Sanusi gets brickbats for swatting woman on the head, asked to apologise

Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor is facing criticism for hitting a young woman’s head with a stack of folded papers after she approached him for help. The incident took place on Saturday (Aug 19).

Noraini Nordin, the central communications director of Wanita PKR, has called on Sanusi to apologize for his behavior. She stated that his actions were wrong, impolite, and disrespectful to the dignity of women. Noraini also mentioned that the woman and her family would have felt embarrassed by the incident, as it occurred in public.

Noraini criticized Sanusi for his inappropriate behavior as a Mentri Besar, stating that it displayed his crude leadership when dealing with the public, particularly women. She urged women across the country to speak out against Sanusi’s actions to protect women’s dignity.

Amira Aisya Abd Aziz, the deputy president of Muda, also condemned Sanusi’s behavior as rude. She emphasized the need for Sanusi to be more mindful of his manners when interacting with the public and not dismiss his actions as mere banter.

In response to the criticism, Sanusi, who is also the Jeneri assemblyman, claimed that he was joking with the young female student when he lightly scolded her for seeking assistance at the last minute. He defended his actions, stating that it was a common way of joking in his village and that he had only tapped her head with a piece of paper, not a wooden object.

An 18-second video of Sanusi swatting the female student circulated on social media platforms, sparking further outrage and discussion.