Fadzli and live within the district he oversees are from the B40 low-income group, and to whom he may very well owe his position to.
Source: Lobak Merah
This netizen said, “Rude! During the general elections you worship people like this car’s owner for your votes. Do you think you’re the member of parliament for Telawi, Bangsar? You’re the member of parliament for Lembah Pantai, most of your voters are in the B40 group who drives cars like this. Stupid member of parliament, don’t even realise how fortunate you are.”
Source: Twitter
This comment says, “It’s okay, the world is round. Today, your friend is at the bottom, tomorrow it might be Fadzli and his family’s turn to be at the bottom. If you want to know the difficulties of the citizens, you have to go down to the citizen’s level first.”
Fadzli has since apologised for his insensitive words and has taken down the controversial posting.
Riza’s post has since garnered over 4,500 retweets.
The key to winning the people over, YB, is to be humble.
Also read: “It’s Insulting,” Ambiga Tells Syed Saddiq After Minister Calls On M’sians to Forgive Zakir Naik
