Following the recent appointment of Datuk Seri Haji Ahmad bin Maslan and Steven Sim Chee Keong as Deputy Ministers of Finance, an old tweet by the latter criticising the former has resurfaced and gone viral on social media.
However, Steven himself was among the first to address the matter, replying and quoting his old tweet with a photo of him taking a selfie with Ahmad Maslan with a Malay pantun urging for all to move forward for the sake of the nation.
In the old tweet written on 28 December 2015, Steven asserted,
“I have only ONE job, to bring down a government which consists of people like Ahmad Maslan.”
Given that both individuals are now working together as Deputy Ministers in the Ministry of Finance, many have reposted this old tweet, especially those supporting the opposition, Perikatan Nasional (PN).
However, Steven had the perfect response by addressing the matter head-on, saying that we’re already nearing 2023 and that we should all move forward for the sake of our nation.
In his post addressing the old tweet, Steven wrote a Malay pantun while sharing a photo of himself with Ahmad Maslan, tagging him with this caption.
“It is now the end of 2022, nearing 2023, we move forward #DemiPertiwi (for our nation’s sake). Let’s work together Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan.”
Steven’s pantun reads,
“Sama-sama dayung bahtera,
Dayung arah kota permata;
Sama-sama bangun negara,
Junjung titah lupa sengketa.”
The Malay pantun roughly translated to English is as the following, “Together, we row the arc, rowing towards the emerald city; Together, we develop the country, uphold the King’s decree, our differences set aside.”
Not to be outdone, Ahmad Maslan, who is famous for his pantuns replied to Steven with a pantun of his own which reads:
“Dayung arah, kota permata,
Handal panglima, jadi hikayat,
Junjung Titah, lupa sengketa,
Ayuh bersama, demi rakyat.”
The pantun was written in a tweet reply to Steven’s pantun, with the Finance Deputy Minister also saying to Steven that they will meet in the Finance Ministry’s office.
Ahmad Maslan’s pantun roughly translated to English is as the following, “Rowing towards the emerald city, the warrior’s prowess, a tale of legends; Uphold the King’s decree, let’s band together, for the people.”
So, what do you guys think of the exchange between our new Deputy Finance Ministers promising to move forward from past disputes? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
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