No, MCMC did not issue a warning saying those using the hashtag #SiBodohKauDengarSini will be punished with a one-year quarantine. — ANGELIN YEOH/The Star
Malaysians’ frustrations with the pandemic-related limitations of MCO 2.0, such as repeatedly being unable to order from food delivery services during peak hours, has spilled over into a new viral hashtag.
On Jan 18, #SiBodohKauDengarSini was trending on Twitter with more than 38,000 posts.
The hashtag #SiBodohKauDengarSini was an expression used by Twitter user @yarafaee_ on Jan 17 to share her frustrations over being unable to get food delivered during peak hours.
She explained that due to restaurants’ operating hours being limited during the movement control order (MCO), food delivery companies were also struggling to meet demand from users, especially from those ordering after working hours in the evening.
Most food delivery companies had previously announced that users have until 7pm to 7.30pm to place their orders, before their operations end at 8pm.
The #SiBodohKauDengarSini hashtag was then taken up by other users to also express their frustrations with some of the other MCO-imposed measures.
Senior minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob in a press conference on Jan 19 said the government is discussing the possibility of extending food outlets’ operating hours to 10pm.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has denied issuing a poster warning Twitter users against utilising the hashtag #SiBodohKauDengarSini.
A search on Twitter revealed that the poster was originally uploaded by a parody account bearing the logo of a local news agency. The post, which was created on Jan 18, has since racked up more than 200 retweets and 500 likes.
According to MCMC’s anti-fake news portal Sebenarnya.my, the poster falsely claimed that users found to have wrongly used the hashtag will be punished under a non-existent Act with a fine amounting to RM35mil and a one year quarantine.
MCMC in a statement said it will continue to take appropriate measures to stop the spread of misinformation.
On Jan 13, the regulatory body had also issued a statement informing the public that its Twitter account had been hacked, and that people should not be influenced by some of the offensive messages purportedly from the commission’s account that had gone viral.
