Netizens abuzz over Azmin and family’s Turkish holiday

 

Netizens have shared screenshots of what they claim to be an “edited” caption and the purported “original” caption which implied Azmin was in Turkey with his family. (Twitter pic)

PETALING JAYA: A photograph of Azmin Ali and a tour guide in Turkey that surfaced online has raised the hackles of netizens who questioned if the minister of international trade and industry had taken his family along on a holiday recently.

Hours later, however, the tour guide posted an apology and said Azmin was at Hagia Sophia with the ministry delegation on a Turkish government programme.

The Instagram post has since been deleted, but netizens have been quick to share screenshots of the photograph.

The photograph, posted by Turkish travel account @Turkishlocalguides about 15 hours ago, was captioned “It was a pleasure to guide for Mr Muhammed Azmin Ali (Senior Minister of Malaysia). He was willing and patient to listen to stories of Hagia Sophia”.

However, netizens shared screenshots of what they claimed to be the original caption, now edited, which implied Azmin was there with his family.

The original caption according to social media users read: “It was a pleasure to guide for Mr Muhammed Azmin Ali (Senior Minister of Malaysia) and his family….”

That led to criticism for purportedly going on holiday despite Covid-19 clusters erupting in many factories, especially in Selangor.

One netizen on Twitter said: “The rakyat is under difficulty and disorder, this stupid … MITI minister is still in Turkey, and can even go on a trip to Hagia Sophia.”

He also posted a screenshot of the photograph with two different captions side by side.

Another user said: “I just want to ask, how many of us here have been separated from family/loved ones and have not been able to see them for quite some time?”

Many MPs and ministers have drawn flak from the public for breaching travel restrictions and SOPs.

Most recently, Padang Rengas MP Nazri Aziz and his family were also on the receiving end of wide social media backlash, after his wife posted an Instagram photograph of her and their son on their way to France in what appeared to be a first-class cabin. - FMT