PETALING JAYA • Malaysians are rallying behind a campaign on Twitter to get their Queen, Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, to reactivate her social media account amid speculation that critical remarks from some users had led her to abandon the account.
The beloved and social media-friendly wife of the King, Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin, is believed to have deactivated her official Twitter account @cheminahsayang on Wednesday night.
Tens of thousands of Twitter users yesterday expressed their sadness and pleaded with Tunku Azizah to change her mind.
#AmpunTuanku was Malaysia's top trending hashtag early yesterday, before it was overtaken by #PermaisuriAgong.
"At a time of increasing racial polarisation and negativity, Tunku Azizah and Al-Sultan Abdullah have been the beacon of national hope and unity," said Twitter user Mikhail Hafiz.
Another user, Clarky, said: "I'm coming from a state where we don't have royals, but having them as our King & Queen is a true blessing. They represent the unity of this country, a symbol to unite us."
And another user, Hazim Husaini, expressed sadness at the deactivation of her account, saying: "We already miss your updates and your beautiful face on Twitter."
Although no official statement was given as to why the account was deactivated, some Twitter users speculated that it was the result of cyber bullying.
Tunku Azizah has been criticised on social media for apparently taking too many photos during the parade on Merdeka Day, or Malaysia's independence day, on Aug 31, with some going so far as to say that she was "behaving like a small child".
In response, the Raja Permaisuri Agong tweeted that she took photographs with her phone during the Merdeka Day parade because she had been instructed to do so by the King.
Screenshots of remarks made against Tunku Azizah have made the rounds on Twitter as well as other social media platforms.
A Twitter user, whose tweets were screenshot and circulated on the Internet, yesterday issued a public apology, seeking forgiveness from Tunku Azizah for prior remarks made about her. User Firdaus Asraf had commented on the Queen's popularity and tweeted that he had been put off by her posts on social media.
In a formal apology on his Twitter account, he said he regretted his actions and hoped that Tunku Azizah would accept his apology.
THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
