Nothing seditious in articles on SJKC students, say cops

 

According to the complainant, the articles in NST and Berita Harian created a negative impression about students in Chinese vernacular schools. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: No seditious elements were found in two articles about Chinese vernacular schools (SJKC) published by the New Straits Times (NST) and Berita Harian, police said after a report was filed over the articles.

The article in NST published on Jan 18 was titled “SJKC pupils not keen to learn BM” while that in Berita Harian was more speculative and titled “Murid SJKC tak minat subjek Bahasa Melayu?” (SJKC pupils not keen to learn BM?).

Sentul police chief Beh Eng Lai said initial investigations into the articles found that the headlines could give a negative perception to the public.

However, he maintained that they did not contain elements that were seditious or that could incite racial hatred.

He added that the probe was conducted under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code for statements that lead to public alarm and distress and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act for improper use of network facilities.

Beh said a report was lodged on Jan 21 by the chairman of the Malaysian Chinese Language Council, who was unhappy with the articles.

According to the complainant, the articles created a negative impression about students in Chinese vernacular schools, based on comments made by members of the public on the news outlets’ websites.

“The complainant said the statements made by the news outlets were untrue and caused misunderstandings and disharmony among the races,” Beh said. - FMT