A satirical poster lampooning internet censorship may have been inadvertently mistaken for the real deal, prompting the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to deny it issued the advisory.

When contacted MCMC strategic communications director Sheikh Raffie Abd Rahman said it did not warn against spreading “shameful images of the country’s leaders”.

“This one is not from MCMC. Someone is trying to be sarcastic. MCMC will not issue such advisories,” said Sheikh Raffie to Malaysiakini .

An image of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak in clown face in the background of the fake advisory should have been a red flag.

Indeed, Sheikh Raffie said MCMC does not issue advisories in such a manner.

"We wouldn't issue such instructions. We will continue to take the cases as they come in and continue to work with the police," he said.

The man behind the clown faces

The advisory started to make rounds after it was first uploaded online by activist artist Fahmi Redza on his Facebook and Twitter accounts today.

Fahmi was recently told he is under police watch for uploading an earlier image of Najib in clown face, as part of an anti-Sedition Act campaign.

This prompted other graphic artists to upload their versions of Najib in clown face , in solidarity with Fahmi.

AccTwitter @kuasasiswa , acc anda dibwh pengawasan PDRM.Gunakan dgn berhemah&berlandaskan undang2. @KBAB51 @PDRMsia pic.twitter.com/2SJ5ABEYkc

— PCIRC OFFICIAL (@OfficialPcirc) January 31, 2016

The fake advisory today featured the same clown-faced Najib, with the MCMC logo, and urged the public to stop spreading shameful images of the country’s leaders.

“The public is warned to stop spreading edited pictures of the country’s leaders in the form of clowns like the picture above on social media including through the WhatsApp phone application.

“It is an offence to share or spread such contents as it is against the laws especially Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act. If convicted, offenders will be fined a maximum of RM50,000 and/or a year’s imprisonment,” read the advisory.

Umno man falls for it

The fake advisory is also found on the Facebook page of Umno man Syed Rosli Jamalullail, who warned his Facebook followers to be careful or risk landing in jail.

This prompted consternation among his followers, some of whom were upset with MCMC for just issuing warnings without action or recirculating the clown face caricature along with the “advisory”.

Ironically, Syed Rosli was part of the pro-BN group Gerakan Merah’s entourage, when the group’s leader Mohd Ali Baharom lodged a police report over same caricature for allegedly inspiring hatred against Najib.

A check on MCMC’s official Facebook and Twitter pages, however, did not find the advisory in question.

When contacted, Fahmi confirmed that he designed the satirical poster.

“I designed it as a piece of political satire and parody to highlight the absurdity behind the warning issued by the government against spreading the clown pictures, which goes against internet freedom,” he said.

MCMC's Sheikh Raffie said that although the advisory was fake, it was still an offence to spread such images.

“Still, they shouldn't be doing this. Issuing false advisories is also an offence,” he said, citing Section 211 and 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act.

Clowning aside, artists now invite netizens to 'catch Najib'