COSMETIC entrepreneur Datuk Seri Vida recently courted controversy after uploading a video on TikTok saying that people should not use the movement control order (MCO) as an excuse for not being able to buy daily essentials like children’s diapers.
In a video that was uploaded on July 5, she can be heard saying, “Don’t use the MCO as an excuse, saying that your income has been affected and you cannot buy diapers for your child.”
The clip has since garnered over 667,700 views and over 39,000 likes.
The businesswoman made the remark in front of a food stall, and used a street vendor to illustrate her point.
According to Vida, people should be like the vendor and put in the effort to work instead of expecting aid and raising white flags.
She is heard asking the vendor how long he has been selling food, to which he responded, “It’s been a year.”
“He earns RM200 to RM250 a day as long as there’s a will and hard work and the most important thing is, the menu has to be delicious and clean,” she said.
Pointing to the camera, she went on to ask her audience, “Do you understand? Work hard, don’t be lazy and expect help by putting up a white flag.”
Her comment did not sit well with netizens, who called out the QuPuteh founder for her statement.
On TikTok, one user commented, “Your advice for people to work hard is spot on but there is no need to talk about white flags because this might be the people’s last resort. We are not in the same boat so who are we to judge?”
Another TikTok user wrote, “Does she think that everyone can do business like this during the MCO? Plenty of street vendors have been compounded. We go out to earn and income but we get a summon for our efforts.”
On Twitter, the comments are no less savage.
“Rich people show off by accusing poor people of being lazy and only know how to ask. Meanwhile, they forget that the reason they are rich is because poor people buy their products. In just a blink of an eye, God can take away that privilege,” one user commented.
Others slammed Vida for not wearing a mask which is mandatory during Phase One of the National Recovery Plan to curb the spread of COVID-19 and demanded that the police take action against her.
The #BenderaPutih movement began last week as a response to the economic fallout of COVID-19 pandemic that continues to impact Malaysians who are unable to afford food and basic necessities. – July 7, 2021.
