With the recent floods wreaking havoc across the country, Malaysians from all walks of life banded together to help those in need.

Be it donating to the relevant non-government organisations (NGOs) or volunteering to clean up houses and streets affected by the floods, it's heartwarming to see Malaysians coming together to help out any way they can.

Well, it seems that not all have the same goal.

'Kau cuci apa tu?'

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Rina Harun has drawn flak from netizens once again after a video of her helping to clean the compound of the Sekolah Kebangsaan Salak Tinggi flood relief center went viral on social media.

In a 13-second video that has been widely circulated (and probably widely made fun of too) on social media, Rina can be seen using a water jet to wash an apparently clean patch of pavement.

Here's the video:


While it may seem like a noble deed, netizens weren't entirely convinced because she was surrounded by a group of cameramen during her clean-up efforts.

In fact, many netizens opined that the Minister was doing that just for show:

Department responds to criticisms

After the issue created a huge firestorm online, the Social Welfare Department (JKM) released a statement on Sunday (28 December).

According to the statement quoted by The Star, the whole thing was not an act and Rina was not posing with the water jet.

Instead, she was helping the department "clean up bird dropping stains that were difficult to get rid of."

"Since the waterjet machine was already there, Datuk Seri Rina accepted the request and did the work with an open heart," the statement read.

On top of that, the Department said that Rina was also getting her hands dirty in arranging other logistics at the school.

Together with volunteers, Rina had helped clean up and rearrange tables and chairs in the classrooms in preparation for the upcoming school session.

She also helped to pack away tents used by the flood victims.

"JKM feels that it is unfair for netizens to make accusations and belittle the efforts and involvement of Datuk Seri Rina in this clean-up operation," the department further said in the statement.