Community Communications Department (J-Kom) director-general Hisyamuddin Ghazali has vowed a tougher stance against government critics, going on the offensive in defence of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the Madani administration.
In a series of Facebook posts, the newly appointed Hisyamuddin said J-Kom would lodge police reports against “all those who have been spreading slander against the government leadership”.
“Today, J-Kom will begin our offensive. No more playing defensive. We will start with lodging police reports at the Putrajaya district police headquarters this morning. Kutip terus!!! (Arrest them). Today is just the fourth day,” he said.
He added that he is restructuring J-Kom’s work culture to transform it into the government’s “main fighter” on the front lines.
Based on his posts, among J-Kom’s targets are businessperson Albert Tei, a staunch critic of Anwar and the MACC, with whom Hisyamuddin has expressed a desire to debate.
Also in his crosshairs is former BN strategic communications deputy director Eric See-To, who uses the social media handle “Lim Sian See”. See-To is known as a loyalist of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak and has frequently criticised the Anwar administration.
Malaysiakini learned that Hisyamuddin personally lodged a report against Tei this morning, urging authorities to investigate the businessperson for purportedly disturbing the peace and obstructing civil servants from carrying out their duties, among other alleged offences.
Hisyamuddin also crossed paths with Tei outside the Putrajaya district police headquarters after lodging the report.
It was unclear why Tei was there, but the businessperson appeared to seize the opportunity to join reporters during the director-general’s press conference.
Malaysiakini learned that Tei tried to question Hisyamuddin about the businessperson’s alleged offences, but the J-Kom chief responded that the matter could be addressed in a debate at a later date.
Debate offer ‘unanswered’
Meanwhile, See-To told Malaysiakini that he is prepared to debate the new J-Kom chief and is awaiting details from him.
“On his very first day as J-Kom director-general, he publicly challenged me to a debate. I accepted the challenge. He then came directly to my Facebook page, commented on my post, and asked me to send him a private message to confirm the debate.
“I did exactly that. I sent him my WhatsApp number as requested, but he never replied,” he said.
However, See-To claimed that unrelated graphics later surfaced that alleged he was scheduled to debate someone he had never even heard of.
“After that, dozens of accounts flooded my page with the same graphic, accusing me of running away from a debate.
“The facts are very simple: the J-Kom chief challenged me on his first day at work, I accepted, he came to my page to confirm it, asked for my contact details, received them, and then went silent,” he added.
See-To said that if the accounts posting the graphics are connected to J-Kom, Malaysians deserve to know whether public funds are being used for coordinated political spamming rather than proper government communication.
“I remain ready to debate the person who originally challenged me. He already has my WhatsApp number. The next move is his,” he added. - Mkini
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