GEORGE TOWN, Feb 26 — Penang state executive councillor Dr Afif Bahardin is the latest politician to be called in to Bukit Aman for a sedition investigation over social media posts on Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy conviction.
The PKR Youth deputy chief said the police contacted him sometime last week to inform him that he needed to have his statement recorded in Bukit Aman.
“They told me to go there tomorrow morning to give my statement so I will give them my full cooperation,” he said when contacted.
He believed that he was being called in after the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar ordered that he, along with several others, be investigated for his critical statement of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy verdict.
The police launched a crackdown on Internet users who were critical of the Federal Court’s decision in rejecting the Opposition leader’s appeal against his sodomy conviction.
Last week, Socialist Party of Malaysia’s (PSM) Secretary-General S. Arutchelvan was locked up overnight in the Dang Wangi district police headquarters after he was arrested for sedition.
It was reported that the police will also be investigating Jingga 13 chief and PKR leader Fariz Musa, for allegedly inciting street protests and Afif for allegedly telling the public not to trust the judiciary.
Cartoonist Zunar or Zulkiflee SM Anwar Ulhaque was remanded for three days two weeks ago after he was arrested over a Twitter post that mentioned the judiciary and political masters.
Other than the cartoonist, Khalid also ordered police to investigate DAP MP Nga Kor Ming and PKR MP Rafizi Ramli for sedition, both for tweets on Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s conviction.
Putrajaya had previously pledged to repeal the Sedition Act 1948 that critics say is used to stifle political opposition and dissent, but later announced that it will be retained and expanded instead.
The Federal Court on Feb 10 upheld the Court of Appeal’s 2014 ruling that had reversed Anwar’s acquittal of sodomising former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, also sentencing him to five years’ jail.
