MCMC probes PAS leader over false racial claim in royal attack incident

MCMC has recorded a statement from Perak PAS Youth chief Hafez Sabri over a false and “racially charged” social media post related to an attempted attack on Perak ruler Sultan Nazrin Shah.

The commission affirmed that its probe is linked to the Manjoi assemblyperson’s claim that the woman involved in the incident was Chinese.

“As confirmed by the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director, this is untrue and has the potential to stir racial tension and create negative perceptions among the public,” MCMC said in a statement today.

It added that further investigations were carried out in cooperation with the police at their federal headquarters in Bukit Aman yesterday.

The probe is being conducted under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which deals with misuse of network services.

The legislation provides for a maximum fine of RM500,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both.

“MCMC stresses that the dissemination of false, racially charged content is a serious offence that can threaten harmony and public order.

“The public is reminded to always verify the authenticity of information before creating or spreading any content on social media,” it added.

Post ‘manipulated’

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

In response, Hafez claimed that his Facebook post, which identified the race of the suspect in the attack against Sultan Nazrin, was based on “initial information” he had obtained.

Insisting that he had corrected his original post “minutes” after it was published, he asserted that irresponsible parties had circulated screenshots of the earlier version of the post to play up narratives against him.

Hafez’s defence came after CID director M Kumar confirmed that the individual arrested for the attempted attack against the state ruler was a 41-year-old Malay woman.

Kumar added that investigations into the false claims are being carried out under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code, which covers statements that could cause public fear or alarm. 

Besides drug-related records, Perak police had previously said that the woman involved in the attack also has a history of psychiatric treatment and is under the supervision of a specialist. 

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