Cops to record statement from Jakim critic Tawfik Ismail

Tawfik Ismail, the son of former deputy prime minister Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, will be questioned by police today as part of a sedition probe into remarks he made about the Malaysian Department of Islamic Development. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, January 8, 2016.

Tawfik Ismail, the son of former deputy prime minister Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, who is being investigated for sedition will be questioned by police today.

He said he was contacted by Shah Alam police on Tuesday, requesting for his statement to be recorded.

Tawfik, 64, has been hauled up after calling for the abolishment of the Malaysian Department of Islamic Development (Jakim).

Tawfik said he was not told whether the investigation fell under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act 1948, as reported earlier.

The act carries a maximum fine of RM5,000 or a maximum prison term of three years, or both, for first-time offenders.

“I will be there at 9am with my lawyer. We are prepared for all possibilities,” he said when contacted today,

He did not rule out the possibility of an arrest.

He has engaged lawyer M. Puravelan as his counsel.

Tawfik, who is a member of retired Malay civil servants group G25, said he believed the investigation was linked to a police report that was lodged against him in November, after an interview with The Malaysian Insider, in which he spoke about Jakim.

Following the interview, Tawfik became the subject of a sedition probe as police were investigating his remarks on Jakim, which is under the purview of the Prime Minister’s Department. 

In November, police recoded statements from a news editor and a reporter at The Malaysian Insider to assist in the investigations.

- TMI