PM denies involvement in Sanusi’s sedition charges

 

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has denied involvement in caretaker Kedah menteri besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor’s sedition charges.

Anwar asserted that the opposition was “out of ideas”, to the point of associating him with Sanusi’s court cases.

This came after Sanusi claimed that the two sedition charges against him were politically motivated ahead of the looming state polls.

“The prime minister is being insulted and reviled every day. I did not take action. I did not ask the police to take action.

“But insulting and offending the ruler, that’s on you. The one who lodged the police report was the Selangor Royal Council. Can it file a report without the sultan’s involvement? No.

“Then the Selangor PAS commissioner sought an audience with the Selangor sultan to seek forgiveness. The ruler said the case has not been solved. Therefore, the inspector-general of police made a statement, and he (Sanusi) was arrested and charged.

“How is this the prime minister’s fault?" he said after officiating an event at the Sungai Besar Stadium in Sabak Bernam this morning.

Sedition charges

On Tuesday (July 18), Sanusi was slapped with two charges of sedition at the Sessions Court in Selayang over his ceramah on July 11.

Both charges accused him of uttering words that had the tendency to incite disloyalty against a ruler.

According to the first charge, the Perikatan Nasional election director said the Kedah sultanate was the only one in the country with uninterrupted lineage and that the Kedah ruler would not have appointed Amirudin Shari as menteri besar to head the state’s administration.

According to the second charge, Sanusi questioned if the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had indeed decreed that a unity government be formed after the parliamentary election last November.

The alleged offence was committed at around 11pm in Taman Selayang Mutiara, Selangor. The charge was framed under Section 4(1)(a) which criminalises acts of “seditious tendency”.

If found guilty, Sanusi can be jailed for up to three years, fined up to RM5,000, or both for each offence.

Sanusi has claimed trial for both charges. Both cases are set for pre-trial proceedings on Oct 4.

The incumbent Jeneri assemblyperson was also issued with a gag order to bar him from speaking about the trial in public. - Mkini