KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 3 — Sabahan student Veveonah Mosibin, who was offered a scholarship from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) after a video of her climbing a tree to sit for her online exams blew up on social media, apparently did it just to garner views for her YouTube channel.
Malay daily Sinar Harian reported that Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin revealed the matter in Dewan Negara today that Veveonah did not even sit for an online exam as seen in the video.
In June, Veveonah posted a video to her YouTube channel showing viewers how she spent 24 hours on top of a tree in the jungle to get the best internet connection for her chemistry and Malaysian studies exams that day.
“For your information Yang Berhormat, Veveonah is a YouTuber and was not sitting for any exam. We have already checked this. She is just a YouTuber wanting to make a name for herself... she became famous for a while, she just did it for entertainment.
“This is just an act, sometimes we are deceived. As Yang Berhormat, we should not be easily deceived by YouTubers to make something into an issue,” he said during a question and answer session in the Dewan Negara today.
Zahidi revealed this while answering an additional question by Senator Datuk Donald Peter Mojuntin who asked about what action the government has taken to ensure proper internet access in rural areas citing Veveonah’s case.
Zahidi then urged anyone with information on areas that have no internet coverage to highlight the matter to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for an immediate solution.
Veveonah became an overnight sensation after she posted the video showing her climbing a tree to get a better internet connection so she could sit for her online exams smoothly.
She had built a hut on top of a hill specifically for this purpose, but was forced to come up with a new idea when she discovered that the hut was destroyed on the day of her exams.
Her YouTube video spurred MCMC to devise plans for a telecommunications tower in Kampung Bilangau Kecil, Pitas which will give Veveonah and her fellow villagers improved internet access.
Veveonah told Bernama that she did not expect her YouTube video to go viral, but was grateful that the authorities had taken action to provide better internet services for those living in rural areas.
