Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh made Asians glow with pride after winning the Oscar for Best Actress yesterday (13 Mar), becoming the first Asian ever to take home the award.
Soon after, Malaysians started wondering if there would be a public holiday following the glorious achievement.
It apparently even got to a point where some people started circulating fake news about a public holiday announcement.
However, the Prime Minister’s Department has refuted the fake news, clarifying that there will be no public holiday in Malaysia after all.
The doctored image that the Prime Minister’s Department shared was made to resemble an article from The Star.
Source: Twitter
“The information in news screenshots that went viral on social media is false,” the tweet said. “The public is requested not to spread or share any uncertain of false information.”
Similarly, Star Media Group, owner of The Star’s online portal, put out a notice stating the image is fake.
“It has come to the company’s attention that a picture, depicting a manipulated image which misuses The Star’s identity, is making the rounds on social media.”
This is a misrepresentation of The Star’s actual news coverage.
It added that there is no such article amid the news of Yeoh’s historic win at the Oscars.
The group also reiterated that it did not publish any news regarding the announcement of a public holiday on 15 Mar.
It’s understandable why such news spread so widely following Yeoh’s win, even though it was fake.
When Anwar Ibrahim was elected Prime Minister, he declared 28 Nov a public holiday last year, making good on a pre-election promise.
Previous prime ministers have also declared public holidays after successes on the international sporting stage.
One example was when former prime minister Najib Razak declared 4 Sep 2017 a public holiday after the SEA Games.
The country had won the most gold medals at the Games then.
Some may argue that Yeoh’s win rivals an international sporting triumph, but perhaps the government doesn’t agree — at least for now.
As always, it is good to check official channels before spreading any announcements.
Once again, we congratulate Michelle Yeoh on her win at the Oscars.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from @dior on Instagram and @jpmgov_ on Twitter.
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