Hannah Yeoh Tells PPBM Man His Face Shouldn't Be On School Bags Unless He's In A Boyband
The Jeram assemblyman argued that he should not have to apologise as he had not broken any laws.
By Katrina Khairul Azman — 08 Jan 2019, 06:03 PM
Deputy Minister of Women, Family, and Community Development Hannah Yeoh has shared her two cents on Jeram assemblyman Mohd Shaid Rosli distributing 1,000 backpacks with his face printed on it to school students in his constituency
In her tweet, the Segambut MP joked that only certain people have earned the right for their faces to be plastered on kids backpacks, referencing popular '80s boyband New Kids on the Block.
The Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) lawmaker came under fire on social media after a netizen called him out for attempting to "manipulate" the school children
In a tweet that has since gone viral, he also pointed out that the move is similar to what some elected Barisan Nasional politicians have done and been criticised for during school visits in the past.
On 7 January, the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) lawmaker addressed the controversy by explaining that his face was only printed on the bags because of a "printing error"
According to Malay Mail, he explained that the bags were supposed to feature a sketch of his face rather than an actual image.
"I ordered the bags while I was in China. It was an old order, made four months ago. We wanted something different but when the backpacks arrived, it was too late," Shaid told Free Malaysia Today.
Despite saying that it was a "misunderstanding," the politician argued that he should not have to apologise as he had not broken any laws
"I don't see it as an offence in the eyes of the law. For me, we do these things not for the sake of popularity or to follow the previous government culture. But when things end up like this, it's as if I'm following the old culture," Shaid said.
"What is important is that the parents and students who received my help had responded positively because they really needed it," he added, according to Malay Mail.