KUALA LUMPUR, May 19 — Most Malaysian Twitter users feel Nur Fitri Azmeer Nordin deserves no forgiveness for his crime of child pornography, while some even hope he faces a tough time in his UK jail cell, a local social media research firm has found.

In an opinion-based analysis involving 421 Twitter users who actively discussed the topic on the microblogging site, Politweet found that a staggering 94.06 per cent had negative comments on the matter.

In contrast, 1.90 per cent said Nur Fitri deserves a second chance, claiming his was a victimless crime as all he did was watch porn “just like everyone else”, while 2.61 per cent said he should be treated first before his future is determined.

“... expressions of hatred were more numerous than those in favour of forgiveness or treatment.

Advertisement

“However these expressions of hatred did not target his family, his race, or his religion,” the firm said.

In its breakdown of those with negative remarks about Nur Fitri, Politweet said that of the 421 polled, 76.72 per cent said Nur Fitri should not be given a second chance.

The research firm said respondents in this category were specifically discussing previous reports that the math scholar would be offered a place in any of the Majlis Amanah Rakyat’s (MARA) higher education institutions here once he completes his sentence in the UK.

Advertisement

Putrajaya and MARA have since clarified its position on the matter.

These Twitter users were in general agreement that the 23-year-old Nur Fitri, who was studying on a MARA scholarship when he was caught with child pornography last year, does not deserve to receive more public funds to complete his studies.

“The analysis indicates that users in Malaysia would not accept MARA giving Nur Fitri a scholarship,” Politweet said.

Users here also drew comparisons between Nur Fitri’s case and that of Adam Adli Abdul Halim, the student activist who was suspended from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris in 2013 after he was hauled up for sedition over a speech calling for the government to be overthrown.

Politweet also found that 58 users or 13.78 per cent of those polled felt Nur Fitri should not be forgiven and should be kept imprisoned.

These users were particularly harsh in their comments on the Malaysian youth, with many saying his incarceration should be permanent or that he should not be allowed back into Malaysia.

There were those who were also “hopeful that bad things would happen to him in prison”, the study said.

“One major concern for these users was that if Nur Fitri was allowed to go free either now or in the future, he may threaten other children.

“Nurin Jazlin Jazimin’s case as well as Nurul Huda Abdul Gani’s murder was mentioned by some of these users as justification for their opinion,” Politweet said, referring to two separate cases of sexual assault involving minors.

Of the remaining respondents, 15 users or 3.56 per cent had a variety of other negative remarks about Nur Fitri’s case, while six users or 1.43 per cent were uncategorised for having “no opinion or other opinions” on the matter.

The research firm concluded in its analysis that from the responses collected, it is clear that Malaysians need to be educated on a number of topics regarding paedophilia.

These include what constitutes child pornography, the difference between child pornography and adult pornography, why viewing child pornography is not a victimless crime, and how to protect children from paedophiles.

“This would help them to understand the issue of paedophilia and know how to discuss it and help to prevent it,” Politweet said.

Politweet’s survey was conducted between May 1 and 13 on 421 Malaysia-based users who tweeted about Nur Fitri as well as used the #NoSecondChance hashtag-driven campaign that was trending on Twitter when the news hit media headlines.

The users are estimated to be aged between 18 and 30 years old, and are almost evenly divided between Bahasa Malaysia (43 per cent) and English speakers (45 per cent). A total of 12 per cent are bilingual.

Nur Fitri was found to be in possession of over 30,000 videos and photographs of child pornography when police raided his home in London last November.

On April 30, he was convicted by the Southwark Crown Court in London of possessing thousands of videos and photographs depicting child pornography including 601 depicting sexual penetration and sentenced to 18 months’ jail.