A few months ago, a student known as Veveonah Mosibin from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), went viral after she shared her story of spending 24 hours in a tree to access the Internet in her village so she could study for her upcoming online examination.
However, in a Dewan Negara session held today (3 September), the Deputy Minister of Communications and Multimedia, Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin said that Veveonah is just a Youtuber who didn’t sit for any examinations when the video was recorded.
“Veveonah is a Youtuber and there are no exams. We’ve checked. She is just a Youtuber who wants to make a name, she is famous for a moment and she does it just for entertainment. This is an act that sometimes we are deceived. We shouldn’t be so easily fooled by Youtubers to make issues,” said the deputy minister in a statement recorded by Sinar Plus.
He added that authorities will always seek to resolve issues in areas with bad reception: “So, we ask community representatives from areas where there’s no signal or where there is a blind spot, to inform the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and so that we can help resolve the problem, especially in terms of education.”
This was revealed as a response to a question raised by Senator Datuk Donald Peter Mojuntin, a Member of Senate who raised the issue of Veveonah’s viral video and asked about the government’s action to ensure internet access is balanced between urban and rural areas, particularly in Sabah.
However, netizens are coming forward to accuse the deputy minister of making excuses and framing the student instead of resolving the issue at hand, that is the lack of internet access in rural areas.
What do you guys think about this?
Also read: Sabahan Student Spent 24 Hours In A TREE To Get Good Internet Connection For Her Online Exam
