By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, June 12: Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) information chief Dato Idris Buang urges the police and the Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to investigate a content creator for allegedly belittling Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
Since multiple police reports have been lodged against the content creator Nehru Sathiamoorthy, Idris appealed for investigations to be conducted under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1988 and the Penal Code.
“In view of the many police reports made against the writer of one news site in social media, I urge the police and the MCMC to investigate and take appropriate action under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1988 and/or the Penal Code for repeatedly, with malicious intent or mala fide, making offending contents against our Sarawak Premier,” said Idris who is also a member of the PBB legal team in a statement.
The Communications and Multimedia Act 1988, Section 233(1)(a) reads: “A person who by means of any network facilities or network service or applications service knowingly – (i) makes, creates or solicits and (ii) initiates the transmission of, any comment, request, suggestion or other communication which is obscene, indecent, false, menacing or offensive in character with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass another person; or
(b) initiates a communication using any applications service, where continuously, repeatedly or otherwise, during which communication may or may not ensue, with or without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any person at any number or electronic address commits an offence.”
According to the Act Section 233(3): “A person who commits an offence under this section shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding RM50,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or both, and shall also be liable to a further fine of RM1,000, for every day during which the offence is continued under conviction”.
Meanwhile, Section 211(1) of the same Act reads: “No content applications service provider, or other person using a content applications service, shall provide content which is indecent, obscene, false, menacing, or offensive in character with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any person” and Section 211(2) states that “A person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding fifty thousand ringgit or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or to both and shall also be liable to a further fine of one thousand ringgit for every day or part of a day during which the offence is continued after conviction”.
On May 24, an opinion piece by Nehru titled “When will Abang Jo’s luck run out?” claimed that Abang Johari’s achievements for Sarawak have so far been due to luck and the latter’s luck will run out soon.
On June 10, a second piece by the same author titled “A challenge to you, Abang Jo, if you are as great as you think you are”, claimed Abang Johari was picking a fight with him.
Following the two articles, two police reports were made yesterday and as at the publishing of this article, another report had been lodged by a veteran journalist. — DayakDaily
