Johor Bahru City Council: Viral photos of communist billboards are old
The Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB) has clarified that viral photos of an F&B outlet which appear to be displaying "elements of communism" are actually old photographs and the offending items have been removed.
In a statement today the MBJB clarified that the premises in Mount Austin Park, Johor Bahru, was first inspected on Dec 29, 2019...
The Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB) has clarified that viral photos of an F&B outlet which appear to be displaying "elements of communism" are actually old photographs and the offending items have been removed.
In a statement today, the MBJB clarified that the premises in Mount Austin Park, Johor Bahru, was first inspected on Dec 29, 2019.
"The results of the inspection on that date found that there were two billboards on the business premises, one of which had got the approval of the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) while the other had additional symbols and logos that were not approved by the MBJB."
"These additional advertisements fell under the Advertising Licensing Act (MBJB) 2010, 7 (1), for example, the advertiser does not have a valid licence from MBJB.
"On Nov 12, 2020, the results of follow-up monitoring found that the regulations were still not complied with by the owner of the premises and enforcement action was taken by MBJB in seizing the items," the MBJB's corporate communications unit said today.
It said that premises were issued with a summons on Dec 9, 2020, under the Advertising Licensing Law (MBJB) 2010, 20 (g) which covers advertising that does not represent the culture and way of life of Malaysians.
The MBJB added that a further follow-up yesterday conducted by MBJB found that the owner of the premises had removed the items and that had been replaced with other premises that have been approved by DBP.
"The examination also found that the business premises are not in operation and are in the process of being renovated. No communist and similar symbols were found on the premises.
"The pictures that have spread on social media recently are pictures taken long before the renovation process was carried out by the owner of the premises," it said.
"The MBJB would like to emphasise to all business premises owners that every signboard and promotional advertisement must comply with existing rules, including passing censorship from the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka and the Royal Malaysian Police."
The council also called on citizens of the city to relay information or complaints to MBJB should there be displays that contain elements of communism or other symbols that touch on public sensitivities within the MBJB area so that immediate action can be taken.
"Residents of Johor Bahru are also reminded to preserve an atmosphere of harmony by avoiding things that oppose the cultural norms of the society of this country, abiding by the laws in force as well as to appreciate the principles of the Rukunegara in daily life," it said.
This came after police in Penang raided the Xiang Ge Li La Authentic Hunan restaurant in Bukit Mertajam over its communist-themed artwork.
Restaurant owner who only wanted to be known as Joey admitted that the artwork style was similar to that of communist propaganda posters but stressed the content of the text did not promote communism, but contained humorous culinary slogans instead.
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