PAS Kedah is in hot waters after they were called out for copying and pasting the same credentials for four candidates taking part in the Aug 12 state elections (PRN).
Netizens were first to spot the mistake made by PAS Kedah with the biodata of the candidates showing that they studied at the same American university and had a similar course.
While the matter went viral on Twitter, an embarrassed PAS issued an apologetic statement.
PAS Kedah stated that the mistake in the profile of the state’s Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate, which featured four people with the same educational background does not mean there was an attempt to provide the wrong information.
“The organisers have absolutely no intention of giving inaccurate information and apologise for the mistake,” said its information chief Mohd Azam Abd Samat.
Despite the apology, the furore among Twitter users remained largely unappeased. Many users expressed skepticism, pointing out that the apology seemed like a mere copy-and-paste job, leading to widespread speculation about its authenticity and sincerity.
Screenshots of the profiles of four candidates, including Chuah See Heng (Kota Darul Aman), Radhi Mat Din (Alor Mengkudu), Rashidi Abdul Razak (Anak Bukit), and Dzowahir Ab Ghani (Suka Menanti) were circulating widely until this morning.
Interestingly, all of them shared the same educational background, having obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration from Marshall University in Huntington, US.
Netizens jokingly asked them whether these candidates were classmates.
Mohd Azam explained that the mistake occurred during the display at the PN Kedah candidate declaration event, where the graphic designer used a common template but overlooked changing the details of the other candidates.
It went to the point where the Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli came on Twitter and stated that previously PKR was the first to share some of the CVs of their candidates from the previous 15th General Election. However, they never copied and pasted anything.
Ha3 yang mula2 tunjukkan secara terperinci CV calon ni @KEADILAN masa PRU15 lepas.
Tp kami tak copy paste kah3. @PASPusat minta maaf sbb C&P 🤣
Kalau psl CV calon pun C&P, ha3 sbb tu nak bincang dasar & program nak tadbir pun PAS C&P jugak 🤣 https://t.co/gbcYneApzE
— Rafizi Ramli (@rafiziramli) July 29, 2023
(Haha, initially, @KEADILAN provided a detailed CV of this candidate during the previous PRU15 (general election). But don’t worry, we didn’t copy and paste, @PASPusat apologises for their C&P 🤣.
(If even the candidate’s CV is copy and paste, that’s probably why PAS resorts to copy and paste for their policy discussions and governance plans too.)
Netizens are showing their support for Rafizi’s bold statement.
Twitter user @Bon_Fix pointed out that we cannot do anything about this situation. These opposition members are experts when it comes to copying and pasting everything. They are also tossing in the combo of claiming the work of others.
Tak boleh buat apa YBM…dorg mmg pakar copy & PASte combo skali kaki CLAIM kerja org lain 🤭
— Bon Fix #KitaBoleh🇲🇾 (@Bon_Fix) July 29, 2023
Meawnhile, Twitter user @diyaamin7007 stated that if this was a technical error, PN and PAS should be at fault for being careless. Simple fact checking could not even be done properly. Typically, there should be double-checking and cross-checking internally before publishing these manifestos or CVs. – July 30, 2023
Kalau kesilapan teknikal, memang PN culas dan cuai, benda sesimple ni pun tak boleh nak double-check, cross-check sebelum disiar. Memalukan. Nak tadbir benda yang lebih besar, agak² keculasan dan kecuaian lagu mana?
— Diya (@diyaamin7007) July 29, 2023
