Sleuths dissect Rashid's durian feast account in frame-by-frame breakdown

 

Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Rashid Hasnon's claim that the video of him attending a durian feast was from last year has courted intense scrutiny, with internet sleuths dissecting the visuals frame by frame.

Rashid's aide had maintained that the presence of individuals at the durian feast with matching clothing from an earlier event at the Batu Pahat Municipal Council on the same day (June 27) was a "coincidence", but netizens have raised further questions.

The timeline is significant as gatherings are banned under the current total lockdown due to Covid-19. Rashid claimed the incident happened before the first lockdown in March 2020.

One netizen noted that a Liverpool jersey worn by a participant at the durian feast was sporting a Nike logo.

"Last year, Liverpool's jersey used the New Balance brand... But if you look at the picture of the person wearing the Liverpool jersey, it carries the Nike brand and gold English Premier League (EPL) patch, that means the jersey is from the 2020/2021 season," said a Facebook user.

Nike became the official sponsor of Liverpool jerseys at the beginning of the current EPL season which started in August 2020 and is still ongoing.

Prior to that, New Balance was the English football team's sponsor.

Meanwhile, another netizen claimed that the tudung (headscarf) worn by a participant at the durian feast is from the brand Fareha's latest collection which was only released two months ago.

Netizens also noted that an individual with matching attire had received an RM2,000 mock cheque dated June 27 from Rashid at the earlier event.

A number of individuals at the durian feast were also seen to be sporting what appeared to be Perikatan Nasional (PN) T-shirts.

While PN came to power in early March 2020, it only became a formal coalition in August 2020 ahead of the Sabah elections.

The PN logo was also unveiled in the same month.

Local Government and Housing Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin had also confirmed being presented with durians at the earlier event, but she was not at the durian feast.

“This (feast) has got nothing to do with me. I was not at the event," she had said.

Police are investigating the incident and have summoned Rashid for questioning.

 - Mkini