GEORGE TOWN: Ika is 24 years old, she was married in December and is two months pregnant – and she is missing her husband very much.
She has not been able to speak to him – because he has been detained for scolding Kedah menteri besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor on Facebook over his insensitive remarks.
The wife of the IT analyst who was detained yesterday has decried her husband’s three-day detention for allegedly insulting the menteri besar.
Ika said a team of eight policemen, mostly in plainclothes, came to her home in Taiping at about midnight to pick up her husband. She said her husband complied with their request to follow them to the “balai” (police station).
She said that at 2.40am, her husband texted her to say he was okay but she has yet to hear from him since. She said she did not get any response from an investigating officer in Sungai Petani over her husband’s condition.
Ika said the message sent to the menteri besar was a private message to his fan page. She said it was sharp criticism, laced with a “high school-level” insult.
“What my husband said was not as bad as what others have said openly on social media. He was upset. At a time when Covid-19 cases are spiking, there are people who are trivialising deaths. That is why he sent that message.
“I’m so sad and have been unable to sleep thinking of him. I feel lonely.
“My husband did not make any threats against the MB or his mother as reported. Please let him go,” she pleaded.
“We were just starting our married life together with our baby. I’m already suffering from severe morning sickness and now this.
“I cannot imagine the mental torture my husband has to endure behind bars for merely saying what’s on his mind. Why must they remand him for so long when they can take his statement and let him go? He did not murder or rob anyeone.
“I feel that you don’t need to be a MB if you cannot take criticism. Better to just sit down and look through FB comments all day,” she said.
Ika said she was now worried about her husband’s job following the current incident.
FMT has reached out to Sanusi for comment.
Remand granted by court, say police
In an immediate comment, Kuala Muda police chief Adzli Abu Shah said the remand order was granted by the court to allow police to complete their probe.
He said that while he empathised with Ika’s situation, police were obliged to look into complaints and investigate them.
“When we have reason to hold a person longer for an investigation, we give this reason to the magistrate in asking for a remand order. The court deliberated carefully before deciding on the three-day remand.
“In the case of the man from Lenggeng, Negeri Sembilan, who was arrested over the same matter, he told the magistrate that he had health issues and the court refused to grant a remand order.
“So, my advice is to not make offensive remarks against anyone in the first place. Follow the law,” Adzli told FMT.
Separately, DAP’s Lim Kit Siang said the inspector-general of police must intervene and play his role as a protector of citizens, not officialdom.
In a statement, he said the IGP must ensure that the police image is not undermined by overzealous personnel who misconstrue their role and duties.
Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng said ministers should be open-hearted and receive criticisms openly, instead of resorting to arresting those who condemned them.
He said it was fair for people to be upset over Sanusi’s statement on containers used to store bodies of the Covid-19 dead as it was no joke. The MB has since apologised for the remark, he added.
At a press conference on Aug 6, Sanusi had been asked about the status of shipping containers to hold the dead at the Sungai Petani hospital, following a shortage of space at the morgue there.
He replied that more containers would be made available, adding: “There are enough containers for dead bodies. Anyone who wants to enter, give your names.”
A barrage of attacks ensued, calling Sanusi insensitive for making such remarks. - FMT
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