WHEN a natural disaster strikes, politicians typically visit the devastated areas afterwards to see the damage firsthand, offer comfort to those affected, and distribute aid.
However, a video had gone viral recently showing Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh riding a motorcycle in the rain to inspect flood-prone areas in his Tanjung Bidara constituency.
In a time when people use AI to produce fake and exaggerated disaster videos, the authenticity of the footage appears suspect.
So, we had to ask: Is it real?
Verdict:
True
The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) confirmed that the video of Ab Rauf riding a motorcycle in a raincoat, in the rain, while visiting his constituency, was authentic.
It said that he also stopped at roadside stalls to speak with residents about drainage and flood issues affecting their areas.
Ab Rauf also visited a coastal upgrade project site, still in his rain gear, to monitor the progress of ongoing work.
“The Chief Minister has been visiting his constituency on a motorcycle to get a closer look at the ground situation, especially in areas difficult to reach by car,” an officer from the CMO said on Friday (Oct 24).
The officer added that, as the Tanjung Bidara assemblyman, Ab Rauf often makes spot visits to monitor drainage conditions and to engage directly with residents whenever heavy rain occurs.
While many netizens praised the Chief Minister’s hands-on approach in checking flood-prone areas, others cheekily suggested he could also try walking through his constituency.
Some comments also fixated on the price of the motorcycle he was riding that day.
