Sri Muda rep’s case in AG’s hands

Hishammuddin said police reports alone did not prove a crime. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 17 — Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein today said the Attorney-General would determine if the PKR’s Shuhaimi Shafiei will be prosecuted for alleged “treason” against the Selangor Sultan.

The home minister made the statement after the police submitted their investigation papers on the matter to the A-G’s Chambers.

Shuhaimi, the Sri Muda assemblyman, was accused for openly opposing Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah in the ongoing Selangor state secretary impasse, in a blog posting at srimuda.blogspot.com on December 30.

Malay rights groups have also accused Shuhaimi of inciting hatred against the royal institution and called for him to be arrested under the Sedition Act.

Today, Hishammuddin said he expects the police to work closely with the Attorney-General’s (A-G) office to expedite the case.

“It (the case) will only be brought to court if any laws were violated. Many police reports were lodged by those that want to defend (the royal institution) but it must be based on the existing law and that can only be determined by the Attorney-General,” he told reporters during press conference here.

Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia wrote that politicians like Shuhaimi should be taught a lesson to prevent other leaders from overstepping boundaries, especially in matters concerning the royalty.

It added that the authorities should not hesitate in taking immediate action against Shuhaimi, as a warning to other politicians.

Hishammuddin also confirmed that Putrajaya has decided on the guidelines to define the sedition with regards to online content.

The home minister revealed that he had been roped in earlier, together with Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz, and the A-G to draw up the new rules on sedition.

“At the top officer level, the draft is ready. It also needs to be discussed and announced during the ministerial meetings,” he said.

The Sedition Act has been described as a tool used by the government to clamp down on freedom of speech and cut out criticism against its policies.

The moves to extend sedition to online content appears to be an attempt to quell online dissent without causing the government to break its pledge not to enforce any censorship on the Internet, made under the ten-point Bill of Guarantees (BoGs) of the Malaysian Multimedia Super Corridor launched in 1996. - Malaysian Insider