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Journalism of Courage
On March 13, the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of the Malaysian parliament had a humorous moment. The deputy speaker of the house, Datuk Ramli Mohd Nor, mistakenly referred to Taylor Swift fans, called “Swifties,” as “striptease.” Yes, you read that right! The mix-up had everyone in stitches, and the video capturing this moment is still making the rounds on Instagram. Shared by @mothershipssg, the post has the caption, “his mind was really in a blank space.”
Here’s what actually happened.
Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil, while speaking in the house, said while he wasn’t a Taylor Swift fan himself, some of his officers were her avid followers. Fadzil admitted to being a Sitizoner, a fan of Malaysian songbird, Siti Nurhaliza, and pointed out Bangi MP Syahredzan Johan is a proud Swiftie. This was in reference to Syahredzan’s X post from last November praising Swift’s album 1989 as one of her best.
As Fadzil addressed Indera Mahkota MP Seri Saifuddin Abdullah, Ramli, looking puzzled, interjected saying, “YB, striptease?!” Fadzil quickly corrected him, clarifying, “No, it’s Swiftie, Taylor Swift.”
The mix-up left the Dewan Rakyat in fits of laughter. Reacting to the video, one user wrote, “This is what they discuss in Parliament? I thought they have more serious matters to discuss about.” Another user said, “A very good example of a generation gap.” A third user commented, “Taylor swift has somehow become a political topic for many countries. Hmm.”
