PETALING JAYA: Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin has apologised to Sabahan student Veveonah Mosibin over a mistake he made in Dewan Negara.
Zahidi made the apology in a Facebook post Thursday evening (Sept 3) after realising his error.
In June, 18-year-old Veveonah posted YouTube videos of herself spending the night up a tree to get better Internet access for her exam, and they went viral.
"Based on the debates in Dewan Negara today, I wish to correct my statement that Veveonah Mosibin did not go for any examination when the video of her studying on a tree went viral on social media.
"I received inaccurate information when replying to the supplementary question.
"I wish to apologise to Veveonah Mosibin and will make a correction in Dewan Negara on Monday (Sept 7)," Zahidi said in his post.
Zahidi made the blunder when replying to a supplementary question by Senator Datuk Donald Peter Mojuntin who asked what was being done to ensure proper Internet access in rural areas, citing Veveonah's case as an example.
In his reply, Zahidi said that the 18-year-old Sabahan is a YouTuber and was not sitting for any exam.
"We have already checked this. She is just a YouTuber wanting to make a name for herself... she became famous for a while, she just did it for entertainment.
“This is just an act, sometimes we are deceived," Zahidi said, reminding senators that they should not be easily deceived by YouTubers.
Veveonah's tree-top video challenge in Kg Sabanalang Pitas opened up opportunities for her including getting a scholarship from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), while also highlighting the lack of facilities in many parts of Sabah.
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