KUALA LUMPUR: The common belief in Malaysia is that politicians will do nice things just to impress the public.
That’s why any story about politicians being modest and down to earth becomes a rather big deal.
But far from skepticism, many netizens left nothing but praises for Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein after it was revealed that he tied the shoelace of a boy.
Hishamuddin was seen tying the shoelace of Muhammad Ammar Hakim, who was awarded an education excellence award for scoring 7As in the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR).
The moment was captured in a photo which was then uploaded in Instagram.
"The shoelace of Muhammad Ammar Hakim, the son of PW1 (Warrant Officer First Class) Mohd Azmi Laibi, was undone while about to receive the Education Excellence Award (Wednesday), so I fixed it, " wrote Hishammuddin.
The photo had gained more than 6,400 likes in Instagram and widely shared on Facebook.
A netizen said the heartwarming gesture by Hishammuddin, who is also Minister with Special Functions in the Prime Minister's Department, reflects his quality as the nation's leader as a whole.
Instagram user caramelazat.tpg commented that the boy will surely remember the moment for the rest of his life.
“I’m so touched,” he wrote.
Another user, lieyani77, wrote: “It touches the heart…let the photo do the talking.”