Community Communications Department (J-Kom) chief Hisyamuddin Ghazali has denied allegations that he made racist remarks against the Chinese community, saying his “Cina sesat” (lost Chinese) comment was directed only at two individuals and had been deliberately misrepresented.
In a video statement last night, Hisyamuddin (above), better known as Syam Ghaz, said his Facebook post on Saturday was intended solely as a response to social media personalities Eric See-To and Albert Tei.
"I wish to emphasise that the original post on my Facebook page was solely a response to See-To and Tei.
"This is clearly evident in the post itself, which explicitly mentioned their names, without involving any other parties," he said.
Earlier, Hisyamuddin’s post, which had been twice edited to remove the words “Cina” and “balaci” (lackeys), drew condemnation from various quarters, including politicians from the government and opposition.
Despite the removal of the terms, the changes are still visible in the post’s edit history.
No intent to offend
Hisyamuddin said he regretted attempts by certain parties to portray the post as an attack on the entire Chinese community.
"I deeply regret the irresponsible actions of certain parties who deliberately twisted the post to create the false impression that I was attacking the entire Chinese community," he said.
Hisyamuddin stressed that he had no intention of offending any ethnic group and said preserving harmony in Malaysia's multicultural society remained a priority.
"I wish to stress that I had no intention whatsoever of hurting or offending any ethnic group in Malaysia. The harmony of our multicultural society has always been one of my priorities," he added.
At the same time, he apologised for any misunderstanding arising from the matter.
"Nevertheless, I sincerely regret any mistakes or misunderstandings arising from the matter that may have offended individuals who were not involved.
"I take full responsibility and will exercise greater caution in managing my social media posts in the future," he said.
Hisyamuddin also warned that legal action would be taken against those whom he accused of defaming him or distorting his statements.
He said his legal team had reviewed related statements and social media posts, while a police report had already been lodged.
According to him, letters of demand would be issued soon to See-To and others allegedly involved in spreading the claims.
"I will not compromise when it comes to any baseless accusations, defamation, or distortion of my statements that harm my reputation. Firm legal action will be taken immediately," he said.
Proceed directly with legal action
Responding to related posts by Hisyamuddin, See-To challenged the former to proceed directly with legal action instead of issuing a letter of demand.
In a Facebook post, See-To said Hisyamuddin should file the lawsuit within 14 days, failing which he would initiate legal proceedings against the former special officer to Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
“The basis of the legal action I intend to file is a civil suit for the tort of misfeasance in public office, namely the abuse of power in a public office.
“Public funds allocated for government communications that are meant to be neutral, professional and beneficial to the people are believed to have been misused, diverted from their intended purpose, or employed for partisan political and personal interests,” he said.
“This includes targeting government critics, threatening legal action, lodging police reports, defending racist statements, and producing propaganda unrelated to the legitimate mandate of government communications,” he added.
See-To said his suit against Hisyamuddin will also name Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, Chief Secretary to the Government Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as co-defendants.
“These defendants either knew, ought to have known, or were recklessly negligent regarding the improper purpose and possible unlawfulness of the use of public office, public powers and public funds.
“More seriously, they are also seen as having allowed a senior government official to remain in public office despite being associated with racist remarks while serving in that position,” he claimed.
As a result, he claimed to have suffered personal injury, including targeted harassment, reputational damage, legal costs, pressure arising from legal threats, and a chilling effect on his freedom of expression and constitutional rights. - Mkini
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