By Karen Bong
KUCHING, July 4: Political secretary to the Premier of Sarawak Susan Clement today lodged a report at the Satok Police Station, urging authorities to investigate and take appropriate action against what she described as defamatory and baseless content capable of inciting racial tension and undermining social harmony in Sarawak.
Speaking to reporters after filing the report, Susan said the report was made in relation to a post uploaded by a Facebook account identified as “Nempy Jman” in the “NCR Sarawak” social media group, which she believed contained misleading content that could create misunderstanding and discord among Sarawakians.
It was understood that the matter involved a news headline from 2019 that was allegedly altered before being circulated online. The original headline read, “Don’t allow outsiders to rule the state, Sarawak CM reminds voters,” but was purportedly changed to “Don’t allow Dayak to rule the state, Sarawak CM reminds voters” before being uploaded to the NCR Sarawak group recently.
Susan said the altered headline had the potential to misrepresent the original context of the statement and provoke unnecessary tension among Sarawak’s diverse communities.
“We are requesting the Royal Malaysia Police to conduct an independent, professional and thorough investigation based on facts and evidence to determine whether the content is authentic, manipulated or contains elements that contravene the law,” she said.
She stressed that Sarawak has long been recognised for its peaceful coexistence among people of different races, cultures and religions, and that any attempt to sow division through misinformation should be treated seriously.
“Any statement or social media posting that can create misunderstanding, hatred or disunity among the people must not be taken lightly. We hope the authorities will ascertain the truth behind the content and take appropriate action if any offence has been committed,” she added.
Susan also called on social media users to exercise greater responsibility when sharing information online, reminding the public not to accept or disseminate content without first verifying its authenticity and source.
“Freedom of expression comes with responsibility. Information shared on public platforms must be accurate and should not cause harm to individuals, communities or the wider public,” she said.
At the same time, she emphasised that no conclusions should be drawn regarding the culpability of any individual until investigations are completed.
“We leave the determination of the matter to the due process of the law to establish the facts and decide on the appropriate course of action,” she said.
Susan also urged Sarawakians to continue safeguarding the Sarawak’s tradition of unity, mutual respect and racial harmony, while rejecting any attempt to exploit sensitive issues for divisive purposes.
The police report was lodged on behalf of several political secretaries to the Premier of Sarawak, including Kho Teck Wan and Kua Jack Seng. — DayakDaily
