Activist wants action against FB user calling deputy speaker 'Sakai'

Summary

• Authorities have been urged to act against a social media user who allegedly insulted Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Ramli Nor by calling him “sakai”.

• A police report has been lodged, and the case is being investigated under the Penal Code and the CMA.

• Meanwhile, Ramli tells Malaysiakini that all segments of the community should refrain from using derogatory terms against the Orang Asli.

An Orang Asli activist today urged authorities to take action against a Facebook user for insulting the community and Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Ramli Nor.

This came after the netizen, believed to be a supporter of a political party, called Ramli (above) a “Sakai” and has the mental capacity “like Tarzan”.

According to the activist, Chew Ho Beng, the comment was left under a Facebook post by MIC Youth information chief Navinn Rajendran that touched on a dispute over an Orang Asli football competition held in Tapah last month.

The competition trophy was named after Ramli, as he was the main sponsor, he said.

Ramli was also the guest of honour, invited to deliver prizes at the event instead of Tapah MP M Saravanan, who is MIC deputy president.

“The video that Navinn posted was regarding the organising of the football games by the Perak Tengah Semai and Temiar Orang Asli Welfare Association, where an individual aired his dissatisfaction over the organiser’s failure to invite the Tapah MP as it was held in Tapah.

“As the person who coordinated the competition, I can accept if they want to blame us for not inviting Saravanan because it is an oversight on our part. It was not Ramli’s fault.

“I have also explained this matter to the Tapah MIC division chief and told him this programme involved 64 Orang Asli football teams from all over the country, so there was no issue then.

“But, when such comments that touched one of the 3Rs (race, religion, and royalty) were made, this angered the Orang Asli,” Chew, also known as Angah, told Malaysiakini.

The activist claimed that the video and comments had since been deleted from Facebook, but they managed to take several screenshots.

Cops probing under Penal Code, CMA

One of the images showed a comment that said: “Bro ini orang Sakai Mestilah Akal dia pun mcm orang Tarzan” (Bro, this person is a Sakai, for sure his mind is like Tarzan).

Checks revealed that the user had posted many photos and videos of MIC leaders on his Facebook account. However, it could not be ascertained if he is a party member.

Following this, a member of the Orang Asli community lodged a police report in Tapah yesterday.

Perak police chief Noor Hisam Nordin, when contacted, said an investigation has been opened into the incident.

“The case is currently being investigated under Section 504 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act,” he said.

Section 504 deals with offences related to intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace. It carries a jail term not exceeding two years, or a fine, or both.

Malaysiakini has contacted Saravanan for comments.

‘Not the first time’

Meanwhile, Ramli, in a statement to Malaysiakini, urged all parties to be careful in making any comment so as not to provoke ill feelings among the multiracial community in the country.

He said the word “sakai” is very sensitive to the Orang Asli community, especially for the Semai tribe, where the word means “slave”.

“I would like to stress to all segments of the community in this country not to make any insulting statement towards the Orang Asli.

“This was not the first time such a thing has happened, because there were many previous incidents where the Orang Asli community had been subjected to such abuse,” he said.

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