KUALA LUMPUR – After initially saying a durian feast he attended had taken place before last year’s lockdown, Batu Pahat MP Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon today admitted that the event was indeed a recent one.
This comes after the public questioned the veracity of his previous statement denying viral videos of him indulging in durians as being taken during the current movement control order (MCO).
The Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker said he apologised for the error in his initial comment and vowed to cooperate with police in the probe into the matter.
In a statement today, Rashid said he had mistakenly commented on the clip without first watching it when he was first approached by the media yesterday.
He said he only managed to analyse the video after his audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, at which point he realised it was shot during the current lockdown, when he visited a durian farm run by local farmers in his constituency.
“Coincidentally, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin was in Batu Pahat for a work visit. As such, we gifted her durians for her to take home,” he said.
This is in reference to comparisons made by the public which showed Rashid, Zuraida, and several other individuals attending the same event on Sunday and donning the same attire as the viral clip, disputing the former’s initial claim that it was shot last year.
Rashid said after Zuraida left, he was then brought to the durian farm by one of the operators there in the evening to listen to the problems faced by the farmers.
“Upon arrival, the farmers served (durians) to me. I ate a little while we discussed assistance that can be distributed to them.
“After the discussion, I immediately left the programme as I needed to return to Kuala Lumpur. I apologise for this mistake, and leave it to the police for further investigation,” he said.
Yesterday, Rashid reportedly said the outdoor durian fest he attended with a large group of people – violating MCO rules – was held last year before the first MCO was declared on March 18, 2020.
His aide had also said that it was mere coincidence that Zuraida and Rashid had worn the same clothes in that event and the one they attended last Sunday.
BOHONG??? dlm video tu ada sorang akak ni pakai tudung fareha code Reyna, collection raya tahun ni punya
— I know cuz I'm an agent of Fareha?? (@thesyafizasyhrn) June 29, 2021
?️??️ Baru release dlm 2 bulan lepas, tetiba cakap video ni tahun lepas punya? Nak menipu tapi tak pandai?✋ pic.twitter.com/Sjvl1aazjV
Amused by the explanation, social media users were quick to point out that several other indicators that proved the viral durian video was recent, including a man donning Liverpool’s new football jersey, as well as a woman wearing a recently-launched headscarf. – The Vibes, June 30, 2021
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