KUALA LUMPUR: Kudat Member of Parliament Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri is not letting go of the recent controversy involving Sabah student Veveonah Mosibin.
The Deputy Finance Minister today doubled down on his claim that the Universiti Malaya Sabah (UMS) student had faked her Internet access predicament in a video which went viral in June.
Abdul Rahim was cited by Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin, who made headlines on Sept 3 when he stated in Parliament that Veveonah was merely a publicity seeker who had no Internet access issues.
He retracted his statement and apologised to the 18-year-old the following day after a fierce public backlash.
But Abdul Rahim stands by his claim that Veveonah had faked her situation in her viral video, in which she is seen resorting to climbing a tree for better Internet access, in her village of Kampung Sepatalang in Pitas, in order to sit for an online examination during the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO).
Claiming that an "investigation" on the matter had been carried out, Abdul Rahim said he sent one of his officers to meet with Kampung Bilangau Besar village head Edward Upak and Kampung Sepatalang village head Elwin Madisa in Pitas.
He claims the village heads had said Veveonah and her family were no longer residents of Kampung Sepatalang.
"This was because her father, Mosibin Maraun @ Makrun, began working with the district cooperative development in Pitas town. Her family lives in Pitas now. Pitas has internet service.
"In truth, she does not have a home in Kampung Sepatalang. So how could this student claim to have studied on top of a tree, whereas she has been living in Pitas town?" Abdul Rahim said in a Facebook posting today.
He also reiterated his claim that the video was merely a stunt by Veveonah to gain "publicity and attention".
Abdul Rahim also said he had initiated another "investigation" by seeking information from a UMS dean faculty to determine if students were sitting for examinations at the time the video was made.
He quoted the dean, which he did not name, as saying: "I personally disagree with what she did. There was no examination at that time. And the students are allowed to stay at campus if the internet connection (in their hometowns) is weak."
Abdul Rahim also censured Vevoenah for climbing the tree.
"If you had fallen, it would have been a disaster not only to your family, but to your country as well."
He then made a list of developments in Pitas, outlining its infrastructure.
Veveonah's video caused a national sensation, and earned her the nickname "tree girl".
Her plight also caught the attention of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin; and prompted the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to pledge to improve Internet connection in the area by having a telecommunications tower built by the middle of next year.