UNLIKE his two other Perikatan Nasional (PN) peers – namely Tan Sri Hadi Awang (PAS president) and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (Bersatu president-cum-PN chairman) – Gerakan president Datuk Dr Dominic Lau Hoe Chai does not enjoy large-scale social media following.
If this is not good for one’ political morale in terms of expanding one’s influence, imagine getting backlash from netizens or being poked fun at whenever a post is uploaded on the various social media platforms.
Such is the fate of the Penang-born senator who recently found himself in ‘hot soup’ for claiming that his Twitter account has been hacked after a viral post exposing his desire to contest in the by-election for the Pulai parliamentary seat which is now vacant following the demise of Domestic Trade and Costs of Living Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub.
Even as he has lodged a police report to clear his name, social media-savvy netizens are unconvinced with one Ray Wong casually asked Lau to furnish the hard evidence.
“Why would a hacker post a Tweet at 12.37pm then proceed to delete it after at 2.03pm before you realised it at 2.30pm? Care to post proof from Twitter that informed you regarding the suspicious activity then?
In fact, Ray Wong’s suspicious reaction to Lau’s claim runs parallel to of Deputy Communications and Digital Minister Teo Nie Ching who revealed that this is not the first time for any Perikatan Nasional (PN) leader to claim that their Twitter account was hacked after being caught using the platform under suspicious circumstances.
Previously, Selangor PAS secretary Roslan Shahir Mohd Shahir had claimed that his account was hacked after he was found to have liked many pornography tweets in 2019.
After all, Twitter allows its users to check their account login records through the app’s privacy settings function.
Through its “apps and sessions” option, Twitter users can view their entire active session in addition to viewing log-in recordings made through other devices. Each of them can also be tapped to see the date, time and location of the login, including what type of device is used.
“Moreover, high-profile users like Dominic Lau have social media managers who set operational procedures so that the security of the Gerakan president’s account is not compromised,” hit out Teo who is also the DAP publicity secretary and Kulai MP.
Apart from the issue of disrespect and insensitivity emanating from the Twitter post – regardless of this being the job of a hacker or otherwise – Lau who was left out from contesting in the 15th General Election (GE15) has found himself in ‘no man’s land’ or rather ‘not welcomed’ to contest in either the Malay or Chinese-majority constituencies in the upcoming Penang state poll.
“Dr Dominic Lau Hoe Chai. Kindly withdraw from contesting the Bayan Lepas seat … Don’t be the cause of split within the PN component parties … you must have reckoned there is a winning chance given Bayan Lepas is a Malay majority seat,” requested netizen Taufiq Jamaludin.
Earlier, another humiliation came Lau’s way when the Tasek Gelugor PAS Youth “strongly requested” that he “steps down and not dream of contesting the Malay seat in Tasek Gelugor during the Penang state polls”.
“The Tasek Gelugor PAS Youth is issuing a stern warning to Dominic Lau Hoe Chai that if he still insists on contesting the Malay seat, the Tasek Gelugor PAS Youth together with all its election machinery will mobilise a massive march of independent candidates in Telok Ayer Tawar and Permatang Berangan during the nomination day on July 29,” read a statement issued by the movement’s deputy chief Mohamad Ikhwan Afiq Anwar.
“Tasek Gelugor PAS Youth Council together with voters in Permatang Berangan and Telok Air Tawar will ensure the defeat of the Gerakan candidate in Telok Air Tawar and Bersatu candidate in Permatang Berangan if these demands are not met.” – July 27, 2023
