Exco’s heated dispute with villagers goes viral
MELAKA: A state executive councillor got into the limelight for the wrong reasons when a video showing him raising his voice during a peaceful dialogue over a road dispute went viral.
Norhizam Hassan Baktee was accused of being uncouth towards the villag
ers who were locked in an
argument with residents in Bukit Beruang here.
The matter came to a head when the exco member, who is Pengkalan Batu assemblyman, arrived in Taman Akasia to chair a meeting between residents and villagers of Kampung Pulau Nibong on a disagreement over a 5m short cut that links the housing estate and the village.
The dialogue was arranged after some 600 residents of Taman Akasia demanded the link closed, following a spate of accidents and motorcycle thefts in the residential area.
Villagers want the use of the short cut for their daily commute while the Taman Akasia Residents Association wants it closed for security reasons.
As soon as Norhizam arrived at about 8.45am yesterday, a group of villagers surrounded him, demand- ing to know why the dialogue was being held.
When a villager labelled Norhizam aloud as “gangster YB”, Norhizam became angry and raised his voice to the villagers, stating that they deliberately wanted to argue with him, as they are supporters of an opposition party.
The criticism against Norhizam didn’t stop there. Two postings on Facebook labelled him as a “gangster YB” and a beruk (ape).
Norhizam said he felt slighted by the postings which also claimed that he was a van driver and not fit to be an exco member, adding that he was just helping residents resolve their woes.
“Why wasn’t the footage of villagers being rude and ridiculing me uploaded?” he asked, adding that he wanted an apology from those who slandered him without knowing the actual situation.