Chinese daily gets show-cause letter over cartoon
PUTRAJAYA: The Ministry of Home Affairs ( KDN) yesterday called up the editor-in- chief of newspaper company, Nanyang Siang Pau Sdn Bhd ( Nanyang Siang Pau), following the publication of a caricature insulting the Dewan Rakyat Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia and the member of parliament for Marang, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang who is PAS president.
Home Ministry secretarygeneral Datuk Seri Alwi Ibrahim said in a statement that the show- cause letter dated yesterday was issued to the Chinese daily under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.
He said the publisher was given three days to respond to the showcause latter.
“Subsequent action will be taken based on the regulations and procedures specified,” he said.
Alwi said the caricature could jeopardise public order as it encouraged negative sentiments, enmity, hatred and prejudice against other people or races.
“It is also indirectly ridiculing Parliament and the Islamic religion because the Bill 355 ( Syariah Court (Amendment) Bill ( Criminal Jurisdiction) 1965) which was portrayed in the caricature was linked to the Islamic religious affairs,” he said.
On April 8, the newspaper carried a caricature in their portal which showed a monkey wearing a ‘songkok’ ( Malay headgear) and labelled as ‘speaker’ while another monkey wore a turban and labelled ‘Hadi Awang’.
Both monkeys were shown to be sitting on the branch of a tree which was labelled as ‘Act 355’.
Meanwhile in Kota Bharu, about 100 members of Kelantan PAS Youth held an assembly at the Tambatan Diraja to protest the action of the newspaper in publishing the cartoon that insulted their leader.
They also showed their protest by burning the newspaper.
Kelantan PAS Youth vicehead, Mohd Ariff Abdullah said the action by the newspaper was clearly insensitive to the Muslims in the country. — Bernama
Subsequent action will be taken based on the regulations and procedures specified. Datuk Seri Alwi Ibrahim, Home Ministry secretary-general