Following the passing of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub on Sunday (July 23), politicians and citizens alike have been pouring in tributes and condolences to his family for their loss.
However, one notable politician has landed himself in huge trouble after he allegedly posted an insensitive tweet in the wake of Salahuddin’s burial.
‘I contest in Pulai by-election, OK ah?’
The tweet was allegedly made by Gerakan president Dominic Lau, where it was posted around 12.37pm yesterday (July 24).
In the tweet, he asked netizens whether it was okay for him to contest in the Pulai by-election, which is slated to be held soon following Salahuddin’s death.
Under Malaysia’s election laws, a by-election must be held if the incumbent passes away or resigns, which is the case with the Pulai parliamentary seat as it was formerly held by Salahuddin.
Shortly after the tweet was made, it was quickly deleted but it failed to escape the wrath of netizens, who managed to keep the digital ‘receipt’ and slammed Lau for his insensitivity.
‘It’s less than 24 hours since (Salahuddin’s) passing and you tweet this. Sickening.’
‘Do you think deleting the tweet will settle the issue?’
A netizen took a shot at Gerakan’s name, saying that it was living up to its real name ‘gelakan’ (laughter in Malay) before adding, “The president of the clown party, everyone.”
Dominic Lau: ‘My Twitter account was hacked’
Following the uproar, Lau issued an official statement on his Twitter account, claiming that he wasn’t behind the insensitive tweet.
In the statement, he denied that he was the one who posted the tweet and said he was “shocked” to see it for himself.
“Admins are attempting to trace the cause of the incident with new security protocols including changing the passwords of all social media accounts.
“At the same time, a police report will be lodged over the incident. Datuk Dominic Lau and the team wish our deepest condolences to Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub’s family.”
When contacted by Malaysiakini, Lau confirmed that the account was indeed his but claimed that it was hacked.
“Yes, I’ve never written it at all. This person is using a fake account,” he told the news portal.
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