KUALA LUMPUR: The mother of teenage actress Puteri Balqis Azizi has slammed rumour-mongers for "slandering" her on social media.
Norashikin Mohamad Aziz denied allegations from certain Netizens that she had received RM100,000 from the National Film Development Corporation (Finas).
“Too many lies have been said about me, including baseless stories that Seniman and Finas gave Aqish (Balqis) and I RM100,000. I don't know what to say anymore,” said the single mother in a news report yesterday.
“All these malicious stories pop up one after another. Thank goodness I'm selling books. If I'm not working and merely seeking for money, more people will come up with such stories.”
Norashikin called on individuals who slandered her to "stop their nasty attacks" and leave her and Balqis alone.
She also said that such attacks caused Balqis to close her Instagram account.
“Aqish has left Instagram because of such people,” said Norashikin.
“She has chosen to be off Instagram for a while, and focus on selling her books. She's not running away from Netizens, just that we feel better staying away from social media for now.”
Norashikin also said that she and Balqis had chosen to help fellow Malaysians in need, since they were also facing difficulties in life.
Meanwhile, Finas chief executive officer Ahmad Idham Ahmad Nadzri said the corporation did not contribute RM100,000 to Balqis and Norashikin.
“We did assist Balqis but we did not give her such a big amount of money. And I'm not aware of other contributions given to them,” he said, adding that he could not reveal the amount of money which Finas had given to Balqis.
It was reported yesterday that Balqis, 13, had closed her Instagram account because of critcism from some Netizens.
They criticised her for a statement she made during a recent interview with cosmetics entrepreneur and actor Datuk Seri Aliff Syukri Kamarzaman.
Aliff asked: "Balqis, if you receive RM100,000 from well-wishers what would you do with the money?"
Balqis, who was accompanied by Norashikin, replied: "I would save part of it, donate part of it to needy people, and invest part of it in forex because we love the graph."
By loving "the graph", she implied that Norashikin enjoyed trading in foreign exchange.
Since her financial hardship was highlighted on TV3 documentary Bersamamu on Jan 12, Balqis has received a lot of support and sympathy from well-wishers.
In Bersamamu, Balqis revealed that she and Norashikin had been in dire financial straits for a year.
She came up with a book of 38 self-penned poems during Hari Raya last year.
Balqis' book 38 Poems Of Puteri Balqis is sold in bookstores and stalls in the Klang Valley, and she and her mother have also sold it in the streets.
The actress' poems speak about her life experiences, including her battle with illness and her courage in facing financial hardship.
In 2018, Balqis was diagnosed with a heart ailment.