PM: It's sedition to incite racial tension

Anyone who causes racial tension is liable to be charged with sedition, warned Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

He was commenting on the fallout caused by remarks by Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association vice-president Dr Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah.

DAP Socialist Youth national chairperson Loke Siew Fook (left) , the Rasah parliamentarian, had chastised Mohd Ridhuan for calling the late Teoh Beng Hock’s child ‘illegitimate’ in an Utusan Malaysia article.

In a statement last Tuesday, Loke also expressed unhappiness with Mohd Ridhuan for branding Chinese dailies China Press and Nanyang Siang Pau as racist.

Loke's statement had appeared in a blog called 'SJSandteam', which has since been removed.

This spurred reaction online, with many postings being supportive of Loke while expressing sentiments deemed to insult Islam.

It also led to an argument between DAP and PKR, which are allies in Pakatan Rakyat.

'Watch your words'

At a 10-minute press conference after the Barisan Nasional supreme council meeting in Kuala Lumpur today, Najib expressed concern, saying that he was surprised to hear about this.

“The act of sedition is not only directed towards Islam but to all religions and races in our country,” he said.

“If an insult causes tension among the races, then legal action should be taken against the person who incited it. If there are any offences, then action will be taken.”

Teoh, the DAP political aide to Selangor exco member Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead outside Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam on July 16. He had been due to marry his fiancee, who was two months pregnant at the time.

He had earlier been questioned for several hours as a witness by the Selangor office of the Malayasian Anti-Corruption Commission. An inquest is in progress.