I may sue, says Labis MP after being called a dog on FB page

Labis MP Pang Hok Liong at the Jamek Tenang Stesen mosque. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: Labis MP Pang Hok Liong says he is considering suing the admin of the “Ops Johor” Facebook page for calling him a dog when he was only discharging his duties.

A post on the Facebook page had stated “Adun Tenang Bawak Masuk Anjing Dalam Masjid” (Tenang assemblyman brought a dog into the mosque) on May 15 after Pang visited the Jamek Tenang Stesen mosque on May 10.

Pang clarified later that he was invited into the mosque where, in his capacity as MP, he announced an allocation of RM1,000 for every mosque and RM500 for each surau in his constituency in conjunction with Ramadan.

Pang told FMT he had given a statement to the investigating officer and was informed that a number of reports had been lodged against the Facebook page.

“How could the admin call me a dog when I was discharging my duties as the MP in my constituency?” he asked.

He said the police had yet to identify the admin.

“I hope they will track down the admin soon and probe them for criminal defamation.

“I may sue the admin,” he said.

Pang was also reported as saying that the incident had turned into a racial issue which had caused unease among the public.

In a statement following the incident, Johor’s Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar said Pang’s “speech” was a serious infringement of the sanctity of the mosque and threatened the position of Islam in the state.

“This is a violation of the boundaries which I have set as the head of Islam in Johor,” he said, adding that he could not accept the act which he described as rude, unethical and making light of Islamic principles and practices.

A photograph of Pang at the mosque had gone viral on social media. - FMT