KUALA LUMPUR – Deputy Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Fuziah Salleh’s team will be lodging a police report over the re-sharing of a video she originally posted in July – a move she claimed was “politically motivated”.
The video in question showed her shopping for household groceries amounting to less than RM200, which earned her the ire of netizens.
According to a notice circulated to the media, Fuziah’s special officer will be filing a police report later today at the Kuantan district police headquarters on the matter, which has “implicated” the deputy minister.
Earlier today, Fuziah took to Facebook to issue a clarification, saying: “I believe that there are political masterminds (behind the video making its rounds on social media).
“Actually, this is an old video that has been taken out of context.”
The video was first shared in July, ostensibly to support an initial graphic from the Community Communications Department (J-Kom), which stated that the household expenditure for a family is less than RM400 a month, while the monthly spending of a single individual is about RM200.
The department later modified the infographic after fierce public backlash, with many describing it as unrealistic as it did not take into account necessities such as sugar, milk and vegetables.
In Fuziah’s video, the PKR leader was seen purchasing several basic necessities, such as cooking oil, rice, biscuits, canned sardines, wheat flour, onions and potatoes, amounting to RM136.30.
“Who said RM200 is not enough (and that) RM500 is needed? Don’t say false things, I have seen and judged (prices of goods) for myself,” Fuziah said in the video.
In recent responses to the video, some netizens were quick to condemn the deputy minister for her apparent dismissal of the people’s plight in the face of the rising costs of goods. – September 21, 2023