The Kuala Lumpur Sessions (Cyber) Court imposed an RM4,000 fine on an ex-haulier for making an offensive comment on Facebook about Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak singing the classic number “Shalala Lala” when he hosted a dinner for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016.
This morning, Muhammad Amirul Helmy Hisham, 24, who used to work in Port Klang, pleaded guilty to the charge under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act.
He was accused of posting the offensive comment on Facebook at 10.23am on Nov 18, 2016.
According to the facts of the case, the offensive comment was detected by one Hamdan Mohd Salleh on Feb 17, 2017, who then reported the matter to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
Following this, MCMC officers raided Amirul's workplace at Port Klang and seized his mobile phone and SIM card.
In mitigation, Amirul pleaded for a lighter sentence as he is the sole breadwinner in his family and has to support his aging parents and siblings, who are still in school.
He also revealed that as a result of the case, he lost his job and is currently unemployed.
However, DPP Mohd Sophian Zakaria asked for a deterrent sentence as the words used in the comment were improper.
He also pointed out that Amirul had tagged the prime minister in his comment and this meant he wanted Najib and others to read it.
"A deterrent sentence is needed as there are many who make such offensive postings on the internet. Furthermore, the government is considering legislating laws against fake news and imposing a stricter punishment for the offence," Sophian said.
He added that in the past, those found guilty had been fined between RM5,000 and RM20,000.
Sessions judge Zaman Mohd Noor imposed the fine of RM4,000 or one month's jail in default.- Mkini
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