Royal insult: PKR rep charged with sedition - What a waste of time, resources and money (Tax payers)

Fazy Sahir

If convicted, Suhaimi Shafie can be jailed for three years or slapped with a fine not exceeding RM15,000.

SHAH ALAM: Sri Muda assemblyman Suhaimi Shafie was charged with sedition at the Sessions Court here in connection with a posting on his blog deemed to have insulted the Sultan of Selangor.

The PKR rep, who was charged under Section 4(1) C of the Sedition Act, has claimed trial.

If convicted, Suhaimi, represented by lawyers Edmund Bon, Latheefa Koya, N Surendran and Amer Hamzah Arshad, could face a jail term of not more than three years or be slapped with a fine not exceeding RM5,000 or both.

Suhaimi was accused of insulting the Sultan in a blog posting on Dec 30 titled “Beraja di mata, bersultan di hati”.

The posting, which was in response to Mohd Khusrin Munawi’s controversial appointment as the new Selangor state secretary, had touched on the people’s uprising against the monarchy in pursuit of justice.

The posting courted a litany of police reports, with several groups accusing the PKR leader of committing treason.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohamad Hanafiah Zakariah argued that bail be set at RM20,000 as it was a serious issue. However Justice Latifah Mohd Tahar set bail at RM8,000 with one surety.

Bail was posted by Suhaimi’s friend, Rohaya Wan Idris.

‘Politically motivated charge’

Meanwhile, Amer told reporters that the charge against his client was an act of “oppression” and that Barisan Nasional leaders were guilty of uttering even more seditious remarks.

“We feel that Suhaimi should not be prosecuted as the Sedition Act was enacted before Merdeka,” he said, adding that the defence would file an application to declare the law invalid.

According to Surendran, the charge against Suhaimi was politically motivated.

He also added that Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail was fond of hauling opposition politicians to court.

“There is no doubt that the government and the AG are abusing the Sediiton Act and other laws. The AG’s Chambers must be revamped,” added Surendran, who is also PKR vice-president.

Also present in court were PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) leader Nasir Hashim, DAP’s Ronnie Liu and several other opposition leaders.