S'gor demands action on 'fake' state newsletter
The Selangor government has urged the police to expedite its probe on a newsletter called Selangor Terkini which published the state coat of arms without approval.
The Selangor government has urged the police to expedite its probe on a newsletter called Selangor Terkini which published the state coat of arms without approval.
Faekah Husin, political secretary to Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, said this is akin to "treason" as the tabloid also displays a photograph of Selangor's Sultan Sharaffudin Idris Shah on the front page.
"We lodged a police report with regard to the publication at the Shah Alam police headquarters on Jan 17 but until today we haven't received any updates," she said.
She said a check with the Home Ministry, which licenses serial publications under the Printing Presses and Publications Act, revealed that the newsletter does not have a permit.
The state government is, however, unsure of the frequency of publishing of Selangor Terkini .
"We managed to get our hands on three editions from January and February and several editions last year. But we are not sure about the frequency," said Faekah.
‘Umno behind newsletter’
Faekah (
left
) said the state government suspects that BN and Umno are behind the newsletter.
This was reaffirmed when the publication was distributed at an event to commemorate Prophet Muhammad’s birthday in Kuang last Saturday, she said.
The event was organised by Kuang assemblyperson Abdul Shukor Idrus. The publication was being distributed free of charge along with a 2011 calender which depicts Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.
"Although Umno leaders in Selangor have vehemently denied their involvement, the state government has evidence to show otherwise," said Faekah.
"From the information we received from the public and our investigations, Umno members are directly involved."
Selangor Terkini closely resembles state organ Selangor Kini , a weekly publication, in terms of template and masthead.
The content, though, is starkly different. One copy had the headline ' Kerajaan Selangor gunakan duit rakyat, tipu rakyat' (State government abuses public funds, cheats the people).
Faekah called this a “covert act” aimed at misleading the public about the state’s affairs.
"The content is one thing, the purpose is another. It is 'toilet paper'," she added.
