Bounties aplenty on Twitterjaya to slap Zahid

Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's dismissal of threats to slap a DAP MP as a non-issue has emboldened Malaysians to offer their own bounties.

But unlike the group of Muslim NGOs that offered up to RM1,200 for anyone who can slap Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, netizens offered rewards to those brave enough to slap some sense into Zahid.

The bounties offered went as low as  five sen to as high as RM1,500, with some netizens organising fundraing for the 'cause'.

Tweets on the matter in both English and Bahasa Malaysia continued to pour in from Twitterjaya - a monicker for the Malaysian Twittersphere - until late yesterday, with some even offering bundles of kangkung for the deed.

Some, like media personality Asha Gill, put a charitable twist to the scheme, although most seem largely motivated by their annoyance over what they claimed was an illogical statement by Zahid.

Responding to a tweet on Zahid's statement posted on Malaysiakini, Gill said: “The idiot! I offer 10 cents for him to be slapped.

“Get one big basket, line up the slap-fest and each donate 10 sen. Then donate all the moolah to stateless kids and send him a roast chicken!” she added, referring to the chickens slaughtered in the protest against Kok on Thursday.

Anti-crime activist R Sanjeevan, meanwhile, upped the ante when responding to an offer to print posters advertising RM500 cash rewards to anyone who slaps the minister.

“I'll offer RM1,000!” he tweeted.

'No need for investigation'

Similarly, when Twitter user Ketapangman offered 20 sen for Zahid to be slapped, user twt_shrek responded with: “I'll add another 20 sen for his other cheek to be slapped.”

However, user Qayzr notably chose to swim against the tide and offered RM20 for someone to give the Bagan Datoh MP a hug, although this garnered limited success.

User RandomHS replied: “I wouldn't do so, even if you gave me RM500.”

Zahid yesterday told reporters there is no need for police to investigate the act by some NGOs of offering cash rewards to anyone able to record a video of themselves slapping Kok.

“Slapping is not a threat. If they say murder, then it is a threat,” the home minister was quoted as saying by The Malaysian Insider at a function at Kajang prison.

Kok has since lodged a police report and it is noted that police have classified the case under Section 505(c) for public mischief with intent to incite anyone to commit an offence, as well as under Section 506 for criminal intimidation.

Msiakini