(Editor's Note: This article has been amended following clarification from Bersatu Youth that the Facebook page quoted was not operated by the current party leadership.)
Bersatu Youth Information chief Mohd Ashraf Mustaqim Badrul Munir has clarified that a Facebook page purportedly representing his group and which condemned a satirical post by activist Fahmi Reza does not in fact represent the party.
Mohd Ashraf said that Fahmi, who merged the party's logo with a marijuana leaf after one of its members was arrested by police for allegedly possessing a large amount of illicit drugs, was within his rights to express his views on the situation.
"If Fahmi wants to satirise the situation, he has the freedom to express his views. We respect Article 10 of the Federal Constitution (which stipulates that every citizen has the right to freedom of speech and expression).
"However we wish reports to be quoted from the original source," said Mohd Ashraf. The Facebook page in question was misusing the name of Bersatu Youth for the purposes of trolling and black ops".
He confirmed that the Facebook page Armada Bersatu PPBM did not represent the party's views.
The correct Facebook page to refer to is Armada Bersatu Malaysia.
In an earlier version of this story, Malaysiakini had erroneously quoted from that page which the current Bersatu Youth got locked out of during the acrimonious party split last year.
Yesterday, police sources who spoke to Malaysiakini on condition of anonymity because the matter was still under investigation said they seized 1.5kg of dried cannabis leaves, nine cannabis plants and a large amount of liquid believed to contain narcotics.
Sources said the police acted on a tipoff and detained the suspect, aged 35, at the Fraser Business Park in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday afternoon for possession of illicit substances.
Following the arrest, police raided the suspect's highrise home in Ampang, Selangor later that day.
"Checks on the property revealed seven cannabis plants and two saplings. There were several more bottles that we found and are suspected to contain cannabis extracts.
"We also found dried cannabis leaves in several plastic bags and containers," said a source.
The estimated street value of the seizure was about RM60,000.
Also arrested was the suspect's wife, 34, and a foreigner who is believed to be the couple's domestic helper.
All three are being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries the mandatory death penalty if found guilty.
Malaysiakini is withholding the name of the politician unless he is charged as he is still a suspect and does not hold public office.
The person also does not hold any elected positions in Bersatu but is an appointed member of a Bersatu Youth wing bureau.
During the 2018 general election, he was Bersatu's candidate for a parliamentary seat in Perak.
Bukit Aman Narcotics Department director Razarudin Husain, when contacted, confirmed the case and said it was under investigation by the Kuala Lumpur police.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Saiful Azly Kamaruddin has not responded to requests for comments.
This is not the first time a Bersatu figure has been probed for drug-related matters.
In January last year, Dengkil assemblyperson Adhif Syan Abdullah was among those detained in a drug bust in Kuala Lumpur.
Initially, Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador said 16 (out of the 17) people were arrested at a condominium unit after they tested positive for illicit drugs. Ketamine and cannabis were also found in the unit, he said.
Two months and a change of government later, the authorities said Adhif's pathology report found his urine test was negative and that the Attorney-General's Chambers had ordered all investigations to be classified as "no further action" (NFA). - Mkini
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