KUALA LUMPUR – In under a month, at least three different hashtags underscoring the frustrations of Malaysians at those in power have trended on microblogging site Twitter.
#TamatDarurat and #KerajaanGagal made waves on the social media site in the past weeks as the rakyat demanded the lifting of the emergency proclamation implemented since January and highlighted the current government’s many failures since coming to power in March last year.
While criticisms were largely reserved for the Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration, current members of the Istana Negara, long looked upon with reverence by Malaysians, are now not spared from public censure.
#DengkiKe is currently the No. 1 trending hashtag on Twitter, with more than 70,000 related posts – and counting – as the rakyat takes aim at the royal family.
The term #DengkiKe stems from a comment made by Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah on her Instagram account yesterday.
A commenter had asked if the chefs working at the palace have been vaccinated after the queen posted several pictures of dishes that she and the chefs had prepared, to which she replied “dengki ke?” (are you jealous).
Lepas tu terus deactivate akaun? pic.twitter.com/KAeDO7yjjF
— ?️?NoFapRamadhan?️? #campurLGBT (@meinmokhtar) April 19, 2021
This comes on the back of speculation that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and his family were among several Malaysian VIPs who received the Sinopharm vaccine – which has yet to be approved by Malaysia’s drug regulator – in the United Arab Emirates in January.
Online new portal Asia Sentinel claimed that the king was given an extra 2,000 doses of the vaccine for family and friends back home.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba has since rubbished the report and said the allegations contained in it are defamatory.
The palace has yet to publicly address the allegations in the article.
After being upbraided by other users, Tunku Azizah temporarily deactivated her account. It is currently up and running again.
In her latest post, she uploaded an image with a cryptic message that reads: “One day you will tell your story of how you overcame what you went through and it will be someone else’s survival guide.”
Taking to Twitter, Malaysians are now using #DengkiKe to express their dissatisfaction at how members of the royal household were allegedly inoculated first over other more high-risk Malaysians, and without going through due process.
Many of the posts bemoaned how “marhaens” (ordinary citizens) are often treated differently than those with power.
The hashtag is trending so heavily that lawyer-cum-activist Azira Aziz has since shared a list of contact numbers for legal aid centres in every state in the event anyone gets arrested for criticising the government and monarchy.
In case anyone gets arrested for criticising the govt or monarchy on social media:
— #EndChildMarriage - Azira ?? ? (@ladymissazira) April 19, 2021
1. Know your rights, here's the Redbook Guide on when the police comes for you : https://t.co/vwPSzZShaD
2. Here are numbers for Legal Aid Centre in every state:#dengkike #KerajaanGagal pic.twitter.com/YvuisuxJAj
User @notsoaidil said: “They shouldn’t be on social media in the first place. We have nothing in common. They will never feel what it’s like to be us or go through our hardships.”
@cygaraga said: “It takes a pandemic and a little bit of political chaos for you to see their true colours. Never thought this low (could) come from someone who happens to be the spouse of our head of state.” – The Vibes, April 20, 2021
