Fact-check: Mkini didn't publish article on Sheila Majid down with arthritis

An article purportedly published by Malaysiakini about Malaysia's jazz queen Sheila Majid suffering from arthritis is false.

Based on the screenshots posted by the singer on her Instagram last night, the article looks like a phishing scam aimed at duping unsuspecting victims into purchasing a sort of remedy for the disorder.

It was presented as an exact duplicate of the Malaysiakini website but has no relation to the news portal.

The news portal has also never produced articles quoting Sheila endorsing such products, nor has it ever interviewed her about the purported medical issue.

The singer has also denied that she was suffering from arthritis and was wheelchair-bound as alleged by the fake article.

"What utter nonsense! This is false news.

"Five years ago in 2019, I was at my busiest working and travelling before the lockdown. And if I did suffer this so-called ‘illness’, surely the local news would have reported it five years ago? Why only now?

"Why the need to be dishonest in trying to sell your product? Don’t you have any confidence in it that you have to sneakily associate my name with it? Your product is as fake as your lying article," Sheila said in the caption that accompanied the screenshots on her Instagram.

The artiste urged the Communications and Multimedia Commission to help identify the culprits behind the fake news, adding she wants to take them to court.

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