Cyberbullies Hannah Yeoh Blasts Deputy Ministers Treatment Of Veveonah

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Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh has lambasted the treatment of Sabahan student Veveonah by two deputy ministers in the Perikatan Nasional government saying that their actions were akin to cyberbullying
"If you don't recognise it - this is actually cyberbullying in action. By deputy ministers against a young child."It should be noted that Vevenoah is 18
Yeoh also called out Women, Family and Community Development Minister Rina Harun and her deputy Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff for their silence on this issue, implying it was not the first time
Yeoh was weighing in on the actions of Communications and Multimedia Deputy Minister Zahidi Zainul Abidin and Deputy Minister of Finance I Abdul Rahim Bakri who had initially questioned the credibility of Veveonah's June 12 YouTube video showing her resorting to climbing a tree to get good internet coverage so she could take an exam online
Zahidi Zainul Abidin has since apologised after Veveonah set the record straight and passed the buck to Abdul Rahim who also happens to be the local MP of Sabah's Kudat constituency
In a Facebook post yesterday evening, Abdul Rahim defended the information by sharing a report from a local village chief alleging Veveonah did not live in a rural Pitas village as she claimed. An unnamed Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) "dean" further disputed the existence of any online examinations
He subsequently pulled the post
Both men have been sharply criticised by opposition politicians as well as many netizens with the general consensus being that the deputy minister should focus on improving internet connectivity in the constituency rather than target Veveonah
Focus on improving internet, not bullyingMeanwhile, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng also urged Zahidi and Abdul Rahim to stop “bullying” Veveonah and focus on improving the internet infrastructure in rural Sabah instead
He demanded a progress report on Pakatan Harapan’s National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP)
The former finance minister shared how 50 of the 152 NFCP projects were located in Sabah, including Veveonah’s village in Pitas
“The NFCP was planned to reduce the digital divide between urban and rural areas so that the interior areas can have equal access to the internet and opportunities,” he said. Former education minister Maszlee Malik also took to Twitter saying "For real??? Two Dep ministers against one student?"He added that it was "gloomy days for the nation if this situation remains"
Facebook user "Mohd Asmawi Zahari MdZa" pointed out that Veveonah's video had captured the attention of the authorities and led to a new telecommunications tower being built in the village
Veveonah previously told Malaysiakini that she had indeed taken an examination when she filmed herself on a tree on June 12
The Sains Asasi (Foundation in Science) student furnished her June 9 to 12 examination timetable as proof
One of her batchmates, who only wanted to be known as Jv, provided Malaysiakini with the exact same timetable
"Yes, the examination was conducted fully online. The platform where the exam questions were asked is Google Form
"The examinations were conducted simultaneously for all students in the same batch," the student said.  - Mkini

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