Kedah caretaker chief minister Sanusi Md Nor’s raised hand salute has been spreading swiftly on social media, with people who support posting more than 8,000 videos holding the gesture to display support for the opposition politician. The videos used a snippet of Sanusi’s speech at a rally as the background track, in which the well liked ruler from the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition can be heard announcing that “I raise my hand to fight Anwar Ibrahim”, in protest in opposition to moves by Malaysia’s Prime Minister and his government that are discovered to be curtailing Sanusi’s affect.
In videos some said it to be as the “Refornusi” trend (a mash-up of “reformation” and “Sanusi”), TikTok users raise their hands in a similar fashion with upbeat dangdut – Indonesian folk music renowned in Malaysia – running in the background. Many promised to have their support for Sanusi and PN, appreciating the ruler for being “the best”. There are also videos spreading online that reveal construction workers raising their arms – also those of their cranes and tractors.
Another TikTok user with the handle hidayah beuty told the supporters to “translate the support to the ballot paper on Aug 12”, while another TikTok user in humour said the social media giant should be giving money to Sanusi for giving a rise to the viral trend. The gesture was first recognized when Sanusi raised his right hand to supporters at the Alor Setar courthouse in July, where he encountered sedition charges for ridiculing the Selangor ruler.