Umno group claims 'Najib-brand rice' pix fake
Published: Jan 3, 2015 12:22 PM | Updated: Jan 3, 2015 3:19 PM
The Umno Youth group who had been depicted allegedly distributing sacks of rice with the Prime Minister Najib Razak's face on it to flood victims has claimed the photograph is a fake.
The man shown distributing flood aid with Najib's label says photo doctored.
An Umno Youth humanitarian group has claimed the photograph of sacks of rice with the Prime Minister Najib Razak's face on it being distributed to flood victims is fake.
According to The Rakyat Post yesterday, Briged Kesatria Muda chairperson Mohd Eddy Casmady Che Hussin, who claimed to be the person in the photograph, said the image was "manipulated".
He denied sticking any labels with the prime minister's face on rice packs.
“We had some labels which were used to differentiate the packets of rice between those from the Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Ministry, and non-governmental organisations.
“But there were no labels with Najib’s face and we have eyewitnesses and photos to prove it,” he was reported as saying.
Briged Kesatria Muda is Umno Youth's humanitarian initiative that have helped out in flood relief efforts in the East Coast over the past week.
The photograph of Eddy was posted by a pro-Umno blogger Syed Akbar on his blog Outsyed The Box.
The blogger had claimed that workers were hired to attach the stickers bearing Najib's face as well as Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob before they were distributed to flood victims.
However, he has since removed the blog posting although a cached version is still available.
Image criticised on social media
The government was widely criticised on social media when the image surfaced.
Malaysiakini, in a text message to Ismail on Tuesday, asked the minister to confirm and respond to this, to which he replied: "It doesn't matter if people want to condemn.
"What matters is that the items from the Agriculture Ministry reach flood victims and help lighten their burden".
Ismail (left) was again asked about this in a press conference the following day, to which he said he did not want to "comment much" about the incident and instead hit out at the opposition for politicising the floods.
Eddy said he will lodge a complaint with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the police over the report and is also contemplating legal action.
“We will also urge the ministry to sue Malaysiakini for trying to instil hatred against the government among netizens,” he was quoted as saying by The Rakyat Post.
The photograph depicted a man attaching a sticker of what appeared to be the Briged Kesatria Muda logo to a rice pack.
Beside that was another stack of rice bags with what appeared to be labels with Najib and Ismail's faces on them, bearing the Agriculture Ministry's logo.
During the floods, Machang MP Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub was also criticised when pictures were circulated online of the distribution of rice bags with his face imprinted on them, together with the BN and 1Malaysia logos.
However, he has since refuted the allegations, stating that the bags of rice were leftovers from his 13th general election campaign.
According to The Rakyat Post yesterday, Briged Kesatria Muda chairperson Mohd Eddy Casmady Che Hussin, who claimed to be the person in the photograph, said the image was "manipulated".
He denied sticking any labels with the prime minister's face on rice packs.
“We had some labels which were used to differentiate the packets of rice between those from the Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Ministry, and non-governmental organisations.“But there were no labels with Najib’s face and we have eyewitnesses and photos to prove it,” he was reported as saying.
Briged Kesatria Muda is Umno Youth's humanitarian initiative that have helped out in flood relief efforts in the East Coast over the past week.
The photograph of Eddy was posted by a pro-Umno blogger Syed Akbar on his blog Outsyed The Box.
The blogger had claimed that workers were hired to attach the stickers bearing Najib's face as well as Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob before they were distributed to flood victims.
However, he has since removed the blog posting although a cached version is still available.
Image criticised on social media
The government was widely criticised on social media when the image surfaced.
Malaysiakini, in a text message to Ismail on Tuesday, asked the minister to confirm and respond to this, to which he replied: "It doesn't matter if people want to condemn.
"What matters is that the items from the Agriculture Ministry reach flood victims and help lighten their burden".Ismail (left) was again asked about this in a press conference the following day, to which he said he did not want to "comment much" about the incident and instead hit out at the opposition for politicising the floods.
Eddy said he will lodge a complaint with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the police over the report and is also contemplating legal action.
“We will also urge the ministry to sue Malaysiakini for trying to instil hatred against the government among netizens,” he was quoted as saying by The Rakyat Post.
The photograph depicted a man attaching a sticker of what appeared to be the Briged Kesatria Muda logo to a rice pack.
Beside that was another stack of rice bags with what appeared to be labels with Najib and Ismail's faces on them, bearing the Agriculture Ministry's logo.
During the floods, Machang MP Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub was also criticised when pictures were circulated online of the distribution of rice bags with his face imprinted on them, together with the BN and 1Malaysia logos.However, he has since refuted the allegations, stating that the bags of rice were leftovers from his 13th general election campaign.
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