KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 — Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today he has apologised to Sabah undergraduate Veveonah Mosibin and her parents on behalf of the government over his colleagues’ remarks last week.
The Rembau MP took to Twitter to announce his meeting with Veveonah at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, where the latter is studying.
“Managed to meet Veveonah at UMS. I have apologised to her and her parents on behalf of the government. I have also suggested that she work with the Malaysia Innovation Foundation to develop innovation projects at her village in environmental conservation,” he wrote.
Khairy also attached two pictures of both of them in the accompanying Twitter post.
Khairy’s apology comes after Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin also formally apologised to the Upper House over his remarks against Veveonah.
Sempat bertemu Veveonah di UMS. Saya telah mohon maaf kepada beliau dan ibu bapa beliau bagi pihak kerajaan. Saya juga telah cadangkan untuk Veve berkerjasama dengan @YayasanInovasi untuk membangunkan projek inovasi di kampung beliau dalam pemeliharaan alam sekitar. pic.twitter.com/LnK96fTadX
— Khairy Jamaluddin 🇲🇾🌺 (@Khairykj) September 10, 2020
Recently, Zahidi came under fire for suggesting that Veveonah was an attention seeker and had faked taking an online examination atop a tree in rural Sabah due to poor internet connectivity, an allegation he made in the Senate last week.
The Padang Besar MP from Umno has since apologised and claimed to have received the information from Kudat MP Abdul Rahim Bakri, a Bersatu leader and the deputy finance minister.
Veveonah had also disclosed that she already came under immediate attack online over Zahidi’s allegation.
In June, Veveonah posted a video to her YouTube channel showing viewers how she spent 24 hours atop a tree in the jungle as that was the only way she could reliably connect to the Internet and sit for her Chemistry and Malaysian studies tests then.
Her YouTube video spurred the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to devise plans for a telecommunications tower in Kampung Bilangau Kecil, Pitas, to provide Veveonah and her fellow villagers improved internet access.
