It is criminal to offer a reward for slapping Seputeh parliamentarian Teresa Kok, says lawyer Fadiah Nadwa Fikri.

The offer by a group of Muslim NGOs, led by the Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia (PPIM) yesterda, Fadiah said, was a “very clear” act of criminal intimidation and inciting of violence, which are offences under Sections 503 and 505 of the Penal Code.

The offences each carry a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment, a fine, or both.

“This is really nasty, I think. It’s criminal... I think the police can surely see the video and they should do something about it now and arrest these people, investigate them, and put them on trial.

“Unfortunately, it is not happening now and these people are free to roam the streets and maybe continue doing it again and again,” Fadiah said when contacted today.

The RM500 offer was made during a protest yesterday, apparently in retaliation against Kok’s satirical Chinese New Year video lampooning Malaysian politics.

The cash reward was reportedly raised to RM1,200 later.

While also condemning the slap reward offer, Padang Serai MP N Surendran said the slaughtering of chickens at the protest was tantamount to animal cruelty and is an offence under Section 44 of the Animal Act, under which perpetrators can be arrested without a warrant.

“In no circumstances can helpless and defenceless animals be terrified and slaughtered, simply to make a political point; the law prohibits it,” Surendran, who is a lawyer, said in a statement.