A GERAKAN Youth member recently drew flak on Twitter for criticising Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s “no-gift” policy.
In a tweet dated Jan 15, Lim Si Ching wrote, “No Gifts Policy my foot” and included three separate screenshots of Anwar’s recent tweets to illustrate his point.
The first (top left) was Anwar’s tweet from Dec 1, 2021 reminding all parties to not give him gifts, saying that the culture “must be stopped”, while the second (top right) was a tweet from January 10, 2023 announcing that he (Anwar) had received a courtesy call from Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail and a delegate from the Pahang government in Putrajaya.
Meanwhile, the third (bottom) was an image of Anwar and Wan Rosdy posing with a gift bag depicting the words “Tenun Pahang DiRaja” (Royal Pahang Weave, a type of woven silk fabric popular in the state).
No Gifts Policy my foot. pic.twitter.com/8fKpGikeze
— 𝙇𝙞𝙢 𝙎𝙞 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 (@LimSiChing) January 15, 2023
However, Lim – perhaps unexpectedly – found himself under fire from netizens who criticised him for not comprehending the context in which the gift was given.
User @AsyrafKhalid explained:
Ni adab orang melayu. Datang jumpa orang bawak buah tangan. Unless dalam beg tu ada jam richard mille or something along that line, in our culture, it’s normal for people to bring gifts when they meet people.
— Asyraf Khalid (@AsyrafKhalid) January 15, 2023
(This is Malay culture. You bring a gift when you visit someone. Unless there is a Richard Mille timepiece or something along that line in the bag, in our culture, it’s normal for people to bring gifts when they meet people)
An exasperated @_Madpir said:
Dah besar² tulis dekat beg tu,tenun pahang diraja. Maksud produk malaysia malah barangan traditional yang perlu diangkat menjadi buah tangan bukan beg,jam,kasut beriban jenama luar…
— #LawanTetapLawan (@_Madpir) January 16, 2023
(It’s written there clearly on the bag, Tenun Pahang DiRaja. It means that it is a Malaysian product and a traditional item that is regarded as a gift and not a bag, watch, or a pair of imported shoes costing thousands)
An equally incensed @iamssjvmr said:
Bodoh ko ni melantun2. Itu bukan gift harga berpuluh ribu tu kain tenun pahang. Buat research sikit njir!
— Iamssjvmr (@iamssjvmr) January 15, 2023
(Your stupidity knows no bounds. It’s not a gift worth tens of thousands of ringgit, that’s a woven fabric from Pahang. Please do your research)
Meanwhile, user @kikojoe_epul said:
ini gift bukan bagi bawah meja punya samdol…bukan mintak kontrak,bukan mintak kerayatan,bukan mintak tanah,bukan mintak projek,bukan mintak lesen niage pham?
— Ⓜ️ مد صيفالدين بن ربياون (@kikojoe_epul) January 16, 2023
(This is a gift but not the under-table type…it’s not about asking for contracts, not asking to be made a citizen, not asking for land, not asking for projects, not asking for a business license, understand?)
A sarcastic @LaodeRosli said:
Relaks tuan2 dia mungkin keliru phrase Cenderahati, ini kelebihan seni sastera Bahasa Melayu, our mother land tongue. Kepada yg mahir dan rajin menekuni phrase Bahasa dia akan faham apa yg tersurat dan tersirat. Kena mahirkan tahap Bahasa Melayu u Bro…
— Laode Rosli Lalete (@LaodeRosli) January 16, 2023
(Relax, gentlemen, maybe he’s just confused about the phrase ‘gift’. This is an advantage of the art of literature of Bahasa Melayu, our mother tongue. To those who are skilled in studying Bahasa phrases he will understand what is written and what is implied. You need to improve the level of your Bahasa Melayu, bro)
User @rajgendeh opined that receiving a gift in an official capacity is a protocol and that surrendering the gift to the Government is part of the process.
Mr SC Lim-receiving a gift officially is a protocol…and then surrender the gift to the Malaysian. Goverment is part of the process ..so dnt get too excited and make a fool@of yourself…
— rajgendeh (@rajgendeh) January 15, 2023
“So don’t get too excited and make a fool of yourself,” the user advised. – Jan 17, 2023
Main pic credit: Twitter/Anwar Ibrahim
