Hero Cop Who Jumped Into The Sea And Saved A Woman Was Apparently "Inexperienced"
This is, according to"experts" who commented on social media.
By Sadho Ram — 21 Apr 2018, 02:45 AM
This is Zaidi Salleh, a 52-year-old auxiliary policeman
On 18 April, the auxiliary cop used his quick thinking, good instinct, and two decades of experience as a former air force commander to save a 28-year-old woman's life after she tried to kill herself by jumping off the Second Penang Bridge.
For Zaidi, to do what he did, it was instinctive.
However, while he saved a woman's life, he couldn't save himself from "experts" on social media, who attacked him for being ill-prepared and "inexperienced".
According to reports in multiple local websites, there has been a flurry of negative comments on social media against the trained diver, who used to be part of the rapid rescue unit of the RMAF
While chiding Salleh for being "ill-prepared" and "inexperienced", some individuals on the Internet are judging him for his rescue approach, in which he used a half-cut jerry can and tied it around his waist and climbed down the middle span of the bridge.
While SAYS could not independently source the negative comments, The Star Online, NST Online, and FMT reported that netizens criticised Zaidi and his approach.
The same approach that helped him save the woman's life by holding on to her and keeping her head above water for 20 minutes before being picked up by other rescuers.
However, the 52-year-old is not just badass, he is also pretty cool
The father of two, who risked his own life by jumping into the sea to save the woman's life, is unfazed by the criticisms hurled against him.
When asked how is he taking the comments, he said that there's no need for him to entertain such claims, adding that the important thing is that he was able to save a life.
"It is okay, they can say whatever they want. For me, I just wanted to save her," FMT quoted Zaidi as saying on Friday, 20 April, during an appreciation ceremony for his heroic rescue effort, which was held by the National Security Council.
"I want to see how those who made such claims help save the woman. Perhaps they are professionals and have far more superior knowledge than me.
"I want to learn from them. I am just an ordinary man and that is all I can do to help save the woman," Zaidi was quoted as saying by NST Online, adding that he would want to "learn from these 'experts' as he still has the energy to learn new things."
Anyhow, Zaidi Salleh has been aptly honoured for his bravery by officials from the National Security Council in George Town
In a tribute to his heroic, Zaidi was handed an appreciation certificate and received an RM500 reward from the caretaker state government.
Humble and not the one to forget his colleagues, Zaidi reminded everyone that his colleagues also deserve the due recognition who assisted in the rescue.
The colleagues, Mohd Fitri Abu Hassan and Megat Taufik Megat Kamarudin, were also presented with certificates by the NSC, reported FMT.
