It’s How We Orang Kampung Joke – Sanusi On “Head Swatting” Incident
Sanusi defended his action saying that he was just joking with the family after he playfully swatted the head of a female student in Pokok Sena.
Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter or Telegram channel for the latest stories and updates.
Recently, a video of Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor jokingly swatting a female student on her head with paper went viral on social media.
The incident happened when Sanusi was handing out cash aid and necessities to 60 underprivileged villagers in Kampung Budi, Pokok Sena last Saturday (19 Aug).
In the video, Sanusi is seen joking, “You wanna go tomorrow? And only now (today) you ask me for the aid? *swats* The audacity…”.
However, the video saw tons of people calling out his act to be degrading and rude.
As reported by The Star, Wanita PKR central communications director Noraini Nordin called out Sanusi and said that his act was wrong, impolite and disrespectful to the dignity of women.
She said that both of them could be embarrassed as it’s done in public. As the Menteri Besar, his actions were inappropriate and revealed unprofessional leadership when dealing with official matters involving the public, especially women.
She urged all women to speak out against Sanusi’s actions to defend the dignity of women.
In a tweet last Monday (21 Aug), MUDA deputy president, Amira Aisya Abd Aziz also supported Noraini’s comments, saying Sanusi’s antics were rude.
Watch your manners if you want to joke around. Especially you as a high-rank Menteri Besar leader.
Amira Aisya Abd Aziz, MUDA Deputy President
When leaders behave a certain way, their followers tend to emulate.
Don’t normalise everything as just a joke.
Jagalah kehormatan orang ramai.
— amiraaisya (@_amiraaisya) August 21, 2023
Nak bergurau, jaga adab. Lagi-lagi pemimpin berpangkat besar macam Menteri Besar.
Pemimpin besar buat, pengikut akan ikut sekali.
Jangan normalisasi semua benda sebagai jenaka.
Show some respect @SanusiMNor. https://t.co/7eKd0YJ6Ef
Sanusi defends himself
Talking to Malaysiakini, the Jeneri assemblyman said he was only joking when he playfully scolded the girl for seeking assistance at the eleventh hour.
“The girl was going to enrol in a polytechnic tomorrow (the day before yesterday). Only on that day did she give a letter requesting a contribution. She needed a little scolding, but I still gave her RM650 to buy the things she needed for the polytechnic,” he further explained.
It’s just a tap with a piece of paper, not wood.
Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, Kedah Menteri Besar
It’s joking with kids, that’s how we kampung people joke.
Both the girl & the mother said it was no big deal
As reported by The Vibes, TikTok user MCSyalwa, the mother of the girl said the family didn’t have any issue on the matter.
She said that the MB doesn’t have to apologise as their family doesn’t think it’s a big deal.
“We, the parents and the child concerned have no issues about it. The MB is good… he met us though he was tired after cycling,” she said on TikTok yesterday (22 Aug).
She further said that her daughter isn’t even hurt and that’s how they joke around with each other in the village. She wondered why would such a simple thing be a big issue.
On Facebook, user Ainsya Sofia who claimed to be the swatted girl said that she was okay with it. She expressed her frustration on the matter being blown out of proportion.
Different places, different cultures – said Dr Azman
Dr Azman Ibrahim, a member of the PAS Central Committee and Jabi assemblyman also defended Sanusi today, saying that different places have different cultures.
He told a story of his friends in Iraq fooling around with him by swatting his head with a shoe. He turned out okay and didn’t even mind them.
“If you go to Terengganu and hear this greeting, it might sound rough but it’s just how Terengganu folk show warmth and closeness: ‘It’s been so long since I’ve seen this animal, where are you going?’,” he tweeted.
He further stated that maybe swatting someone on the head gently with paper is considered a playful banter that shows warmth in Kedah.
Di Iraq kawan-kawan bergurau katok ppalo kita ngan kasut terus. Kita ok je.
— Dr Azman Ibrahim (@Dr_AzmanIbrahim) August 23, 2023
Lain tempat lain budaya. Kalu mari Tganu dengar dialog gini, ini tanda kemesraan dan keakraban.
"Lama dok jupe nnatang ni! Mung gi mane??"
What do you think of this situation? If you were the student, do you think the act was degrading or do you take it as a joke?
Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Threads.
