Who invited who? Netizens call out opposition over meeting with NZ PM
Netizens quickly pointed out discrepancies, questioning the claim of the courtesy call when it appeared that Hamzah, along with several other opposition leaders had visited the NZ premier after receiving an invitation.
SHAH ALAM - Opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin's recent meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Mark Luxon has sparked heated debates online after Hamzah posted about receiving a "courtesy call" from Luxon.
Netizens quickly pointed out discrepancies, questioning the claim of the courtesy call when it appeared that Hamzah, along with several other opposition leaders had visited the New Zealand premier after receiving an invitation.
Among the opposition leaders who were seen present during the meeting were Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, its vice-presidents Datuk Mohd Radzi Md Jidin and Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee, Pas consumer affairs committee chairman Khairil Nizam Khirudin and Pas central committee member Dr Halimah Ali.
In response to the online backlash, Wan Ahmad Fayhsal posted the official invitation confirming that the meeting had been initiated by the New Zealand High Commissioner's Office.
The letter stated that an invitation was extended to Hamzah.
"So desperate to create the perception that Perikatan Nasional (PN) was begging to meet the New Zealand PM. In fact, we were invited to meet him through the New Zealand High Commissioner's Office itself," Wan Ahmad Fayhsal wrote in the post with the attachment of the invitation letter.
However, this did not stop netizens from speculating on the nature of the meeting, especially as it appeared that more members of the opposition attended the meeting than expected.
This came after a video posted from the event showed Hamzah and a few other opposition leaders greeting Luxon.
In the video Luxon said "Oh, you brought some friends."
This led to further online backlash by X platform users, with many questioning why Hamzah had brought along a delegation when the invitation seemed to be for him alone.
A netizen, Muhammad Ashraff commented on the video saying: "You visit someone's place and even bring along other people unannounced and then claim you were invited? This is embarrassing."
Another user, Injang Nation wrote "If he was making a courtesy call, why did he say "thank you for coming by today"? Shouldn't it be "Thank you for having me" or "Thanks for the invitation"? Ah, I forgot, these people don’t understand English well. They are easy to fool."
Meanwhile, X user OnlyYamm wrote "Is this really the level of our opposition? Every time you open your mouth, it reeks of nonsense, @wanfayhsal. It’s sad to see Malaysia have an opposition like this."
On Monday, Hamzah issued a statement saying that the Heads of Portfolios from PN received a courtesy call from Luxon, who was on his first official visit to Malaysia since becoming Prime Minister in November, last year.
He said among the topics discussed included enhancing economic cooperation between the two nations, given that New Zealand is Malaysia's 28th largest trading partner, with a total trade volume of RM11.56 billion (USD2.54 billion).
They also talked about Malaysia’s strategic role as a hub for Asean's economic market and cooperation in education, security as well as cross-border crime.
