'Enough is enough!' DAP MP demands action against 'divisive' preacher

After lodging a police report against controversial Muslim preacher Ridhuan Tee Abdullah, DAP lawmaker RSN Rayer demanded swift action against figures he accused of inciting communal division with impunity.

"Enough is enough!" said the indignant Jelutong MP.

"How many more police reports must be filed before this hateful rhetoric is halted? Do we wait until hatred takes root, communities are torn apart, and the damage becomes irreversible?" he told Malaysiakini.

Rayer warned that official inaction risked fuelling public anger and reinforcing perceptions of double standards.

"This goes against everything Pakatan Harapan stands for. We represent principles, accountability, and the equal application of the law," he emphasised.

'Ultra kiasu harbi'

Rayer’s police report concerned a social media post by Ridhuan, which the DAP MP said contained words that were “insulting, sarcastic and disparaging” towards the Chinese community.

Central to Rayer’s report was Ridhuan’s use of the term "ultra kiasu harbi", which conflates non-Muslim political figures with hostile combatants or "enemies of Islam”.

Rayer believes the post was aimed at DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke’s resignation as transport minister, which Loke said would take effect when former premier Najib Abdul Razak returns home to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest.

Rayer cautioned that failure to arrest and charge Ridhuan could further inflame racial and religious tensions in a country where communal sensitivities are frequently exploited.

“Being a convert does not give a person the right to insult another’s race, religion, culture and language. What makes this more absurd is that Ridhuan (below) himself is Chinese.

"Changing your religion does not mean shedding your ethnicity as well,” he added.

Investigation demand

In his report, lodged with the Lebuh Pantai police station in Penang, Rayer alleged that Ridhuan frequently made social media posts that tended to provoke racial controversy and hostility, potentially disrupting public order.

“Therefore, I demand that the police immediately investigate this police report and charge him under Section 505(c) of the Penal Code and/or Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998,” he added.

Section 505(c) of the Penal Code makes it an offence to make, publish or circulate any statement, rumour or report with the intent to incite - or which is likely to incite - any class or community of persons to commit an offence against another class or community. The offence is punishable with a fine or imprisonment of up to two years.

Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA) criminalises the improper use of network facilities or services to transmit online content deemed obscene, indecent, false, menacing or offensive with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass another person.

Ridhuan and other Muslim preachers such as Zamri Vinoth wield considerable influence on social media, where their commentary can reach large audiences within minutes, potentially amplifying issues that might otherwise remain confined to a local dispute or isolated incident.

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