KUALA LUMPUR — Terengganu executive councillor Hanafiah Mat claimed that associating the Menu Rahmah initiative with a video he posted on his TikTok account was an act to tarnish his image before the upcoming state election.
The Chukai assemblyman said he was merely indicating that his rice needed gravy (kuah) in the video. He did not have any intention to jibe at the initiative by the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry for the hardcore poor.
He said this after receiving flak online and opined that the accusation was politically motivated.
“Associating the video with Menu Rahmah is a malicious act by a certain group to tarnish my reputation as a state exco member and Chukai assemblyman,” he said.
“This is a strategy to jeopardise my positions, as the state election is coming soon.
“I have consulted lawyers to take action against those who tried to defame me,” he was reported as saying by Getaran, the Malay-language sister portal of The Vibes.
Previously, Hanafiah’s video sparked ire from netizens and political figures for allegedly insulting the Menu Rahmah initiative.
The 18-second-long video showed him complaining about side dishes served in a restaurant.
On the video’s status on TikTok, Hanafiah said that he did not delete it, and only hid users’ access from viewing it following his lawyers’ advice.
He said that as the chairman of the state’s committee for the development of women, family, and national unity, he has always had the people’s interest at heart — especially the poor.
Asked to explain his video, Hanafiah said he was only having a meal with his friend in a restaurant.
He said that their meals amounted to RM15, which would not be possible if they were Menu Rahmah dishes.
“What I am trying to say in the video is that gravy is needed when I eat rice,” he said.
“So, I poured orange juice onto my plate. That is all. It had nothing to do with Menu Rahmah,” he added. – The Vibes, March 3, 2023
