Kj Meets Veveonah And Family Apologises On Govt Behalf

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Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin met with Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) student Veveonah Mosibin and her family today to apologise on the government’s behalf
“I have apologised to her and her parents on the government’s behalf
“I have also suggested that Veveonah work together with the Malaysian Innovation Foundation to develop innovation projects on environment conservation in her village,” he said on Twitter today
He said he was at UMS to meet Veveonah, and to see the research being undertaken at UMS using grants from his ministry
The apology came a day after he said the cabinet had discussed the Veveonah issue yesterday
He said the cabinet felt that Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Zahidi Zainul Abidin as well as Deputy Finance Minister I Abdul Rahim Bakri had mishandled the issue
“The cabinet agrees that the real issue is Internet access and other basic facilities specifically in the interior
“The government will do its best to improve,” he said yesterday

The controversy surfaced when Veveonah posted a video in June showing herself up in a tree to get better Internet coverage as she was studying for her exams
Zahidi then accused her of lying about her exam schedule, only to apologise later but not before passing the buck to Abdul Rahim for allegedly providing the wrong information
The Padang Besar MP also blamed DAP for politicising the matter, while Abdul Rahim reaffirmed in a post on his Facebook page that Veveonah was lying. After receiving a lot of brickbats from netizens, he deleted that Facebook post
Both men were also repeatedly blasted for their conduct by members of the opposition. Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh called their actions cyberbullying and Sepanggar MP Azis Jamman said they had chosen to bully Veveonah and assassinate the character of a young girl who is trying to make lives better
UMS board of directors chairperson Masidi Manjun, meanwhile, had vouched for Veveonah saying that she is an exemplary student
Veveonah was studying at the university’s Preparatory Centre for Science and Technology. She has since been offered a marine science degree course at the university. - Mkini

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