Perak sultan case: Post on woman's race 'manipulated', says PAS rep

Perak PAS Youth chief Hafez Sabri has claimed that his Facebook post, which “mistakenly” identified the race of the suspect in an attempted attack on Perak ruler Sultan Nazrin Shah yesterday, was manipulated by irresponsible parties.

The Manjoi assemblyperson said he wrote the post immediately after the incident, fearing for the sultan’s safety as well as questioning how such a security breach could have happened.

He added that the post, at that time, was written with initial information he obtained that claimed the suspect was a Chinese woman.

“I found that the initial source I received was incorrect. Within minutes after the post was published, I immediately corrected my original post.

“However, there were irresponsible parties who screenshotted my initial Facebook post and continued to circulate it, playing up narratives as if I am the one fanning racial issues.

“I did not touch on race or ethnicity issues in questioning how such an incident could have happened, but rather, emphasising the sultan’s security, which needs to be tightened,” Hafez explained on Facebook today.

He added that the incident cannot be defended, regardless of one’s skin colour, and that the bad intentions of those “irresponsible parties” were evident when they continued to circulate his initial post.

Sorry for mistake

Hafez also apologised for his mistake in this issue and said he had lodged a police report over the matter.

“Since yesterday, I have seen these irresponsible parties trying to play up sentiments (that could) divide racial unity, by trying to build a narrative and malicious suspicions against me.

“I am relieved to have been able to enlighten the people about what really happened, and I believe the beloved community can evaluate and read my explanation with an open heart.

“As a human being, I am also not immune (from making) mistakes.”

Earlier, the Penang and Negeri Sembilan branches of DAP Youth lodged police reports over the issue and urged the authorities to investigate Hafez.

This morning, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director M Kumar dismissed the viral Facebook post that claimed the suspect is Chinese, clarifying that the woman arrested is Malay.

He also said they are investigating the woman under Section 325 and Section 511 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing grievous hurt and attempting to commit an offence.

Perak police said yesterday that the suspect has a history of psychiatric treatment and is under specialist supervision.

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