KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 — The government should haul Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee to court over their controversial online greeting during the Muslims’ fasting month, Barisan Nasional (BN) MP Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin said today.
“I ask and the people of Malaysia ask that Vivian and Alvin be charged and arrested immediately,” the Kinabatangan MP said in Parliament.
“Alvin and Vivian are not a good example to the youths, our country’s future. They should be punished heavily over their actions,” he added.
Bung Mokhtar also caused an uproar in Parliament when he appeared to suggest that DAP was linked to the duo’s actions.
“I’m not accusing, but maybe this is tajaan DAP (sponsored by DAP),” he said, which immediately prompted lawmakers from DAP, including Anthony Loke (Seremban) and Teresa Kok (Seputeh), to demand that he retract his words. Bung Mokhtar’s statements came after the duo had apologised on YouTube.
The couple, nicknamed Alvivi, had posted a picture on their Facebook account last Friday, posing with a dish of “Bak Kut Teh” ostensibly containing pork, which is said to have offended the sensitivities of the Muslim community here.
Alvin and Vivian, aged 25 and 24 respectively, were subjected to a 12-hour long interrogation session at the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) headquarters in the city yesterday, national news agency Bernama reported.
MCMC head of enforcement and industry surveillance Zulkarnain Mohd Yasin said that a probe would be carried out, saying that a report will be handed over to the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
Deputy Communication and Multimedia Minister Datuk Jailani Johari reportedly said that the two youths could be face charges under section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act for displaying offensive pictures and words.
If convicted, the duo could be fined up to RM50,000 or be given a one-year jail sentence, or both.
Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail also said the couple may be charged with sedition, despite the government’s plan to repeal the colonial-era law.
“Yes they can,” Abdul Gani was quoted by the Malaysiakini news portal, in reply to questions on prosecution under the Sedition Act.
“Consideration can be made and will be made for this,” he was quoted telling reporters after a seminar on cybercrime in Bangi.
The public prosecutor was reported as saying the sedition charges would carry a heftier penalty than a charge under the MCMC Act.
The Malaysian duo in their early twenties had late last year courted controversy over the videos and photographs of their sexual exploits that were posted on a blog.
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