Caretaker Kedah chief minister charged with sedition over remarks against Selangor ruler

KUALA LUMPUR: Caretaker Kedah chief minister Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has been charged with two counts of sedition on Tuesday (Jul 18), days after authorities questioned him for allegedly insulting Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.

The 49-year-old politician was charged under Section 4(1)(a) of the Sedition Act at the Selayang Magistrates Court for both charges.

The first charge was in relation to him making seditious remarks against the Selangor ruler while the second charge was related to uttering seditious words regarding the establishment of the unity government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. 

Both the alleged utterances were said during a political rally in Selangor on Jul 11.

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Sanusi, who is also a Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) election director, pleaded not guilty to the charges, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in jail or a fine of RM5,000 (US$1,100). He was granted bail of RM5,000 for each charge.

While there was a heavy presence of police personnel at the courts, not many of his supporters were present at the court.

In a statement on Tuesday, Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said that the party was following the case closely and urged all their supporters to keep calm and respect the process of law. PAS is a PN component party. 

SANUSI CLAIMS HE’S BEING POLITICALLY PERSECUTED  

In a press conference after he was charged, Sanusi said the charges against him were meant to hurt his chances at the upcoming state polls.

"I am confident that the Malaysian people understand the purpose and motive of these charges, which have been sped up after only three days of investigations. I was detained at 3am today without any notice.

“I only knew that I was being charged from the media. I am ready to face these cases," he said, adding that he had given his full cooperation to the authorities over the course of the investigation.

Sanusi claimed the charges against him were an attempt at silencing the opposition. 

"Usually in the political arena, the political problems would be solved in that arena … In Malaysia today, we have a government that is scared and is using the police to prohibit us from speaking. It looks as if these politicians are bankrupt, using the authorities to halt the rise of the public.

"This is a sign that they are scared and all the country's apparatus such as public agencies will be used (against the opposition). I hope that PN will be able to win all six states in the upcoming elections," he said.

Last Thursday, multiple police reports had been lodged against Sanusi for allegedly insulting the Selangor royal institution.

In a viral video, Sanusi appears to have belittled the appointment of Selangor chief minister Amirudin Shari during a political rally.

In a Facebook post on Jul 15, Sanusi said that he sent a letter to the Selangor palace, where he had apologised to the ruler but claimed that his speech had been spun out of context.

On Monday, Sultan Sharafuddin said in a post on the Selangor Royal Office Facebook page that the issue was yet to be resolved.
  
Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain had also said that investigations into Sanusi’s remarks would go on despite his apology to the Selangor ruler.

The police had conducted their investigations under the Penal Code, the Sedition Act, and the Communications and Multimedia Act.   

Early last month, Sanusi - who is known for his controversial statements - had been investigated over his alleged claims that Penang falls under Kedah's ownership.

The charges against Sanusi took place as six state elections including Kedah’s will take place on Aug 12.

Kedah as well as Kelantan, Terengganu, Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan did not hold their state elections concurrently with the 15th General Election (GE15) on Nov 19 last year.

The six states instead dissolved their legislative assemblies last month.

Kelantan, Terengganu, and Kedah are under the rule of PAS, which is a member of the PN coalition together with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) and Parti Gerakan Malaysia (Gerakan).   

Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, and Penang are under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition which leads the current unity government.

PH will be working together with former rivals Barisan Nasional (BN) in the state elections, which many observers say will be a crucial test for the unity government.

More than 9.7 million people will be eligible to cast their votes during the state elections.