PETALING JAYA, Jan 19 ― Over the weekend, photos of a policeman who had to postpone his wedding due to the movement control order (MCO) went viral on social media.
The image was initially uploaded onto Facebook user Mohd Ridzuan Baharudin’s page, as he shared the story of his cousin, Constable Ahmad Zaim Nasreen Musa, who had to delay his wedding which was supposed to be two days ago.
Ridzuan’s post soon got the attention of many Malaysians on social media, including Transport minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, as they praised Zaim for his service and sacrifice.
The photo depicted Zaim holding up a sign saying “I should’ve been married today. Jan 17, 2021”, while standing at a roadblock.
However, after the image garnered a lot of “unwanted” attention, Zaim told mStar that he was shocked to see the image of him circulating on social media and never meant for it to go viral.
“I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t sad on that day. I was supposed to get married,” said the 25-year-old.
“I took the photo when I was done with my shift on roadblock duty, as a memory for myself. There weren’t any road users around and my chief officer said it was okay, so I thought why not?
“I shared the photo on my WhatsApp status and in my family group chat. Then my cousin uploaded on Facebook and it was everywhere.”
Zaim, who has been a police officer for two years, also said that he chose to be on duty during the MCO and agreed with his bride-to-be to postpone their wedding date due to the surge in positive Covid-19 cases.
“Our hopes of having our wedding day on January 17 was on a knife’s edge. Even though our leave was frozen, there are exceptions if you have a valid reason.
“But my fiancee and I both live in MCO areas, and there was a positive case at our wedding venue as well. So to avoid any risks or starting a new cluster, our families talked it out and decided to postpone the wedding for now,” said Zaim.
He told other local news portals that they also picked the initial date of January 17 because it is one day before his fiancee’s birthday.
The original post about Zaim on his cousin’s Facebook page has since been removed, upon Zaim’s request.
Zaim said that he’s extremely grateful for the kind messages and support he’s received from Malaysians around the country and also reminded his fellow countrymen to abide by the SOPs during this MCO period.
“I never meant for anyone but my family to see it but I can’t thank everyone enough for their kind and positive words.
“Just remember that if you don’t have any important matters or emergencies to tend to, postpone any travel plans you have. You can visit your family members and loved ones when things get better,” said Zaim.
“Don’t just think about yourself. We have to work together to break the chain and avoid more lockdowns from being put in place.”
