PKR central committee member Latheefa Koya has hit out at the sentencing of graphic artist Fahmi Reza to a month’s jail, saying that Malaysia should not become an authoritarian state like North Korea.

“Malaysia should not be governed like North Korea where their citizens must exalt their ‘Dear Leader’ and any criticism against him would be dealt with harshly.

“It is not a country founded upon the feelings and whims of the government, but the Federal Constitution, which guarantees fundamental freedoms, including freedom of speech and expression,” she said.

Yesterday, Fahmi was sentenced to a month’s jail and fined RM30,000 by the Sessions Court in Ipoh for a caricature depicting Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak as an evil clown.

He is appealing the decision with a stay being granted by the court.

In a statement released today, Latheefa questioned why pro-government individuals who have made racially inflammatory comments continue to roam free when those perceived to be anti-establishment are put away for much less.

She placed in the latter category the rapper Namewee, who is currently being sought by police for allegedly insulting Muslim sensitivities in his latest music video.

Latheefa said while stern action was being taken against these two individuals, those like Sungai Besar Umno chief Jamal Mohd Yunos continue to be given relatively free rein.

“No action is taken against them simply because of the double standards and selective prosecution policies inherent in the authorities.

“I call upon the authorities not to be so eager to see ‘insults’ in cyberspace. Learn to live with the reality of the internet and social media instead of constantly trying to monitor and censor unfavourable content against the prime minister or on issues they deem to be ‘sensitive’,” she said.

Fahmi’s sentence, according to DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang, was a harbinger of a “darkness that will descend” upon the country should its people fail to vote out the ruling coalition in the 14th general election.

“Pakatan Harapan does not want only a change of government, but institutional and systemic reforms, especially the restoration of the independence, professionalism and integrity of the national institutions in the country,” he said in a statement today.

'Hurt Feelings Act'

The artist’s arrest, Lim added, was a reminder that the choice facing voters in the coming polls went beyond the personalities of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Pakatan Harapan’s prime ministerial candidate Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Rather, it is for the voter to choose “whether to be trapped in the trajectory of a failed and rogue kleptocratic state, or whether to 'Save Malaysia' by re-setting nation-building policies based on the fundamental principles of the constitution.”

Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim (above), meanwhile, expressed his solidarity with Fahmi by quoting an Indonesian poem by Widji Thukul, which contained the line "Maka hanya ada satu kata: Lawan!" ("Then there is only one word: Fight!")

Sim pointed out that Fahmi’s sentencing came just weeks after a social media user, Azhar Mamat, was punished under the same law, the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998.

Azhar had been fined RM20,000 by the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court for Facebook posts deemed to be insulting on Najib and Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali.

Referring to the CMA as the “Hurt Feelings Act,” he said the ruling coalition has lost all credibility and moral authority because dissenting individuals are silenced and kleptocrats allowed to roam freely.

Human rights advocates have pointed out that in recent years, the CMA was increasingly being used to criminalise dissent.

Suaram’s Human Rights Report 2017 overview stated that there was a higher number of prosecutions under the CMA last year than under the Sedition Act with as many as 269 cases being investigated.