A VIDEO purportedly showing Cabinet Ministers of the Madani government partaking in a spot of light exercise before a meeting has been seized upon by opposition-slant netizens who likened such action as “inappropriate dancing away at a time when ordinary Malaysians are having a tough time”.
One example of such a post is shown below where user @NaratifRakyat decided to get on their high horse on X (formerly Twitter).
Rakyat tengah sengsara ada pulak mood berjolly. pic.twitter.com/YiFbBi49wa
— Naratif Rakyat 🇲🇾 (@NaratifRakyat) April 18, 2024
The mock horror and disdain of the poster, however, was quickly seized upon by netizens on the other side of the divide.
So many expressed disbelief that a spot of pre-meeting light exercise could even be interpreted as “dancing”.
Some asked the poster if they had ever been gainfully employed in an office and had to attend long-winded meetings that would trigger the snooze button.
Some pointing out that the poster has been blinded by their own insidious agenda.
With one netizen directing the poster to the relevant platform to not only see confirmation of said exercise routine but also read the outcome of the meeting.
One X user quite humorously posted a screen shot of Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi getting the groove down next to each other, stating if he only had a time machine that would allow him to show the image of these former political nemeses to all and sundry circa 2018.
Some netizens also questioned the poster’s observation of a “suffering rakyat”.
One netizen summed it up best saying how the less-intelligent citizens decide to use non-issues to berate the government.
The post highlights the reality of political discourse on social media where non-issues are highlighted instead of debating real or pressing matters, of which there are many. Character assassination and smear campaigns are seemingly the norm and preferred weapons of choice.
With social media and digital platforms playing a huge role in shaping the political narrative of the country, efforts must be made to raise the level of discourse above gutter politics.
It is quite comforting to see so many netizens were able to see beyond the bull manure and called the poster out for it. There is hope yet that not all garbage on social media is swallowed wholesale.
This post was really a perfect illustration of ‘scraping the bottom of the barrel’ with one netizen succinctly asking a pertinent question. – April 19, 2024
Editor’s note: FocusM would like to highlight that its view/opinion remains the same even if the tables were turned and it was a pro-government site taking pot shots at opposition MPs for doing similar exercise routines.
