DEPUTY ministers Abdul Rahim Bakri and Zahidi Zainul Abidin have insulted Sabahans in their persistent attempts to discredit a student while disregarding real concerns about the digital divide, a DAP senator from the state said.

Senator Adrian Lasimbang said 18-year-old Veveonah Mosibin, who attends Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), had given a true picture of the problem of lack of internet access.

“There are many like her in Sabah.

“The deputy ministers’ statements are an insult to Sabahans… by showing disregard, especially in Abdul Rahim’s case as a Sabah elected representative, of the real issue which is the difficulty of obtaining internet coverage for many Sabahans, especially those in rural areas,” he said in a statement.

“There are still many villages in Sabah which are facing internet connectivity problems and this has had a huge impact on access to education online during the movement control order period.”

He cited the example of students in Kg Tilis, Tenom, who had to trek nearly an hour up a hill for WiFi access.

“That is why, in that area, Tenom MP Noorita Sual has built a shelter on the hill so that children from Kg Tilis have a sheltered area to access the internet,” he said.

Lasimbang was responding to the actions of deputy finance minister Rahim, who is the Kudat MP, and Zahidi, deputy communications and multimedia minister and Padang Besar MP.

Rahim said he had investigated Veveonah’s claims in her YouTube video that she had to climb a tree in order to get internet access to take an online exam in June, and found them to be untrue, based on checks with a village chief and a faculty member at UMS.

Zahidi, meanwhile, last week said Veveonah’s video was aimed at getting attention for herself and that she had lied about taking an exam. Although he subsequently apologised, he yesterday blamed Abdul Rahim for the misinformation.

Both deputy ministers have been slammed on social media for going after a young person while failing to address the real problem.

Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh today called them cyberbullies.

“I urge the two deputy ministers, Zahidi and Abdul Rahim, not to hide the matter anymore and take seriously the internet problems in Sabah,” said Lasimbang. – September 8, 2020.