Malaysiakini has last laugh after PAS claimed “being summoned for investigation is unlike being detained”

MALAYSIAN Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) head honcho Tan Sti Azam Baki has to step in to clear a semantical dispute between PAS and Malaysiakini after leaders of the Islamist party berated the news portal for “throwing negative perception” with its headline which read “MACC Detains Perlis MB”.

Following a barrage of fire by PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden and the party’s information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari, Azam who is the chief commissioner of the graft buster emerged the saving grace for the news portal by confirming that Perlis Menteri Besar Mohd Shukri Ramli was indeed “detained” prior to being released on MACC bail.

“Yes, MACC detained Shukri for investigators to record his statement (in connection with an alleged abuse of power case),” Azam told Malaysiakini about six hours after the news portal has run its initial article. “Since his questioning has been completed, he has been released on MACC bail.”

Prior to Azam clearing the air, Afnan Hamimi has hit out at Malaysiakini that its headline should have read “MACC Records Perlis MB’s Statement”, alluding to a 2021 incident when an editor of the news portal was called by the police to give a statement.

“The headline then was ‘Police Calls Malaysiakini Journalist to Assist in Investigation’. Why was it not written that the Malaysiakini editor was arrested by the police?” asked the Alor Setar MP in a Facebook (FB) post. “Why are there two forms of news reporting for the same situation?”

Meanwhile, Ahmad Fadhli who also harped on the fact that “calling to give a statement” is different from “being detained by MACC” questioned the existence of journalists who are incompetent in the Malay language.

“Journalists who are used to interact using the Bahasa Melayu should be able to distinguish these two sentences,” he penned on his FB page.

“This is different from a by-election candidate from a certain party who only has experience working in her own party, hence it’s not strange if she’s not proficient in speaking Malay.” 

- Focus Malaysia